Preparing to become a teacher to Native children is a dream that is becoming a reality for four Early Childhood Education (ECE) student interns at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI).
IECE – Indigenous Early Childhood Education Blogs
Threading the Needle from Theorist to STEM
Early Childhood theorists have influenced educators’ practice in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for many years. Through the Gimaadaadizimin (We All Start A Journey) Project, supported by the American Indian College Fund’s For the Wisdom of the Children: Strengthening the Teacher of Color Pipeline, the Early Childhood Education Department at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) have strengthened and expanded our future teachers’ knowledge in STEM.
Early Child STEM Programs Grounded in Community Needs
The backbone of a community-based program is taking into account the community’s needs. This happens by listening to people in the community who you hope to serve with your programming.
Native Children Living on Salish Sea Meet and Greet Sea Creatures
In early November, the Salish Sea Research Center team from Northwest Indian College visited our Early Learning Center classrooms. Our students were excited to see what they had brought because the scientists arrived with a mysterious, big, red ice chest. The children called it “a treasure chest of sea creatures!”
Raising Native Children in a Good Way
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) is excited to be able to do just that by involving the community and families in our Early Childhood Education Program with early learners, helping us all to become a stronger, vibrant voice with Anishinaabe ways of knowing.
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Hosts Native Arts Workshops Based in Place
In the fall of 2017, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) hosted a series of traditional Native Arts workshops that relied heavily on the surrounding environment for source materials to help produce a woven cedar mat. Using local resources and materials to create and revitalize traditional Native art forms is the essence of place-based education in the arts.
For the Wisdom of the Children: Strengthening the Teacher of Color Pipeline
A child dips her feet in Wheatfields Lake on the Navajo Reservation at sunrise and wonders what lies beneath. A young boy walks through the forests of Menominee Nation, shaded by tall green trees, surrounded by the stories and history of this sacred environmental wonder.
Place-Based Learning as a Framework for Building Native Student Success
This is a collaborative series developed by the College Fund’s Environmental Sustainability, Native Arts and Early Childhood Education program initiatives. This is the first blog of a six-part series focused on place-based education.
Restorative Teachings — Ojibwe Language, a Visual Canvas
I have always been interested in art and design since I was a young girl in high school. In fact, I dreamed of my career being in the realm of interior design. Initially, it did not feel like I ended up in that realm, but experience and my perspective has changed throughout the years.
Expanding Culturally Relevant Knowledge through Early Childhood Conferences
Conferences can be a great place for early childhood educators, families, teachers in training, and researchers working with indigenous young children. They are a place to gather ideas and build professional development for use in the classroom.
