Aboriginal Mentor Support

Curriculum Guideline

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Course
FINA 1100
Discontinued
No
Course Code
FINA 1100
Descriptive
Aboriginal Mentor Support
Department
First Nations
Faculty
Student Affairs and Services
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
25
Contact Hours
4
Method(s) Of Instruction
Seminar
Learning Activities

Classes will be experiential in nature using a combination of short lectures, demonstrations, structured activities, and group discussions. Students will participate in role plays and other exercises designed to focus on developing specific aspects of helping skills. Video and audio equipment may be used in practice and for evaluation purposes.

Course Description
This course helps aboriginal students learn to work as peer helpers, mentors and tutors. Students learn about aboriginal teachings and get training in peer support skills and peer tutoring strategies. The focus of the training is for students to learn to help their peers in ways that empower those being helped.
Course Content
  1. Aboriginal Cultural Understandings
    1. History
      • Impacts of the Residential School Era
      • Family Status
      • Family Tree
    2. Traditional Values and Teachings
    3. Teachings of the Medicine Wheel
    4. Aboriginal Ceremonies
  2. Communication Skills
    1. Listening
    2. Speaking
    3. Assertiveness
  3. Principles of Helping
  4. Understanding Self and Others as Holistic Beings
    1. Values, needs, roles, and personal style
    2. Individual differences
  5. Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships
    1. Roles and Relationships of peer tutors and helpers 
    2. Creating productive helping and tutoring relationships
  6. Characteristics of the Successful Learner
    1. Knowledge
    2. Skills
    3. Attitudes
  7. Principles of Tutoring
  8. Structure of a Tutoring Session
  9. Tutoring Techniques
  10. Ethical Issues in Peer Helping
Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the successful student should be able to:

  1. Communicate effectively in a helping role.
  2. Recognize and respect individual differences that affect learning and life choices.
  3. Promote personal and academic skill development of self and others.
  4. Help other students access information and resources.
  5. Help others in an ethical manner.
  6. Develop an increased understanding of his/her aboriginal culture.
Means of Assessment

Selection of evaluation and assessment tools for this course will be based on:

  1. Adherence to college policy regarding number and weighting of evaluations.
  2. A combination of evaluation instruments that includes opportunities for students to demonstrate different ways of knowing i.e. individual, group, oral, written, descriptive, reflective, practice.
  3. A developmental approach to evaluation that is sequenced and progressive.
  4. Evaluation being used as a teaching and learning tool for both students and instructors.
  5. Commitment to student participation in evaluation through such processes as self and peer evaluation, participation in instrument  design and course/instructor evaluation.
Textbook Materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

Students may be required to purchase a textbook.

Prerequisites

Instructor permission