Indian Education for All Tuesdays
IEFA Webinar update: Thanks for attending our Tuesday IEFA Webinars and we will start them up again in September with a new line up of presenters
Indian Education for All Workshop - July 8 - 9, 2025 - Sponsored by Stone Child College and OPI.
Join the SCC Department of Education as they host a two-day event focused on exploring culturally relevant IEFA resources. The event will be held on the Stone Child College Campus - Rocky Boy, Montana. For conference logistics please contact Clintanna Colliflower, Head of the SCC Education Department - ccolliflower@stonechild.edu 406-395-4875 ext. 1260
Conference Registration
Call for Presenters: Stone Child College Indian Education for All Workshop Application - due by May 16th
Participants will receive OPI renewal units for attending.
Free on-line IEFA professional development opportunity for the first 250 Montana teachers that sign up. Sponsored by the National Indian Education Association. Course overview and registration
Indian Education for All Professional Development Opportunity - Sponsored by the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Instructor of Record: Heather Bender, Native Education Outreach Specialist, Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Delivery: On-site at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Audience: All Wyoming and Montana Educators
Dates: June 15 through June 18, 2025
Length: 28 Contact hours = 2 Wyoming PTSB credits or 28 Montana OPI Renewal Units
Cost: $45 - Lunches provided. Participants are responsible for travel, food (breakfast and dinner), and lodging.
Registration: https://tickets.centerofthewest.org/Selection.aspx?sch=135811
Email Heather Bender, heatherb@centerofthewest.org for more information.
Lodging: We have a group accommodation rate with Blair Hotels. Room availability in either of their properties (Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, or Buffalo Bill Village) is on a first come first served basis. Call 307-587-5544 and mention Indian Education for All Teacher Professional Development to book. Please note, there is a 72-hour cancellation policy. There are also a variety of other hotels, Airbnb, and campground/cabin options available.
Resources: Access to Buffalo Bill Center of the West curated resource materials, access to Historians, Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, Museum Curators, and Museum Educators.
Objectives: Course participants will be able to
• Collaborate with museum educators, curators, historians, and Indigenous knowledge keepers to develop instructional materials that addresses Wyoming Indian Education for All Standards.
• Engage in culturally responsive pedagogical practices.
• Identify material cultural primary source materials and analyze how to incorporate them into inquiry-based lesson plans.
• Develop a professional learning community (PLC) for Indian Education for All instruction.
• Develop lesson plans and other teaching materials for implementation and assessment of Wyoming Indian Education for All Content Standards.
Output: Indian Education for All integrated Lesson/Unit plan with activities and assessment
Museum Session Overview: All sessions will take place in the Center of the West Classroom and Galleries
4TH ANNUAL THE LODGE APPROACH EDUCATORS’ CONFERENCE
Va’ahtama “Come sit in the place of honor.”
Registration
Presentation Proposal
July 8-10, 2025 - Chief Dull Knife College - Lame Deer, Montana
Learn from local and national K-16 content experts who are using authentic, Native content in innovative ways to help students understand the historic and modern contributions of Native people.
Join leaders in trauma-informed education who help teachers see the whole student while maximizing their classroom experience.
Attendees can earn 10 continuing education units from Montana State University Billings or one credit from Chief Dull Knife College.
Note: This conference is sponsored by the Lodge Approach so please contact them if you have any questions regarding registration and conference logistics. info@thelodgeapproach.org
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
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
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
Thunderous Book Study - one unit for each session
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.