Support worker studies online learning methods

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When Barb Cote talks about the pilot project she has initiated in Columbia Lake Band at Windermere, passion and determination dominate her normally gentle tone.

Cote completed the Distributed Learning Facilitation for Indigenous Communities (DLFIC) undergraduate certificate program on Nov. 25, and on Nov. 26, she watched as the chief and council of Columbia Lake Band and Gregory Claeys, co-ordinator of Indigenous programs at Royal Roads University, signed a memorandum of understanding that marked a new road in Aboriginal educational opportunities.

"The course I took was the first of its kind anywhere in Canada, so we are the first band in Canada to have the distributed learning program," said Cote.

Cote, who is a full-time Aboriginal support worker at the David Thompson Secondary School in Invermere, studied on her own time to earn her DLFIC diploma.

Among the many topics covered in the course were learner styles and readiness; Web and course design; written, oral and virtual communications; methodology; needs assessment; teaching and learning practices and team work.

"It is an awesome course. It gives you all the technologies, everything for someone to facilitate a learning centre, and it is designed so you can work on-line. I only had three weeks of on-campus time at Royal Roads in Victoria; the rest I did here."

The next course is scheduled to begin in April.

The Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council sponsored Cote in the program.

She was recruited after she met Claeys when he was in the Columbia Valley giving a presentation with the First Nations worker from the College of the Rockies' Cranbrook campus.

The worker recommended Cote.

"Barb is certainly the best student we were sent," said Claeys. "She has shown exceptional leadership qualities."

Cote's sister Diana agreed that she was the ideal choice.

"What Barb starts, she finishes," said Diana. "She puts her absolute all into it and this will absolutely be successful."

DLFIC is an on-line learning program that allows for everything from kindergarten through Grade 12 to Adult Basic Education and a variety of college programs to be accessed on reserves.

Part of Cote's training was getting out in to the community to do a needs assessment, and as she explained the program to people on the reserve, she met with constant positive comments.

"I have three objectives," said Cote. "One is to bring education to the band hall; we do have the community college (in the valley) but not all our people are comfortable going there. So, to make it really theirs, and somewhere they have the cultural aspect as well, they can now go to the band hall.

"We will have an Elders' course, and there will be a computer basics course, starting from scratch for people who haven't got computers at home, and many of our people don't."

Adult Basic Education is also extremely important to Cote, who said many people would like to finish their education, but have not had a comfortable opportunity.

"The big one is Kootenay on-line," said Cote. "It has already been produced in the Salish Kootenay College in Poleson, Mont. Our traditional territory goes all the way down there. The college there has produced an on-line format. There is Kootenay 1, 2 and 3."

"They just need to give us the delivery platform," she said. "Then our Elders would be our assessors. At the end of a module, the Elders would let us know if we were saying the words and sounds correctly. It is a wonderful opportunity for integration of young and old.

"Within eight to 10 years we are going to lose the language completely because there are only 37 people in our five bands here in the Columbia that speak it fluently," she said. "It is going fast, and we have to do something. I see technology as a way to possibly save it. If we lose the language we will lose the culture."

Claeys said that studies have shown that up to 80 per cent of traditional medicinal knowledge will also be lost when traditional language is gon.

Despite the ever-growing trend of economic development that is happening on reserves, Cote said, many First Nations people are not getting top level jobs because of the need for higher education.

"This is a way to achieve that education without leaving home and leaving your family," Cote said, "and the cultural relevance is extremely important. It will give the learner a sense of self and self-confidence and a foundation for moving forward with the tools that are relevant to each individual. Cultural activities and ceremonies can be integrated along with other educational celebrations, and it is all happening right here.

"We have these recognition assemblies for the kids at school and they each get an award for something they have accomplished. The parents all come and it is great. It is one of my visions to see adults stand up and be recognized as well."

Cote added that having local First Nations role models is vital in encouraging more youth and adults to access educational opportunities.

"That is why I was put in the position I was put in back in 1975; Native Home School co-ordinators were put there so the Native kids would have someone to relate to," she said. "But still we are not teachers; they are not in those high level jobs. So it is important for them to have those role models and know they can do it.

"I see this really helping the community to come together in something really meaningful. At this point everything seems to be falling into place. I can't see anything stopping it now. It has taken on a life of its own; people are using it; and I've had lot of community members coming to ask about various courses."

Chief Mary Jimmy is very happy with how the situation has turned out. "We are always looking for ways to deliver education to our people, especially the language aspect," she said. "I really thank Barb for putting so much effort into this. This can only get better."

For Cote, the work has just started.

"I want to eventually find a way tomake the program self-sufficient so we do not have to constantly go after funding."