Upcoming Events


Thunderous Book Study

REGISTRATION

Join us for an engaging book study of Thunderous, a powerful narrative that explores themes of resilience, identity, and community. This immersive experience will not only delve into the story's rich characters and settings but it will also examine its cultural significance. Participants will gain insights into how literature can reflect diverse perspectives and foster empathy. Together, we will develop lesson plans that emphasize cultural responsiveness, ensuring all voices are heard and celebrated in our classrooms. Let us inspire our students to connect with the world through the lens of Thunderous.

4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time

November 6 - April Wills

November 13 - Mandy Smoker Broaddus

November 20 - Jacie Jeffers

 

 
 
 
 
 

Upcoming PD Offerings


Thunderous Book Study

REGISTRATION

Join us for an engaging book study of Thunderous, a powerful narrative that explores themes of resilience, identity, and community. This immersive experience will not only delve into the story's rich characters and settings but it will also examine its cultural significance. Participants will gain insights into how literature can reflect diverse perspectives and foster empathy. Together, we will develop lesson plans that emphasize cultural responsiveness, ensuring all voices are heard and celebrated in our classrooms. Let us inspire our students to connect with the world through the lens of Thunderous.

4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time

November 6 - April Wills

November 13 - Mandy Smoker Broaddus

November 20 - Jacie Jeffers

 

Indian Education for All Tuesdays

 
Energize! IEFA Monthly Gathering: Games, Lessons, and More!
First Tuesdays 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - through May
 
IEFA Across the Content
Third Tuesdays 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - through May
Meeting ID: 850 0873 7976
Password: 248412
Dial by Telephone
+1 646 558 8656
 
 

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West offers many K – 12 programs and resources to help teachers and students meet Montana and Wyoming’s Indian Education for All Social Studies Standards.

20242025 Virtual Professional Development

Contact Heather Bender (Native Education Outreach Specialist) at heatherb@centerofthewest.org for more information.

K–12 IEFA Virtual Professional Development Course

Join us online for a professional development opportunity which will help you meet Indian Education for All Social Studies Standards. During our online professional developments, we connect with Indigenous knowledge keepers, develop a professional learning community, and earn professional development credit.

Fee: $25.00 (participants will receive $25.00 of resource materials upon completion of the course)

21 hours = 1.5 WY PTSB credit or 21 MT OPI renewal units
Ten sessions (including modules, Lesson Labs, and final session share-out); attendance required
Tuesdays from 4–6:30 pm:
 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, 11/19, 12/3, 12/17, 1/7/25, 1/21, 2/4, and 2/11

Register here!

 
 

Previously Recorded PD Offerings

VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

RECORDED WEBINARS AND BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Earn TMT Professional Development units (formerly known as renewal units) on your own time and at your own pace! Build your background knowledge! Gain resources to use in your classroom!

Need professional development units? The Montana Office of Public Instruction Indian Education for All Unit has some great virtual options for you! Each webinar/workshop is a 90-minute recording you can watch when it suits you and your schedule. To earn professional development units, you will need to compete a short survey after watching each recorded episode. You will also gain access to the extensive resource folder that supports the materials referenced in the recordings. Over 200 educators have viewed the recordings, and their feedback indicates these 90-minute webinars/workshops are valuable, interesting, and immediately applicable to all teaching scenarios.

MONTANA TRIBAL LANGUAGES WEBINARS FOR CLASS 7 TEACHERS WEBINAR SERIES

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RENEWAL UNIT SURVEY - one unit for each session

Series Playlist

 

INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE BUILDING WEBINAR SERIES

These series provide detailed information to build your background knowledge in the topic being presented. This series is intended for individuals wanting to learn more about a topic in order to more confidently and accurately present and teach about the topic.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RENEWAL UNITS SURVEY - two units each session

Tribal Sovereignty

Covers different aspects of sovereignty, such as a basic history of tribal sovereignty, tribal governance, natural resource management, blood quantum, cultural autonomy and more.

Indian Boarding Schools: From History to Healing

Covers the Boarding School era, and its history and implications. The intention behind the series is to build background knowledge and provide a context for both the inter-generational trauma and the resiliency of many tribal individuals in both the US and Canada. Trigger Warning: these videos contain graphic and honest depictions of boarding school experiences that some may find triggering and/or troubling

Ethnobotany

Covers tribally-specific and engaging ethnobotany information that can build teacher background knowledge and provide guidance for respectful classroom implementation

 

INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE BUILDING AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES WEBINAR SERIES

These series build both background knowledge and provide specific resources and strategies for teachers to integrate into their curriculum.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RENEWAL UNITS SURVEY - two units per session unless otherwise specified

IEFA Across the Content 2023-2024 - one Professional Development Unit per session

IEFA Across the Content 2024-2025 - one Professional Development Unit per session

Provides an interactive opportunity for K-12 teachers to learn from teachers through model lessons, sharing of resources and strategies and discussion.

Teaching about Contemporary Issues in Indian Country Presented by 2020-2021 Advocacy Award Recipients

Covers current events and contemporary issues facing Montana tribes and strategies for respectful integration and how to choose primary documents for classroom use, Pre-K-20

Unpacking the Essential Understandings

Covers the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians and provides basic strategies and resources for implementation throughout curriculum in any educational setting, Pre-K-20

Essential Understandings Deeper Dive

A follow up to the Unpacking the Essential Understandings Webinar Series and a deeper dive into strategies and resources for integrating The Essential Understandings into any educational setting and content area, Pre-K-20

 

INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL BEST PRACTICES VIRTUAL CONFERENCES

The Best Practices Conference sessions provide information on various topics.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RENEWAL UNITS SURVEY - one unit for each session

2021: Keynotes and Presentations

2022: Keynotes and Presentations

2023: Keynote and Presentations

 

OPI TEACHER LEARNING HUB

AN INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL IN MONTANA

This Hub course provides a basic foundation for implementing Indian Education for All (IEFA) in your classroom.  IEFA offers students an opportunity to meet academic standards in multiple content areas and grade levels as they learn about the distinct and unique cultures and heritages of American Indians.

Created by Mike Jetty, OPI Indian Education Specialist. Sign up for the course.

THE FRAMEWORK: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR IMPLEMENTING IEFA

This course provides a step-by-step overview of The Framework: A Practical Guide for Montana Teachers and Administrators Implementing Indian Education for All (IEFA). This course will help all educators in understanding how to carefully integrate IEFA practices across curriculum areas in classrooms, schools, and districts.

Developed by Dr. Tammy Elser in partnership with the Salish Kootenai College (SKC).  Sign up for the course.

TEACHING AND LEARNING ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN INDIAN COUNTRY

Contemporary issues are a good way to bring IEFA into your classroom while also addressing Social Studies content standards and the Essential Understandings regarding Montana Indians (EUs). This course will provide an awareness and understanding regarding contemporary American Indian issues as well as provide ideas for implementing grade level standards aligned instructional strategies that provide teachable moments in your classroom.

Created by Zach Hawkins and Mike Jetty.  Sign up for the course.

BISON RESTORATION AND TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY IN MONTANA

This course presents the opportunity to engage in content related to bison restoration efforts in Montana and the significance of bison to Tribal sovereignty. Participants will explore a wide range of resources that present the complex history of the near extinction of bison and current restoration efforts and will ultimately be better prepared to develop classroom activities that incorporate the Indian Education for All Essential Understandings. (Participants who complete the course will receive a complimentary copy, while supplies last, of the new PBS documentary from Ken Burns - The American Buffalo)

Created by Stephen Morsette. Sign up for the course.

INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL AND MATH SEAMLESS INTEGRATION

This course is designed to help teachers of mathematics more easily find connections between Indigenous cultures and lifestyle and mathematical practices.  It also provides a planning tool that can be used to strategically align Indian Education for All and curriculum planning.  

Created by Zach Hawkins, Director of Indian Education for All, and Marisa Graybill, former OPI Math Instructional Coordinator.  Sign up for the course.

 


Request a PD from IEFA Staff

Contact Mike Jetty at mjetty@mt.gov or 406-444-0720