M.Ed. Tribal Four Cohort

Program Overview

Tribal Four Cohort begins Spring 2008 and courses will be held at the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribal College.This program is designed for professionals working in education or an education related field, with a particular focus on indigenous language revitalization.

Centered around an Anishinaabe world view, the philosophy, course work, and Masters research projects are related to the health, well-being, history, culture, and education of Native peoples and the revitalization of native language. In addition, in keeping with this philosophy, elective courses in Ojibwe language are key to this program.

Program Curriculum

The M.Ed. curriculum will be enhanced to reflect an Anishinaabe world view with a focus on language revitalization. The degree requires a minimum of 30 credits. A concentration in World Language Revitalization will be awarded to graduates who have reached advanced oral proficiency in Ojibwe. The number of credits required to reach advanced proficiency will depend on the skill level of the students entering the cohort. Instruction will be provided at intermediate and advanced levels. A proficiency interview will be conducted prior to the first semester of the program.

The first class meeting will be Friday, January 25, 2008, 1:00-5:00 p.m., and Saturday, January 26, 8:00 a.m.-noon, followed by lunch. The afternoon will be spent on assessment of language proficiency required for registration in the the Ojibwe language course.

Spring 2008

Educ 7001– Introduction to Graduate Study
In-person meeting date: January 25, 2008
[ 2 credits | Call number: 90882 | Section: 035 | Instructor: Sue Damme]

• Expectations of graduate study, including scholarly writing, online pedagogy, use of online scholarly resources. Culminates in writing of a literature review.   

Educ 7008 – Foundations of Teaching and Learning: Curriculum Theory and Design
In-person meeting date: January 26, 2008
[ 4 credits | Call number: 90883 | Section: 035 | Instructors: Sue Damme/Mary Hermes]

• This course is designed to study advanced learning theory,curriculum design, major critical issues in contemporary education, and develop skills in critical analysis of teaching methods and student outcomes. The course will also focus on the importance of working in the context of a professional community.

Ojibwe language course to be determined. Will meet no more than once a week. This is an elective course.

Fall 2008

To register, use the course information below and go to: http://www.d.umn.edu/register

Educ 7004 – Educational Action Research and Inquiry
In-person meeting date: Saturday, September 13, 2008
[ 4 credits | Call number: 53150| Section: 035| Instructor: Sue Damme]

• This course provides participants with foundational knowledge in being a consumer of and conducting educational/academic research. It is also designed to develop skills to plan and complete a systematic action research inquiry into classroom practice, which will include analysis of practice, review of relevant literature, plans for change, implementation, and evaluation.

Educ 7030, World Indigenous Language Revitalization
In-person meeting date: Friday, September 12, 2008
[ 4 credits | call number: 53154| section: 035| Instructor: Brian McInnes]

• Survey course on world language revitalization, special emphasis on indigenous languages. Includes basic introduction to language acquisition, readings from Hawaii, New Zealand, and indigenous nations within the US; principles of endangered language revitalization, context specific circumstances of several indigenous languages

Ojibwe language course to be determined. Will meet no more than once a week. This is an elective course.

Spring 2009

To register, use the course information below and go to: http://www.d.umn.edu/register

Educ 7002 – Human Diversity and Exceptionality
In-person meeting date: Saturday, February 7, 2009
[ 2 credits | Call number: 87510 | Section: 035 | Instructor: Nedra Hazareesingh]

• This course will stress the importance of diversity in educational settings, and its relevance to teaching and learning strategies, assessment, and professional community building. The concepts of privilege and power will be explored from the standpoint of the educator and his/her role in the educational setting.

Educ 7006 Ethics & Professionalism in Education
In-person meeting date: Sunday, February 8, 2009
[ 2 credits | call number: 91239 | section: 035 | Instructor: Diane Rauschenfels]

• This course offers a synthesis of previous courses, reviewed from the context of ethics and ethical dilemmas that touch on diversity, systems change, educators' roles, professional competencies, and leadership roles.

Educ 7010– Current Issues and Practices in Educational Technology
In-person meeting date:
[ 3 credits | call number: 91294 | section: 035 | Instructor: Brian McInnes]

• Critical reflection on theory and practice of educational technology; development of skills in and understanding of how to use technology as a tool to enhance teaching and learning.

Ojibwe language course to be determined. Will meet no more than once a week. This is an elective course.

Fall 2009

To register, use the course information below and go to:
http://www.d.umn.edu/register

Educ 7009 Assessment of Learning
In-person meeting date: October 4, 2009
[ 3 credits | call number: 51106 | section: 035 | Instructor: Julie Williams ]

• Focuses on the design and application of appropriate learning assessment strategies that consider the pedagogical intent, state, federal, and subject standards, and the diversity for all learners. Teaching theory and practice will be viewed in the context of learning assessment.

Educ 7032, Instructional Material Design for Indigenous Languages
In-person meeting date: October 3, 2009
[ 3 credits | call number: 54220 | section: 035 | Instructor: Mary Hermes ]

• Curriculum development and materials design for indigenous language revitalization. Builds on students' prior knowledge of planning and on proficiency in a language other than English. Includes design of curriculum and materials, such as creation of books, audio and video production with Elders and native communities, strategic design of materials as related to language and content objectives.

Ojibwe language course to be determined. Will meet no more than once a week. This is an elective course.

Optional language courses:

• OJED 5110, Teaching and Learning Ojibwe As A Second Language (2)
• OjEd 5120, Ojibwe Language Grammatical Pedagogy (2)
• OjEd 5130, Ojibwe, Narrative Conversation (2)
• OjEd 5200, Methods in Ojibwe Immersion (2)

Program Delivery

The cohort meets for a period of two years beginning spring semester 2008. Classes meet in-person one weekend at the beginning of each semester for orientation, community building, and course content. The remainder of coursework is done online, with occasional in-person meetings as needed, thus allowing students to be employed full-time. Courses will be held at the Mille Lacs Tribal College. All required core courses are taken during fall and spring semesters. Electives may be taken during summers and, in some cases, during fall and spring semesters.

Technology & Computer Access Requirements

We require that members be comfortable using online resources, including email and the Internet. Cohort members will need to have access to a computer, an Internet connection, and the ability to access assignments, forms, and other program information online.

We strongly recommend that cohort members have their own laptop computer rather than relying on a shared computer at home or at work.

There will be formal instruction in the use of technology at our first face-to-face meeting, and on-going support throughout the program.

We will be using Moodle, a course management system. There is a link to the Moodle login page in the navigation "bar" at the upper left-hand side of this page. Additional helpful information about Moodle may be found here:

• http://www.d.umn.edu/cehsp/technology/moodle.html