FIS - federal Indian boarding school in the U.S. (founded 1876)

Serves students in grades 9-12 from 30 different states and 60 different tribes

Works with SDSU in Flandreau Indian Success Academy (FISA)

SDSU, the state’s land grant institution, has a mission to serve the people of the state

Ten percent of our state’s population is Native American

One percent of our student body is Native American

Now in its 11th year of creating “Communities of Differences”

• 2 Primary Goals:

• “ help more Native American students prepare for and succeed in college”

• “make SDSU into the kind of place where that can happen”

• Lee, 2007

•Success Academy now:

• Serves 250 students each year in grades 9-12 at FIS

• Involves more than 300 SDSU faculty, retired faculty and staff, and a greater number of students

• Has grown into “the premier diversity program at SDSU”

•During 2009 spring semester, Human Relations (HR) (a required diversity course for pre-service teachers) began hosting an FISA workshop. •Workshop goals:

• develop relationships between HR and FISA students – diversity experience

• promote the career of teaching• help FISA students identify their Multiple

Intelligences through an on-line assessment• offer FISA students an artistic outlet to

showcase their individuality – Multiple Intelligence

• FISA - Spring Semester only• 5 workshops led by HR students and SDSU faculty• 60 – 80 HR students serve as hosts• 60 - 75 FIS 9th Graders• Each workshop consisted

of three components: icebreaker, multiple intelligence quiz, and creative development

“Acquire and demonstratethe knowledge, skills, and professional dispositionsnecessary to help allstudents learn.”

NCATE, 2008

At the end of our firstFISA semester, HR studentswanted more time with FIS students.

At the end of our firstFISA semester, HR studentswanted more than 3 hours with FIS students.• Need - to interact longer and at a deeper level• Need – to see beyond stereotypes of reservation-poor or casino-rich.

•Spring 2009 Opportunity to Extend Relationship

• $3,430 to fund a social networking site• Service-Learning goals - • to learn about themselves and opportunities available

through higher education, specifically, the career of teaching.

• to learn about the challenges and opportunities of becoming a teacher by viewing video clips of Native American teachers

• to identify candidates as mentors and role models

• Use of Ning Website was included in the SBB Grant.• Currently cost is $19.95 / month

* Planning stages

• SDSU Native American Club input & advice

• Culturally appealing

• Wiconi Waste: Education – • Site opens for students in fall of 09

• www.wiconiwasteeducation.ning.com• Social Networking Site

• Virtual Community• Designed to create mentor/mentee relationships

between HR students and FIS Students• Gallery to Display• Videos• Photos• Educational Forums

• Similar to Facebook or Myspace

• 1st and 2nd semesters• FIS contact was with the

technology teacher

• Gallery• FIS art, photos,

and videos

• HR students visited face-to-face for one-hour in the fall

• HR students visit on campus for FISA in spring

Added academic

content to social networking

• Tagged onto an SDSU Common Read

initiative

* Model & mentor FIS students in reading as our goal

FIS and HR student shared Three Cups of Tea by reading:› “First cup you are a

stranger, second cup you are a friend, and third you are family” -Greg Mortenson, author

Face-to-face meeting at FIS to kick off book.

•Shift in staffing at FIS• New teacher with no background in our project

* Students choose the higher book level•Shift in Curriculum

• No longer focusing on Three Cups of Tea• Other priorities took precedence over this

project.•Lack of access to computers

•Shift in administration

Provide Human Relations students with experiences working with diverse student population in both face-to-face and online environments› Assessed through HR students reflections › Reactions ranged from frustration and

misunderstanding to hopeful and culturally aware› Quotes ---

› Verle Pipestem’s Letter & Reactions from HR students

Assess teacher candidate understanding of and sensitivity to a diverse student population› Pre- and Post- course surveys › Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory (CDAI)

HR students scored lower on Post in two subscales:› Self Efficacy & School Climate› Felt more ability to change climate & impact students

•Build a position for a website manager into your project:• Need for sensitivity –

• Working with underage population• Working with culturally sensitive issues

• Need for time• Every posting and upload was monitored.

• Need for expertise • Every literary discussion posting was evaluated.

•Building community partner relationships is an on-going process.

• Be prepared to take the project in new directions to meet the needs.

• Cultivate relationships extensively so that you have multiple ties to the partner on different levels