 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||
|
|
Academic Enrichment Services
MIGIZI Communications offers customized curriculum and classes for upper-level elementary and middle-school students. Subjects include Technology, Computers, Math, and Science.
Designed to enhance curriculum delivery in secondary science for charter and alternative schools.
Side By Side Program
Students Examples Website: Side By Side program
Side By Side Program
View the website that was the result of this highly successful initiative:
The purpose of the project was to prevent academic regression among third,
fourth, fifth, and sixth grade American Indian students in three Minneapolis
elementary schools by means of partnering with the schools and the students’
parents to raise individual achievement levels.
The project served about 80 students per year, and included an after school
program, a Saturday program, and a summer program.
The project worked directly with elementary schools to serve students
who had been enrolled with the pledged participation of their parents.
The project increased the 1,082- hour average year by up to 800 additional
hours. Students were taught strategies for learning using applied learning
techniques. They gained greater familiarity with the process of learning,
and they participated in cultural activities that reinforced group identification
and the positive aspects of group interaction.
This approach is based on research showing some indicators for student
success to be:
1. More contact hours spent in learning.
2. Learning activities that bridge the summer hiatus.
3. Adults whose roles are helpers.
4. The active engagement of parents in the learning experience.
5. Project-based learning activities which teach content but also teach
students how to learn effectively.
6. The use of enriching cultural experiences to aid the development of
a strong self-image.
7. Supplementary education which works with schools and not independently
from them.
OVERALL APPROACH
Rather than blaming the public schools for the failures of elementary
students, our community-school partnership seeks to work with schools
to increase the child’s chances of recovering from academic regression.
In this way, the accountability of the schools is not bypassed in an attempt
to deliver quality education. Partnerships also make the best use of the
resources of schools and communities to get help to the children that
need it. At the same time, children and their parents are not blamed,
either.
This project does not take the place of special education, profound behavioral
problems intervention, or therapy of any kind. Students who need these
services are not accepted into the program. It would not be fair to the
child or her/his parents to divert appropriate intervention to a program
that is not staffed with the specialists needed.
The techniques and procedures employed in other MIGIZI educational programs
include: expecting that families want the best in education for their
children; expecting that students want to learn and can achieve; expecting
staff to treat all students with dignity and an understanding of the environmental
problems faced by students that are probably beyond their control; researching
approaches that work best with students as they are, rather than as we
would like them to be; and maintaining the physical space, equipment and
supplies in excellent condition to give students the best possible learning
spaces.
All MIGIZI facilities and activities are smoke-free and drug-free. All
programs stress the importance of health and fitness and the satisfaction
of having goals. As much as possible, learning is offered by means of
application rather than being theory-based and "progressive."
All staff, regardless of position, are available to all students, and
all adults and high school students are considered peers. These techniques
and procedures are designed to counterbalance the experiences students
and their families have in other settings without being critical of those
other settings. There are, in our experience with students and their families,
many difficulties which impede successful learning that have little to
do with education per se. In our view, it is the responsibility of the
organization to work through those barriers.
GENERAL PROJECT OPERATIONS
Because the general health of American Indian people is poor, and the
population has the highest tobacco use of any racial group, education
must pay attention to the whole child. The project taught drug and tobacco
refusal skills, informed parents of the dangers of secondary smoke, and
provided posters and materials on healthy living and physical fitness.
All classes included healthy snacks paid for by contributions and private
funders. Regular exercise was emphasized. Visits to the Minneapolis YWCA
for swimming and exercise were integrated into the curriculum. The incidence
of obesity among American Indian people is high, the lack of exercise
is commonplace, the ingestion of diets high in fats and sugars is common,
and the absence of fruits and fresh vegetables in many diets is having
an effect on young Indian children, preparing them for hypertension, obesity
and diabetes later in life.
Two full-time licensed elementary teachers comprise the primary professional
staff. They are assisted by a support person who handles data collection,
drives the bus, and conducts the Saturday field trips. Consultant teachers
are hired from time to time to teach Saturday sessions, assist with the
summer classes in specialty areas or help with high numbers of students.
1992 NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF ELEMENTARY PARENTS AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL: BACKGROUND
FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM
MIGIZI queried parents of native children in the school system, and staff
of elementary schools or programs at schools that will participate in
the project. The instrument and tabulations are included in this application
in the appendices.
81 individuals responded, 50 parents, 2 counselors, 27 teachers, and 2
administrators. All did not answer every question, so the percentages
of preferences must be considered against a varying base. Section II of
the questionnaire sought information on the backgrounds of the parents.
Of those who responded, parents had 16 children in second grade, 16 in
third, 7 in fourth, 15 in fifth, and 11 in unspecified grades.
A big surprise, given all the estimates about mobile Indian families,
is that 46 of 48 parents reported living in the community for 19.96 years
on average.
34 of 49 parents had children eligible for free or reduced lunch, 46 of
48 parents would send their child to an after school learning center,
46 of 47 parents would participate in the program. 39 of 41 parents would
participate in evening activities. 34 of 38 parents would participate
in weekend activities. 36 of 37 parents would participate in summer activities.
Parents and school personnel were asked three open-ended questions: What
should be the number one priority of a supplemental program in terms of
academic and nonacademic offerings? What should a program do to help schools?
And, how should the program pay attention to learning styles?
Parents listed math most often, followed by tutoring, computers, and basic
skills for academic offerings. School personnel listed math and reading,
followed by tutoring. For nonacademic, parents listed culture, arts and
sports. School personnel listed culture and counseling. For what to do
to help, parents said work together, have involvement, use prevention
and culture.
Personnel said use culture, build self-esteem, use counseling. As to what
an after school program should address, parents said: have a cultural
base, use a variety of techniques and work with students one-to-one. Personnel
said: use variety, use visual and kinesthetic techniques, be holistic,
be group-based and work one-to-one.
Nine closed questions were asked, ranging from students’ needs, the
classroom environment, the role of technology, the role of adults, and
parents’ support of a supplementary program. 76 persons picked question
five as number one — that students need drug-free, smoke-free environments.
76 persons picked comfortable, quiet and safe places as second most important.
76 persons said that students with supplementary help will do better in
school (3rd choice). The tie for 4th place was between the need for individual
help and that parents would support a supplementary program. This agrees
with the earlier question that parents would participate, with 46 out
of 47 respondents saying yes.
Cloud Family Collection
Designed for elementary students, the Cloud Family Curriculum, developed by MIGIZI, is an informative and fun way for students to learn. Family member stories are told to include social themes and to provide cultural content.
The Cloud Family Collection is a copyrighted curriculum written by Native Americans, eight modules in Language Arts for students with an upper elementary reading ability and includes artwork by Steve Premo.
Language Of Hope Mural Project
Website: Language Of Hope Mural Project
Community Service Mural Activities: Theme discussion and development- presentations by cultural advisors, discussions, visits to other murals and public art Research of the theme- books, interviews, continuing discussion Drawings to the theme- drawings are begun, visualization of the concept, style development, scale drawing of the wall Composition-the final composition is developed from the drawings and development of the theme ideas Priming of the wall-scaffolding is set and muralists get the "feeling" for the wall Transfer of the design to the wall-different methods are explored (grid, paper pattern, slide projection) before final (probably hybrid method) is employed Color studies are made Painting the mural on the wall Community celebration-celebration is planned to dedicate the mural to the community Documentation- participants journal their experiences and document the progress of the project with photographs Reflection- participants gather to share their experiences and evaluate the process