Province provides $665K grant for training Indigenous language teachers
The province, looking to increase Indigenous language classes in schools, announced a $665,000 grant to train more teachers Tuesday.
Letting Indigenous languages go dormant will be the result of not investing enough money in increasing the number of teachers, said Education Minister David Eggen as he announced the three-year grant for the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute at the University of Alberta.
The institute runs a summer program to educate teachers and community leaders on how to best introduce and teach Indigenous language classes in local schools.
“We teach how to teach a language, how to assess learning,” said Heather Blair, institute cofounder and a U of A education professor.
The grant will go toward the costs of tuition, accommodations, meals and books for a number of the institute’s summer students, as well as updating and developing online courses and communitybased programs.
The institute, a collaboration between the university’s education, arts and First Nations studies faculties, has existed for 18 years and this summer will accept nearly 200 students, its largest cohort yet.
School districts often want to introduce Indigenous language classes, but one of the major hurdles is finding qualified teachers, said Blair.
“Some are teaching in schools and some already have a teaching degree, but may have never taken a class about how to teach a second language or assess learning in a second language,” Blair said about people who take part in the summer program.
The funding comes a year after the province committed $5.4 million toward professional development for teachers on how to integrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit history and perspectives in the classroom.
Though it may be many years away, Eggen said he would like to one day see a program similar to French immersion in Alberta for Indigenous languages.
Alberta Education offers K-12 programs in Cree and Blackfoot language and culture, predominately in schools in Northern Alberta.