We are pleased to announce the fifth annual Aboriginal Education Research Forum – “Shawane Dagosiwin” to be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: May 13, 14, 15, 2009. “Shawane Dagosiwin” reflects the values of and embraces integrity and respect for family and community in educational research. The theme of “Connecting Past to Present: Listening to the Voices of the Land” will guide the selection for this year’s conference agenda.

The Forum has been developed through a planning committee that includes respected educators from Manitoba's universities, the provincial departments of education, First Nations and Métis governments and various representative organizations.

Keynote speakers for the Forum have not yet been confirmed.

We invite proposal submissions from:

• Researchers from various sites of learning and teaching, organizing, consulting, or community engagement.
• Individuals involved in different kinds of research content and processes involving Aboriginal peoples in educational research.
• People across all levels of educational research from pre-school to post-secondary and adult/community education.

We welcome various presentations styles:

• Paper or Oral presentations: A session involving a speaker presentation followed by questions and answers.
• Workshops; A session involving audience participation
• Roundtable, panel or circle discussion: A session involving presenters who will discuss their work followed by a discussion - time allotment to be determined. Panels will be organized by theme and will have a chair.
• Showcase or display by poster sessions of Indigenous research methodologies: Presentation of a display of written and graphic (pictures) research projects.
• Sharing circles - open sharing of research.
• Open - We encourage presentations that may not be formal academic papers and could engage participants to think of other research processes

We welcome the following topics (not limited to these):

• Sharing/collaborative and/or linking partnership approaches to Indigenous research
• Aboriginal/Indigenous Research Methodologies and Ethics/Protocols
• Past/present/future research themes
• Languages, cultural and community benefits from research processes
• Research that benefits Aboriginal/Indigenous peoples
• Discussions of Research Methodologies that engage Aboriginal peoples and communities
• Community projects that demonstrate research processes
• Engaging guiding principles for research
• “Best Practices” to research
• Importance of research to policy and practices
• Stories and lived experiences
• Language and culture
• Aboriginal educational research and implications for education

Proposal Submission Deadline – January 30, 2009:

1. Complete contact information, including: Name(s), email (if applicable), fax number(s), phone number(s) and address(es).
2. Presentation Title.
3. A brief description of the process and abstract/content (up to 250 words) of the session. Please submit in word format.
4. Presenter biography: up to four lines (in MS-Word format).
5. Presentation format: Circle, roundtable, paper presentation, workshop etc., (we may limit these to shared sessions of a 1 hour or l ½ hours each).
6. Equipment needed: VCR/TV; flip chart; microphones; overhead projector.

To submit your presentation either:

1. Complete the online Call for Presentations Form.
   
   

   OR

2. Download the Call for Presentations Form ( 30 KB) and submit using one of the following methods:

	Dr. Laara Fitznor	Dr. Mary Young
Fax:	204-474-7551	204-772-7980
Email:	fitznorl@ms.umanitoba.ca	m.young@uwinnipeg.ca

Early Bird Registration: March 14, 2009
All presenters can enjoy the Early Bird Registration fee of $175.00. Students who submit proposals will pay the student registration fee of $75.00. We encourage you to register early to facilitate our planning of the conference program. Please note that this low registration fee includes the following items: Registration fee; meals at the conference; entertainment; and all sessions. NOTE: The registration fee does not include the cost of the banquet ($25.00).

Conference Proceedings: Papers may be submitted for consideration for selected conference proceedings to the Conference Proceedings Committee Chairs, Laara Fitznor and Mary Young. The authors of papers selected for proceedings will be required to submit a 2,500 word summary of their paper. Also, presenters from the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 AERF conferences are invited to submit a written piece on their presentations for consideration in a compiled conference proceeding publication. The final product for proceedings may appear through on-line publications or in a journal form. A separate call detailing expectations will be sent out.