Course overview
Welcome to Respecting Indigenous rights and practices: Ways to a better planet
This course is intended for field workers and practitioners who are working with rural communities that are affected by climate change and seeking sustainable solutions to its impacts. The conservation of nature, including natural resources and natural processes, is based on a clear understanding of Indigenous communities and their strong relationship with nature. Indigenous practices and traditions preserve nature because they are based on respecting and adapting to natural cycles and local climate conditions. Understanding and acknowledging Indigenous community rights also contributes to human respect for nature. Indigenous communities have age-old traditions and practices that signify a spiritual and emotional connection to the natural environment. Adapting certain Indigenous practices will help to support other conservation efforts. We can implement and adapt small but steady steps based on Indigenous practices and traditions at a local level. If we are to change our behaviours and attitudes towards the conservation of Earth, we must understand the rights and traditions of Indigenous Peoples both locally and globally. This course contains both individual and group exercises to develop the learner’s skills in total biomass utilisation.
Respecting Indigenous rights and practices: Ways to a better planet—Is this course for you?
This course is available to any member of the community. It is aimed at individuals with low literacy levels, including grassroots-level volunteers, community leaders, community health workers and others in positions to support women and girls at the community level. Such individuals could use the course for themselves or for working with their community/communities.
The learner or facilitator should have an understanding of how climate change affects the local area and the people living where this learning is to be used. Learners need to have a reasonable knowledge of conservation in relation to livelihoods at the village and community level.
Course outcomes
Outcomes
On completion of Respecting Indigenous rights and practices: Ways to a better planet, you will be able to:
- recognise and value natural resources and habitats and the need for integrating conscious actions to conserve them.
- value and respect Indigenous rights and recognise how they can improve the health of the planet.
- identify Indigenous practices that you could adapt to fit your context and the benefits of adapting such practices.
- develop relevant skills for roles in total biomass utilisation.
- identify, adapt and promote small but effective steps towards making conservation both a habit and a cultural practice.
- develop knowledge about Indigenous ways of understanding nature and respecting natural habitats.
Timeframe
Time
You will need approximately 7.5 hours to complete this course.
This course contains five units. Each unit will need approximately 1.5 hours of learning time.
An additional two hours of self-study time may be required.
Study skills
As an adult learner you will take a different approach to learning than you did when you were a schoolchild. You will choose what you want to study, you will have a professional or personal motivation for learning and you will most likely be fitting your study activities around other professional or domestic responsibilities.
Essentially you will be taking control of your learning environment. You will therefore need to think about how issues such as time management, goal setting and stress management will affect your performance. You may need to review skills such as essay planning, coping with exams and using the Web as a learning resource.
Your most significant considerations will be time and space — that is, the time you dedicate to your learning and the environment in which you engage in that learning.
We recommend that you take time now — that is, before you begin your self-study — to familiarise yourself with these issues. There are a number of excellent resources on the Web that can help you. For example:
This website has a list of resources about study skills, including taking notes, strategies for reading textbooks, using reference sources and dealing with test anxiety.
This website has useful links to resources on time management; efficient reading; questioning, listening and observing skills; “hands-on” learning; memory building; staying motivated; and developing a learning plan.
These two websites can get you started on your learning journey. At the time of writing, the links to them were active. To find more options, go to www.google.com and type in phrases such as “self-study basics,” “self-study tips” or “self-study skills.”
Need help?
At the learning centre you will receive the same support as you would from any classroom teacher, or you might find a more experienced tutor to support you during a contact session.
Assessments
At the end of each of the five units in this course there is a self-assessment with two to three questions in multiple choice question (MCQ) format. The MCQ assessment will take 15 minutes to complete. There are no teacher-marked assessments.
A formative assessment (individual or group-based) is also included for each of the five units to enhance further understanding of the unit topic and information.
