Why and how communities Learn by Observing and Pitching In: Indigenous axiologies and ethical commitments in LOPI ( Cómo y por qué las comunidades Aprenden por medio de Observar y Acomedirse axiologías indígenas y compromisos éticos en el modelo LOPI )

Abstract

Indigenous Knowledge Systems and their underlying ethical qualities guide social interaction and the process by which Indigenous children learn what it means to be a person within family and community life. Using the Learning by Observing and Pitching In (LOPI) framework as a starting point, this paper explores a case study of a death in the Cowichan Tribes community to illuminate four ethical qualities (relationality, reciprocity, responsibility, respect) associated with (1) the social organization of the community guided by a sense of community consciousness and (2) Indigenous concepts of time and space. Using the social organization of the community and Indigenous concepts of time and space as broad themes, we aim to illustrate how culturally determined ethical qualities guide every social interaction and thus inform human development and learning, broadly. By including ethics that guide social relationships in the LOPI framework, educators and researchers may gain a deeper understanding of how children learn in communities and how their participation in community activities informs their sense of self.