Workshop helps educators teach with and about Native peoples
The Forest Preserve District of Will County is inviting educators to spend a day learning about Native peoples’ history and contemporary culture in a professional development workshop aligned with Illinois teaching mandates.
The workshop, titled Towards Just Learning Environments: Teaching and Learning With and About Native Peoples, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. The deadline to register is Tuesday, Oct. 13, and the cost to attend is $20 per person. Educators can earn 6 CEUs for completing the workshop.
The Nature Foundation is providing financial support to bring the session to the Forest Preserve District.
The daylong professional development includes discussion and conversation aimed at helping educators teach about Native peoples’ culture and way of life through both historical and contemporary viewpoints as required by state law and Illinois learning standards, said Jen Guest, a facility supervisor for the Forest Preserve District. The program is intended for both formal and informal educators, including classroom teachers, school administrators, library personnel, naturalists, environmental educators, zoo and museum staff, and homeschool educators.
“It’s an opportunity to learn more and find resources that help support the state’s curriculum,” Jen said.
The workshop will be led by Native educators from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. Instruction and discussion will focus on key concepts in the state’s learning standards. These include topics such as Native American relocation, self-determination, tribal sovereignty and tribal treaties. Additional topics include the contributions of Native Americans to their nations and to the United States as well as information about the large urban Native American population in Illinois.
The Chicago area is home to the largest urban Native community in the Midwest, with individuals from more than 150 different Nations, Jen said. Historically, education about Native nations has focused on the past, but one point of emphasis in the workshop will be contemporary Native Americans.
“We need to remember and recognize that these are living cultures and there are Native people all around us,” Jen said. “There are Native people in our programs, visiting our museums, in our schools, in the lessons we are teaching.”
Educators will also learn how to incorporate First Voice perspectives in their lessons. First Voice focuses on the idea that Native people share their own stories and information about their culture, Jen said.
“It’s very important that Native people are telling their own stories,” she said. “While they may not all be cultural experts, they carry a deep connection to their traditions, and many are willing to share with those who want to learn.”
During the workshop, participants will enjoy a catered lunch, which The Nature Foundation is funding. Including a communal meal for participants to enjoy together was intentional, Jen said.
“Having a meal together is an important part of community and sharing experiences. That is central to many Native cultures,” she said. “Sharing food together and having conversation and nourishment, whether that’s mind or body, is an important part of it.”
Hosting the workshop is a way for the Forest Preserve District to continue its commitment to building a relationship with the Native community and being a place to share Native voices.
“It’s important to us because we want to have the opportunity for people to learn and also for Native people to share stories about their people,” Jen said. “Indigenous allyship is something that we are continuously working on.”
