March 25-26, 2013
Purpose:
AILDI has partnered with the Optical Sciences department at the University of Arizona over the last several years to expand and bridge science education with Native language revitalization for educators. Based on this, we experienced that Native language use in teaching science remains marginalized or a relatively new concept. This symposium convened national experts in TEK and Native language revitalization to discuss the implications of Native language revitalization to advance practical application of TEK for tribal colleges and other higher education institutions, particulary in the arena of training educators. In addition, examples of TEK curriculum that incorporate language was highlighted to inform an upcoming AILDI course on the topic that targets Native language teachers.
Objective: To create an opportunity to bridge science educators with tribal cultural perspectives and practitioners; To share examples of incorporating Native language (teaching, learning methods) into traditional ecological knowledge (experiences, curriculum, activities); To share examples of current research regarding both TEK and Native language revitalization; To assist AILDI in planning and developing more comprehensive training of educators for integrating TEK and STEM education.
Location: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Sponsored by: The American Indian Language Development Institute
Support provided by: The Lannan Foundation and National Science Foundation funding (Native Universe Project)
In-kind support provided by: Desert Diamond Casino
Collaborators: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Tohono O'odham Cultural Center and Museum
