Professional Development
Workshops for early childhood teachers and providers developed by Baby College 101: Courses for Ałchíní Yázhí and Gowa: Teachable Moments for Apache Children programs.
A professional development workshop for early care and education professionals who serve native communities. Learn about how to use dialogic reading with young children and children’s books celebrating native people and cultures.
This session was recorded on July 12, 2024.
View a recording of the workshop
Morgan SmithMorgan Smith, a children’s book author, will present the books she has created in English and Apache and the importance of indigenizing early literacy.
Candi Running Bear, Ph.D., an assistant professor in education at Western New Mexico University, will provide background information on the evidence-based intervention, Dialogic Reading and how to make this intervention culturally relevant.
Workshop Details
Book Sharing
Each participant will share a book for young children (0-6-year-olds) that is written by a native author and/or celebrates native people and cultures. Participants will break into small groups to share books and engage in a discussion about how they use the books with young children.
All attendees will receive a list of the books shared during the event and one of Morgan’s books.
When you register, you will be asked to provide the title and author for one book written by a native author and/or that celebrates native people or cultures as well as how you use that book with young children. Please bring that book or the title and author of the book to the workshop.
If you live and work in AZ, sign up at www.AZRegistry.org to receive three professional development hours.
During this three-hour workshop, participants learned about the importance of incorporating oral storytelling and books that celebrate native people and cultures into their work with young children. Daniel Vandever (Diné) talked about the process of writing the children’s books Fall in Line Holden! and Herizon and demonstrated how children’s books can be used to teach young children about native history and culture. Ken Duncan (San Carlos Apache) discussed how oral storytelling can be used to promote early literacy. He shared some of the stories that are important to the San Carlos Apache people and offered ideas for how to incorporate them into lessons and activities for young children. Following these two presentations, workshop participants broke into small groups to share books for young children written by native authors and/or that celebrate native people and cultures.
About the Presenters
Daniel Vandever (Diné) is a product of Small Wonders Day Care where his experiences as a Ninja Turtle helped shape the creativity behind his debut picture book, Fall in Line, Holden, a 2017 American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. Vandever is the owner of South of Sunrise Creative, a strategic communications firm that helps advance education initiatives through community-based strategies. Herizon (2021) is Vandever’s second book, and first book published by South of Sunrise Creative. Vandever is from Haystack, NM and is the grandson of the late Joe Vandever Sr., Navajo Code Talker, USMC, and Bessie D. Vandever. Vandever's book Herizon follows the journey of a young Diné girl as she is asked by her grandmother to help retrieve a flock of sheep. Join the girl in her adventure across land and water aided by a magical scarf that will expand your imagination and transform what you think is possible.
Ken Duncan (San Carlos Apache) is an accomplished cultural teacher, flute player, artist and storyteller. He is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts. Duncan is the founder/director of a renowned family-based business, Yellow Bird Productions. Duncan was named Culture Keeper of Arizona by Arizona’s Governor’s office in 2004 and was recognized with the Arizona Native American Business of the Year Award in 2015.
A great way to engage families with young children is with short videos that can be used during early literacy programs or posted on social media. But, how do you create videos that reach your target audience and don't require expensive tools? This workshop provides resources on: capturing high-quality audio and video using a smartphone; editing videos using free programs available for smartphones; and finding free graphics and music for videos and navigating copyright issues associated with these resources.
During this three-hour workshop, Sandra Freeland and Verdie Martinez introduced culturally responsive teaching methods for Navajo children and families and explained how to use the Navajo language to bridge positive language development with parents and children. Strategies for engaging families in the literacy process were provided.
This workshop was presented in the Navajo Language.
About the Presenters
Sandra Freeland, MA has 37 years of experience in early literacy education as a Gallup-McKinley County Schools and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school administrator, teacher, and counselor, as well as a private consultant. She also served as Interim Assistant Education Secretary with the State of New Mexico Public Education Department.
Verdie Martinez, MA is an educator with 24 years of experience in early childhood education who studied Navajo culture and teachings at Northern Arizona University. Ms. Martinez also works as a culture and adult educator with the BIE system as a Family and Child Education Program (FACE) educator.
This workshop was organized by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension program Baby College 101: Courses for Ałchíní Yázhí. Funding is provided by a CYFAR grant from the US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.