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Essay on American Indian Education
A fundamental aspect among American Indian students is observational learning. Cazden and John (1971) discussed this preference for "learning by looking more than learning through language" (p. 256) -- an aspect of Indian children's superior visual abilities. Long street (1978), Werner and Begishe ( 1968), and Deyhle ( 1983) all discussed that, among Native-American peoples, there is a learning system of private, imagined practice that allows "learning without public failure." Cazden and John (1971) discussed this as "competence before performance."
This complex necessarily includes a sociological dimension: For a society to rely on observational learning as the major mode for child socialization, adult behaviors and role performances must be available for prolonged and careful scrutiny by children; the culture must be "within the direct reach of the sensory organs" of the child (Pettit, 1946). This means that children are incorporated into the activity settings of the society. Technological cultures often require verbal explanation before children can understand adult activities. In the "observational learning complex," the adult behaviors can be understood with only occasional verbal explanation.The process was put succinctly by Tafoya (1983), doyen of American - Indian potters, herself both daughter and mother in a family of distinguished artists in clay: My girls, I didn't teach them .they watched and learned by trying. I was taught to stay with the traditional clay designs, because that was the way it was handed down to my mother and me. I am thankful for my mother teaching me to make the large pieces (which require special skill and understanding). I watched her and tried to do like she did. And, I did.
The complex has a dimension of semiotics. Phillips (1983) reported that the Mt. Currie and the Warm Springs Indian children are expected to listen quietly to the long telling of stories...............
