NILI Summer Institute 2015

June 22-July 2, 2015

PLEASE NOTE…

Due to unexpected demand, we have received more Summer Institute 2015 registrations than expected. In order to properly service our communities, we need to cap enrollment at this point. If you have expressed interest prior to this date, please send in your registrations by Monday, May 25, 2015. If you have not expressed prior interest but would still like to register, we will put you on a waiting list. Be aware that classes are filling up, so your class selections might be full and you may be placed in an alternate class. Additionally, we may not be able to accommodate all housing requests (e.g., single rooms may be fully occupied so you may have to book a double and share a room with a roommate). We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us via email at nwili@uoregon.edu or by phone at 541-346-0730 if you have any questions.

Summer Institute 2015 Registration is open!

Please complete the registration form by following this link: NILI SI 2015 Registration Form

This year we will be offering both an Adult and Youth track. Choose from several languages, courses in Introductory, Intermediate, or Sahaptin linguistics, and either a Teaching Methods or Documentation Methods course. We also have courses in Language Advocacy and Materials Development, and our Weekend Workshop.

Summer Institute 2015 Scholarship Applications Now Available!

The deadline to submit a scholarship application is April 1, 2015. You can find the scholarship form here: NILI 2015 Scholarship Application

Summer Institute Teacher Training Program

At NILI’s 2-week teacher training Summer Institute Native language teachers and learning study linguistics, an indigenous language, teaching methods, and language activisim, and apply teaching strategies and develop materials to take home to your classroom.

Teachers:

• Learn how to teach whole language (moving from words to sentences)
• Have guided teaching opportunities
• Create needed language materials for your community
• Learn more about the structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation of your language
• Experience language learning from a student point of view
• Become more familiar with a variety of teaching practices and methods
• Speak in your language with your team members and classmates

Summer Institute Youth Program

High school students study language, linguistics and teaching methods, and design and create activities to support preschool learners. Guest speakers (UO faculty and Native students) present information and experiences introducing youth to college life and creating a bridge to higher education. Students are mentored in project brainstorming, planning, linguistic guidance, pedagogy, evaluation, tool support, and product delivery.

Youth:

• Gain skills in language learning
• Take on leadership roles in language preservation and teaching while demonstrating a commitment to their Tribe’s values and traditions.
• Become more technologically literate
• Learn to manage their own projects
• Contribute to language revitalization within their communities

See below for more detailed information on classes:

Teaching Methods:

Teaching Everyday Conversation

How can we get our language communities to engage in simple conversations on a daily basis? How can we encourage more conversation among our students or learners? In this two week session, we will look at strategies used to foster a more communicative approach to language learning. Participants will leave with a video of simple conversations to use for teaching and sharing with their communities.
*Note: This course is limited to the first 26 enrollees (we must have your registration form)

Documentation Methods:

This course focuses on documenting languages.  More information coming soon…
*Note: This course is limited to the first 26 enrollees (we must have your registration form)

Methods for Teaching Math in Lushootseed:

This class is intended for those who will be teaching math or will be assisting teachers in teaching math. This course will be taught in a full-immersion fashion in Lushootseed. Students will learn methods for teaching counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It will include decimal points and fractions.
*Note: This course is limited to 16 people. Instructor permission and prerequisites required: You must be enrolled in the Lushootseed language course and be teaching math in a school setting or supporting math teachers in a school setting. For permission, contact Zalmai Zahir (zzahir@uoregon.edu).

Linguistics:

Introduction to Linguistics for Teachers and Students of Northwest Languages

This class will help you discover more about the patterns and structure of your language. It will also help you with learning your language whether you are a language learner or language teacher. We will start by looking at the sound systems of your languages and how sounds have a pattern. We will practice pronunciation daily. We will look at how words are structured; this will lead us into discussing parts of speech in your language (and in English). We will talk some about meaning and also touch on issues of translation. Finally, we will look at how words are ordered, or not, to make sentences.

Intermediate Linguistics

This course is intended for students who have taken the introductory linguistics class at NILI or have a similar background in linguistics. The emphasis will be on using scholarly materials (grammars, dictionaries, texts) prepared by linguists to help you understand your language and how to teach it. The class will be useful to anyone who is learning a language and trying to improve their skills and knowledge. The practice we will get in analyzing the words of a language and understanding how a grammar works will also be useful to anyone trying to write curriculum or materials for a language class.

Introduction to Sahaptin Linguistics

This class is designed for people working with Sahaptin languages (Ichishkíin and Nimiipuutimt), with a focus on how knowing more about the patterns and structure of your language will help you as a language learner or language teacher.  Using materials from your language classes, we first look at the sound systems of Sahaptin, and how to pronounce particular sounds.  We will then look at words and how words are formed, and finally how words are put together to make sentences.

Materials Development:

Materials production in the 21st century classroom usually includes the use of computers, yet computers and programs are changing at an ever increasing pace. The goal of the NILI Materials Development course is thus not to teach participants to specifically use any one program or tool, but rather to improve their ability to problem solve and to increase their creativity using a computer. This course will integrate a variety of 21st century multimedia authoring skills useful for language teachers, such as video capture, image manipulation, design layout and content creation, as we create a common project.

Language Courses:

Chinuk Wawa

Ichishkíin (Sahaptin)

Nimiipuutimt (Nez Perce)

Lushootseed
The Lushootseed language class is open to beginning as well as advanced Lushootseed speakers. There are no prerequisites. The courses will be taught in full-immersion fashion. The classes will focus on conversations that cover simple interactions such as: where did you go; who did you see and how were they; who did you talk to and what did they say. Advanced speakers will include discussions on what they did, are doing, or will do. They will work on communicating more advanced sentence structures and ideas. This class will also cover an introduction to reading, writing, and pronunciation for beginners, and emphasize correct stress and prosody for more advanced speakers.

Tolowa Dee-ni’

(Note: Language classes are tailored to enrollment and we will keep students updated as to which languages will be offered. With enough interest, additional language classes may be offered.)

Language Activism Seminar:

More information coming…

Youth Program: 

Background: In a 2013-14 pilot project, language students at Nixyaawii and Willamina High Schools worked throughout the year with NILI and their Native language teachers. They developed language materials with technology applications for their own use and for immersion preschoolers in their communities. Instruction from NILI and Robert Elliott took place through online technology, and on-site visits. Youth at Summer Institute 2015 will have a chance to study language, linguistics and teaching methods, and design and create activities to support preschool learners. Guest speakers (UO faculty and Native students) present information and experiences introducing youth to college life and creating a bridge to higher education. Students will be mentored in project brainstorming, planning, linguistic guidance, pedagogy, evaluation, tool support, and product delivery.

Youth Language Leadership Class

Youth will gain skills in language learning, take on leadership roles in language preservation and teaching while demonstrating a commitment to the Tribe’s values and traditions, become more technologically literate and learn to manage their own projects, while contributing to language revitalization within their communities.

Youth Materials Development

Youth will learn more about developing materials for use in preschool language classes. They will explore different technology applications and develop a finished product that will assist in their community’s language revitalization efforts.

Weekend Workshop:

TBD

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NILI Summer Institute Costs for 2015

• Tuition: $1,850 (4 university credits)
• Elder registration: $150 (no university credits)
• On Campus Housing (optional):
  • Single room: $737 (check in 6/21 – check out 7/2)
  • Double (shared) room: $605 (check in 6/21 – check out 7/2)
• Optional on-site parking pass: $65

Limited scholarships are available. Scholarship information is below.

If you have questions or need further information, please email us.

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Scholarship

Please complete a scholarship application by April 1, 2015. Please be sure to apply early as the deadline will not be extended. The scholarship application can be found here: NILI 2015 Scholarship Application

Scholarship funds are targeted towards those who could not attend the Institute without support. If you are employed as a teacher or at a language program or school district, you must first seek funding from your program. We encourage all those in need of financial assistance to seek funding from other sources as well. Due to generous support, some years NILI is able to give at least some funding to those applying for scholarships. Other years we are challenged to do so. Scholarships are for partial tuition for the two-week Summer Institute only and do not cover housing, meals, or parking (if applicable).

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Policy for Youth Participants Chaperones
(High School Students from Ages 14-18)

It is our experience in providing a youth component to NILI Summer Institute over the last two years that communities have wanted to provide their own chaperones for youth participants.

If you are bringing youth, someone must be designated in your group who will assume responsibility for chaperoning youth participants. If boys and girls are attending, then both male and female chaperones are needed. Youth and chaperones will attend all NILI events during the Institute. Chaperones need not be present in the classroom with youth, but must be responsible during out of class hours and at night. Chaperones will need to cover their own dorm expenses (room and board) in order to stay on the same floor with the participants.

All youth attending NILI must have consent forms signed by parents/guardians prior to the Institute.

If you are considering bringing youth to NILI, please contact our office at nwili@uregon.edu to make arrangements.