It is shocking how the school dropout rate of Native American students is so high. One of the main reasons is that the teachers fail to understand the Native American students are different. Their learning style is different and so the teaching style must be adapted accordingly.
The learning and communication styles of the Native Americans are different. Part of the school curriculum can also be culturally irrelevant to them. The traditional classroom environment may not be ideal for Native American students to learn.
To teach Native American students, the teachers have to understand the way these kids perceive their world. They also need to know about the Native American people and culture before teaching the kids at school.
Today the kids are taught a trial-and-error method. That is, they are asked to solve a problem and if they can’t then they learn from the mistake. But the Native American kids learn from observation and demonstration. This is because this is the way they are taught at home by their parents and the elders. The mathematics class, for example, needs to have lots of visualization.
Generally, the Native American students will take more time to answer a question than the mainstream students. This is because the Native American students try to gather as much evidence as they can before answering the question. They also don’t answer unfamiliar questions as their parents teach them to answer a question correctly.
The teachers must try to change their teaching styles in a way that the Native American students understand. If they introduce any new style, like riddles with answers, then it must be done slowly so that they understand. Brain-training games can be helpful for all