Land Education Teacher Professional Development: Outcomes of Indigenous-Led Professional Development for K–12 Educators

• In Event: Indigenizing K–12 Educational Environments: Relational Curriculum, Intergenerational Literacies, and Decolonizing Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

This paper depicts the impact of the Land Education Teacher Professional Development (LETPD) framework on the perspectives and practices of 20 current K-12 public school teachers and administrators. The LETPD framework fosters teacher development around their responsibility to include tribal history, government, and culture into K-12 classrooms in collaboration with tribal nation communities. This framework is composed of 5 overarching principles, that the LETPD: 1) is built on authentic relationships, 2) is community led, 3) is localized and seasonal, 4) connects to school curriculum, and 5) supports resurgence. Findings demonstrate the importance of engaging K-12 classroom teachers and administrators in land and water centered practices to support their understandings of Indigenous education and collaboration with tribal nations.

Authors

• Anna Lees, Western Washington University

• Dolores Calderon, Western Washington University

• Renée Swan Waite, Lummi Nation

• Cynthia Wilson, Lummi Nation