Through personal experience and observation, Mr. Wilson Gorman, an adult educator from the Navajo Nation, has developed a model for understanding Navajo attitudes. This model is to be considered a "work in progress" serving both to inform instructors and students and stimulate discussions about Navajo attitudes. He has created five categories of Navajo attitudes and beliefs: Staying, Optimists, Undecided, Pessimists, and Leaving.

Each of these groups is described by their relationship to their dwellings, parents, land, livestock, language and music as well as other characteristics. All of these categories are discussed from Mr. Gorman's perspective.

Staying: Dine, who are perceived as S taying, live in a house or hogan located on a large area of land on their reservation and have livestock including cattle, sheep and horses. Their parents are traditionalists. They speak Navajo and little or no English and listen to Navajo music. Traditional ways of living are practiced; a family member may be a medi cine man. Individuals are active in community development, have some formal education, take care of aging parents, and are middle aged or older.

Students in the Staying category are students with whom teacher-created materials are going to have a significant positive impact. For this group, curriculum materials will help fill the "potholes" and smooth the previously mentioned curriculum road.

Optimists: These people live in houses or trailers on small pieces of land, have live stock, and probably work somewhere as well as maintaining livestock. They speak prima rily Navajo (80%) and understand and speak some English. Musical preference runs to ward country and western. Optimists are committed to the traditional Navajo way of life, believe in tribal government and law, are responsible for parents, see potential opportuni ties for making a living on their reservation, and are going to inherit family property.

Undecided: These members most likely live with their parents or other family mem bers, do not have Navajo language, land or livestock. Their parents are probably a mix of the five category poss