Teacher wants courses to have Native perspective

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A grade 9 teacher wants his students to learn their lessons from a Native perspective.

Dale Trudgeon's charges are in the Integrated Occupational Program at Fort Saskatchewan Junior High School, just north-east of Edmonton. He wants to develop

his own curriculum, combining history, geography and economic development, which will examine the effects of those three areas of Canada's aboriginals.

"A new approach to an old curriculum," Trudgeon explains.

He was inspired by three recent television programs? Conspiracy of Silence, The War Against the Indians and Where the Spirit Lives. His curriculum will teach students the evolution of society and give them empathy for how current situations were created, he says.

But because Trudgeon is not a Native, he's looking for people and resource materials to help him.

"I need the assistance of the Native people in any way, shape or form," he says.

He wants to use audio-visual materials and guest speakers to make the material

as interesting as possible. He also wants his students to visit reserve schools, possibly changing places with students from reserve schools for a brief period.

Trudgeon plans to spend part of this school year putting his program together and introduce it next fall as a pilot project.