ABSTRACT
If an outsider walked into Heather Brown’s English classroom conducting a student-directed investigation it might appear somewhat chaotic. Some of her primarily Native American students would be taking notes while viewing a documentary in the back corner. Other students would be asking for permission to go to the library. Others would be working on computers together as they analyzed data and researched statistics on bullying. One might be giving a fellow classmate a survey. Several would be deciding how to divide their responsibilities for a project on Native American boarding schools. Another student would be composing interview questions about traditional customs she will ask a tribal elder (Brown, 2004).
