Over the years, attendees at Summer Institute have requested training in classroom management. My expertise in this area is based on conventional norms used in the American public school classroom. These may, or may not, be what is most useful for a Native teacher in Native communities. What this course will seek to establish, based on input from the attendees, is a hybrid model of classroom management and discipline reflective of Native values and sensibilities when working with youth.

We will look at what strategies exist in the public school domain and then modify, adapt or discard according to participant feedback. Your experience and knowledge are valued. We encourage you to participate in large and small group discussions and ask that you write daily reflections on what is or is not useful. Your contributions will be included in a booklet on classroom management that the class collectively puts together. We hope to share this booklet with Native communities. The value of this class depends on student participation.

Instructor, Judith Fernandes