Aboriginal Education Research Forum 2012

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Herman Michell (B.A., MEd., PhD)

Dr. Herman Michell is originally from the small fishing/trapping community of Kinoosao, on the eastern shores of Reindeer Lake in northern Saskatchewan. He speaks fluent Cree (‘th’ dialect) and also has Inuit, Dene and Swedish ancestry. He has been involved in Aboriginal higher education in different capacities for over ten years. He was an Associate Professor (tenured) at First Nations University of Canada and has taught undergraduate courses in Indigenous Health Studies, Education, and Environment.

Dr. Michell has studied in four Canadian universities. In 2008, he completed a PhD in Education from the University of Regina in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on the inclusion of Cree culture in science education. Previous to this, he graduated with a Masters Degree in Education from the University of British Columbia in 1998, specializing in Curriculum & Instruction. He also completed graduate course work in Education Psychology and Special Education from both UBC and the University of Manitoba. Dr. Michell initially obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Sociology from the University of Winnipeg in 1990. Currently, Dr. Michell is the Executive Director of the Northern Teacher Education Program-Northern Professional Access Program (NORTEP-NORPAC) program, University of Regina, in La Ronge, Saskatchewan.

In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Michell sits on numerous internal and external committees including having served on the Board of Governors at First Nations University of Canada as a faculty representative for seven years. His administrative experience included a three-year term as Department Head of Science and one year as Acting Head of Science.

As part of his academic endeavors, Dr. Michell has published widely and has also travelled internationally (South Africa, Netherlands, England, South America, West Indies, Barbadoes). Dr. Michell regularly visits pre-service teacher education programs as a guest lecturer on the topic of cultural content inclusion. He is also called upon as a guest speaker on numerous occasions to address youth in First Nation communities and schools in relation to pursuing careers in science and health-related fields. As principal investigator, his research team recently completed a major federally funded study in 2008 entitled, “Learning Indigenous Science from Place: An Action Research Study Examining Indigenous Science Perspectives in Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Community Contexts.” It will influence curriculum and instruction in science education for years to come. Dr. Herman Michell with Dr. Glen Aikenhead are co-authors of a book titled “Bridging Cultures: Indigenous and Scientific Ways of Knowing Nature”.

In addition, Dr. Michell has just published a book titled “Working with Elders and Indigenous Knowledge Systems: A Reader and Guide for Places of Higher Learning”.