Native American language planning workshop set

From Montana Office of Public Instruction

HELENA — State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, Tribal Legislators, Tribal Nation Leaders, Educators, and Office of Public Instruction Director of Tribal Relations Don Wetzel will gather at the Montana State University Billings Student Union Building from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 10-11 for a Class 7 Professional Development Training and Language Revitalization Planning Workshop.

The 2021 Montana Legislature assigned the OPI as administrator of the Tribal Nation Culture and Language Preservation Program. Matthew Bell is employed by the OPI to coordinate the Montana Indian Language and Culture Preservation grants and the Indian Language Immersion program. Bell works directly with Wetzel as the OPI team works with Montana’s tribal nations in supporting language revitalization.

“I want to thank (Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder,) and (MSU Billings Director of the Native American Achievement Center Sunny Day) Real Bird for organizing this great learning opportunity. The language revitalization workshop will offer many resources for our Montana educators to utilize in the classroom to promote cultural and indigenous heritage,” Arntzen said.

Participants will engage in programs on:

• Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Tribal Perspectives

• Language Revitalization Planning

• Indian Language Immersion

• Tribal Language Goals, Strategies, and Metrics

• Review of the Cultural Integrity Act

• Tribal Language Curriculum & Language Standards

The Language Revitalization Planning workshop, which is open to the public, will be held in person and on Zoom. People who plan to attend should register at https://msubillings.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a3FY3YidAkm8paC .

For more information, people can contact Real Bird by phone at 406-657-2144 or by email at [email protected].

Attendees will be required to adhere to COVID-19 safety measures through social distancing, face masks and hand sanitizing.

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Co-Sponsored by Chippewa Cree Tribe Department of Indian Education, MSU-Billings Native American Student Achievement Center, MSU Center for Bilingual and Multicultural Education, and Fort Peck Tribes Language and Culture Department. The lead organizer of the event, Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, will serve as the event moderator.