Aboriginal Education Research Forum 2016

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Marlene Atleo

Marlene Atleo, ?eh ?eh naa tuu kwiss, came to Aboriginal Education after a career in the West Coast salmon fishing industry. She did home-use food fish in Ahousaht, trolled on the west coast and worked for the Big Two: British Columbia Packers and Canadian Fishing Co. on the dock as a tallyperson, on the line as a herring roe grader, in smokehouse accounting, fresh and frozen inventory and sales. She is a member of the Ahousaht First Nation, B.C. Her MA in Family Science-Family Resource Management focused on planning by First Nations mothers (they do!). Organizational development as executive director of the Ahousaht Holistic Society gave Atleo insight into the intractability of the “dirty rotten problems” in Aboriginal communities. Her work in the design, development, delivery, and evaluation of Aboriginal education, training and research underscored the pervasiveness of the problems and the need to formalize Indigenous Peoples̓ standpoints. Her work with First Nations Elders about the Nuu-chah-nulth “Provider”, Umeek, earned her dissertation the Thomas Greenfield Award from the Canadian Association for the Study of Educational Administration for its innovative and refreshing contribution to the field of educational administration. The currency of those learning themes and archetypes, research on the relationship between Aboriginal standpoints, orality, language and educational achievement of Aboriginals was possible with Laara Fitznor through SSHRC, resulting in the testimony of the central role of Aboriginal heritage language in achievement. ?eh ?eh naa tuu kwiss is committed to facilitating the emergence of a spectrum of teaching, researching, modeling, and action strategies for Indigenous education in Canada. She has been awarded the Manitoba Education Research Award for her contribution furthering educational research in Manitoba by the Manitoba Education Research Network. At the University of Manitoba, the Aboriginal students recognized her support by honoring her with the Migizii Award. Marlene sits on the board of the Aboriginal Issues Press and the Milk Pricing Board of the Province of Manitoba. She has served as a fellow at Vancouver Island University and a visiting scholar in Greifswald, Germany and the University of the Fraser Valley in Chilliwack, B.C. Examples of international publications and conference presentations show the scope of her work at: http://umanitoba.academia.edu/MarleneAtleo

An Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Atleo teaches Aboriginal and cross-cultural education in the BEd program; and adult and post secondary education in the MEd and PhD programs. She currently coordinates and teaches a cohort of college instructors.

Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse

Pamela is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education (Concurrent English Language) at Laurentian University. She has taught Primary/Junior Methods, Junior/Intermediate Methods, Native Studies as a Teachable, English as a Teachable, Primary/Junior Literacy, Native Social Welfare and Indigenous Relations in Community Contexts. Her areas of specialty are inclusive education, classroom management, lesson planning, learning cycles, assessment/evaluation, technology, differentiated instruction, First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Education and social justice collaborations. She is a National 3M Teaching Excellence Award Fellow and has also been cited in previous editions of Maclean's magazine as one of LU's favourite professors. Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse is originally from the community of Sagamok First Nation. She is a proud Ojibwe/Odawa woman that comes from a long line of educators. Dr. Toulouse celebrates many years of activity (entering her 23rd year) in the formal educational setting, beginning as an elementary school teacher and then finding herself in the role of colleague within the university system. She is well known for her contributions in First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Education. Dr. Toulouse has published well over 50 resources which include books, chapters in books, curriculum pieces, articles, videos and other key selections. Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse is fondly known for her dynamic teaching, commitment to equity and passion for education. She chairs various committees, works with a variety of school boards, presents regularly and is active in her areas of research. Dr. Toulouse continues her life journey in the field of education by representing her Nation and profession in a respectful and meaningful way. Dr. Toulouse studied at Lakehead U (Arts), Nipissing U (B.Ed), Brock U (M.Ed), and UBC (PhD in Education).