The focus of this research is cultural sustainability of African Canadian heritage. Research literature informs us that engaging youth in educational programmes at the local level is fundamental to sustainability discussions. Furthermore, students must be actively engaged in their African Canadian past, present and future education. However, there has been a lack of curricula and resources of African Canadian heritage in programmes, resulting in African Canadian students being unaware of the history, culture and positive contributions of their leaders to society. Educators of African heritage in Nova Scotia have developed African Canadian Studies 11. The interview data from African Canadian educators and students reveal the process for the development and implementation of this curriculum, the challenges that African Canadian educators face and the ways in which students become actively engaged in learning. The author suggests that this research has implications for cultural sustainability at the local and community level.
AllwrightR. L. (1981). What do we want teaching materials for?ELT Journal, 36(1), 5–18.
2.
BenardB. (2004). Resiliency: What have we learned. San Francisco, CA: WestEd Publishers.
3.
BennettC. (2002). Genres of research in multicultural education. Review of Educational Research, 71, 171–217.
4.
Black Learners’ Advisory Report. (1994). Halifax, Canada: Nova Scotia Department of Education.
5.
CarrP. R.KlassenT. R. (1997). Different perspectives of race in education: Racial minority and White teachers. Canadian Journal of Education, 22(1), 67–81.
6.
CsikszentmihalyiM.LarsonR. (1986). Being adolescent: Conflict and growth in the teenage years. New York, NY: Basic Books.
7.
CumminsJ. (1986). Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 18–36.
8.
DeiG. J. S. (1993). The challenges of anti-racist education in Canada. Canadian Ethic Studies, 25(2), 36–51.
9.
DeiG. J. S. (1996a). Anti-racism education: Theory and practice. Halifax, UK: Fernwood.
10.
DeiG. J. S. (1996b). Listening to voices: Developing a pedagogy of change from narratives of African-Canadian students and parents. In BrathwaiteK.JamesC. (Eds.), Educating African Canadians (pp. 32–57). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: James Lorimer.
11.
DeiG. J. S. (2005). Racism in Canadian contexts: Exploring public and private issues in the educational system. In TetteyW. J.PuplampuK. P. (Eds.), The African diaspora in Canada: Negotiating identity and belonging (pp. 93–112). Calgary, Alberta, Canada: The University of Calgary Press.
12.
DelpitL. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New York Press.
13.
DickarM. (2008). Hearing the silenced dialogue: An examination of the impact of teacher race on their experiences. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 11, 115–132.
14.
DoubledayN.MackenzieF.DalbyS. (2004). Reimagining sustainable cultures: Constitutions, land and art. The Canadian Geographer, 48, 389–402.
15.
DuxburyN.GilletteE. (2007). Culture as a key dimension of sustainability: Exploring concepts, themes, and models, creative city network of Canada. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities, Simon Fraser University.
16.
FinlaysonM. (2009a). African Canadian studies 11 curriculum document. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Department of Education.
17.
FinlaysonM. (2009b). Review of Black history: Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas (SadlierR.., Ed.). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Emond Montgomery Publications.
18.
FinlaysonM. (2012). Exploring unique challenges and successful strategies identified by Black Educators in the Canadian context. Literacy Information and Computer Education Journal (LICEJ), 3, 592–600.
19.
FormanE. A.McPhailJ. (1993). A Vygotskian perspective on children’s collaborative problem-solving activities. In FormanE. A.MinickN.StoneC. A. (Eds.), Contents for learning: Sociocultural dynamics in children’s development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, pp. 213–229.
20.
GillW. (1992). Helping African American males: The cure. The Negro Educational Review, 63, 31–36.
21.
GuestM. (2002). A critical check-book of culture teaching and learning. ELT Journal, 56, 154–161.
Nova Scotia Department of Education-Learning Resources and Technology Services. (2008). Halifax, Canada: Nova Scotia Department of Education. Available from http://lrt.ednet.ns.ca.
24.
LedwithM. (2005). Community development: A critical approach. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.
MarzanoR. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VI: ASCD.
27.
MiltanD.SatterthwaiteD. (1994). Cities and sustainable development: Background paper for Global Forum ’94. London, England: International Institute for Environment and Development.
28.
NewmanP.KenworthyJ. (1999). Sustainability and cities: Overcoming automobile dependence. Washington, DC: Island Press.
29.
RoselandM.ConnellyS.HenricksonD.LindbergC.LithgowM. (2005). Towards sustainable communities: Resources for citizens and their governments (Rev. ed.). Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada: New Society Publishers.
30.
SadlierR.BirkettG.GrantD.JamesK.Van BeinumA.Martyr-AndreJ.. . . HundeyI. (2009). Black History: Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Emond Montgomery Publications.
31.
SeidmanI. E. (1991). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
32.
SolomonR. P. (1997). Race, role modeling, and representation in teacher education and teaching. Canadian Journal of Education, 22, 395–410.
33.
Sustainable Development Research Institute. (1998). Social capital formation and institutions for sustainability. Workshop proceedings prepared by Asoka Mendis, Sustainable Development Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Retrieved from www.williambowles.info/mimo/refs/soc_cap.html
34.
UNESCO. (1995). The cultural dimension of development: Towards a practical approach (Culture and Development Series). Paris, France: Author.
35.
VygotskyL. S. (1978). Mind and society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
