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KnowledgeBases > The American Indian Education KnowledgeBase > Element 4 > Activity 1 > Task 1: Be Aware of American Indian Learning Styles

Guideline: Students learn in different ways. For example, some students prefer to work individually, while others like to work in groups. Some students are happy enough to sit and listen to a teacher lecture or read a book, while others need to learn through hands-on activities. Since classrooms are full of students with different learning styles, it is benerficial for educators to vary the way they present instructional content so all students have an opportunity to learn in their preferred way.

Overview: There are differences among children in terms of how they "learn to learn" in their homes. These differences can affect how successful they are in school. For instance, in some homes children are expected to be very respectful of adults and to be "seen and not heard," while in other homes children are encouraged to ask questions about anything and everything because the parents think that is how children learn. Dr. Lori Alvord Arviso, the first female Navajo surgeon, recalled in her 1999 autobiography The Scalpel and the Silver Bear that subject matter preparation was not the only problem she faced when she went to college. She writes, "Navajos are taught from the youngest age never to draw attention to ourselves. So Navajo children do not raise their hands in class. At a school like Dartmouth, the lack of participation was seen as a sign not of humility but lack of interest and a disengaged attitude." Later in medical school she was viewed as "remote and disinterested" for similar reasons.

References American Indian and Alaskan Native Learning Styles

Authored by Karen Swisher, Ed.D., this article reviews the effect of learning styles in the teaching of American Indian and Alaskan Native students. It provides an overview of the research on learning styles and suggests how teachers should approach understanding how their native students learn. As Director of the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University, Dr. Swisher was instrumental in recognizing learning styles as an important element in the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers in schools attended by American Indian and Alaskan Native children.

References Classroom Implications of the Learning Styles of American Indian and Alaska Native Students _EXTERNAL_LINK

Authored by Soleste Hilberg and Roland Tharp, "this Digest begins with a brief discussion of two prominent definitions of learning styles and then describes studies that have found differences between the learning styles of American Indian students and students of other cultural groups. The Digest then presents instructional interventions stemming from learning styles research."

References Holistic Teaching/Learning for Native American Students _EXTERNAL_LINK
Based upon his experience with the Native Americans of Northeastern Arizona Dr. Robert Rhodes explains how Native American students learn through a holistic approach.  Through his experiences he describes a Native American learning style, and how it impacts teaching styles and the learning environment.
References How American Indian Students “learn to learn.” _EXTERNAL_LINK
The resource is a August 1989 Special Issue of the Journal of American Indian Education devoted to the topic of how American Indian students "learn to learn."
References Learning Styles of American Indian/Alaska Native Students

Authored by Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, this resource offers a review of the literature and practice implications as it relates to learning styles of American Indian/Alaska Native Students. The paper addresses the following topics: Learning Styles - Fact or Fiction; Historical Basis of the Problem: A Curriculum of Genocide; Current Approaches and Findings Toward Understanding the Learning Styles of American Indian/Alaska Natives Students; and Relationship to Current Practice.

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Next: Task 2: Avoid Biased Teaching and Stereotypes


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