Indigenous Approaches to Adult Basic Education Research: Lessons from the Elders

Abstract

Adult basic education (ABE) programs provide secondary school courses that enable adult learners to complete high school, often as a next step to higher education and improved employment opportunities. In Canada, several ABE programs across the country offer culturally relevant curricula that emphasize the teaching and learning of Indigenous ways of knowing, including the values of language, family, Elders, and community. Elders are the cornerstones of education within Indigenous communities and schools: they are the knowledge keepers who connect the past to the future, carrying traditional teachings from the previous generations so that the cycle of knowledge sharing is sustained. The voices of Indigenous Elders and ABE students are seldom heard in academic literature. In a recent case study of an urban Indigenous college in western Canada, ABE students spoke about returning to school as adult learners, and noted how Elder support has enriched their experiences. Elders' traditional teachings informed the overall approach to this work in adult education research, by emphasizing how protocols are embedded within language and culture, and illustrating how Cree language terms provide structure and substance to a conceptual framework. In sharing their wisdom, the Elders gave foundation to the study and support to the researcher. More research is needed to examine the roles and contributions of Elders in adult and higher education, both within Canada and internationally.