Online Study Circles Winter 2025 Conversations: American Indian Studies - Indigenous Community: Rekindling the Teachings of the Seventh Fire (2015)

Event Description

Online Study Circles Winter 2025 Conversations:

American Indian Studies

Indigenous Community: Rekindling the Teachings of the Seventh Fire (2015) by Gregory Cajete

About the Online Study Circles Conversations
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) - American Indian Studies Program in partnership with CESA 12 is offering online book studies for early childhood staff, K-12 staff, institutions of higher learning and partners to continue our personal and professional work, with a focus on American Indian studies and education. Join us in an Online Study Circles Conversations: American Indian Studies and the exploration of specially selected texts as a foundation for the group conversation and discussion on various Indigenous topics and issues.

*Individuals may only register for ONE of the four Online Study Circles Conversations offered for 2024-2025. One will be offered in Fall 2024, two will be offered during Winter 2025, and one during Spring 2025. 

** NOTE: You must be present during ALL the advertised time(s) to participate and be a part of the study circles. They will NOT BE RECORDED for viewing at an alternate time. Additionally, participants do NOT have permission or authorization to record either via video or audio the contents of the session they are attending.**

Book(s) and Author(s): Indigenous Community: Rekindling the Teachings of the Seventh Fire (2015) by Gregory Cajete

Description(s): Indigenous Community: Rekindling the Teachings of the Seventh Fire (2015) by Gregory Cajete: “Toward an Evolving Epistemology of Contemporary Indigenous Education. For more than three decades, Gregory Cajete’s books and lectures have represented one of the most consistently exploratory, challenging, and coherent Indigenous voices and strategists in contemporary scholarship. He has helped generate the Indigenous renaissance, both continentally and globally. His earlier books have revealed the ecology of Indigenous education and the relations of Indigenous science to Eurocentric (or Western) science. His latest book, Indigenous Community: Rekindling the Teachings of the Seventh Fire, continues this momentous tradition. His work is both a meditation on how Indigenous knowledge, science, and humanity have generated Indigenous communities that are vital to encountering and overcoming intractable situations as well as a celebration of Indigenous communities and intellectual creativity. His book leads the reader on an insightful journey into Indigenous concepts of knowledge, community, education, and leadership. These concepts are interrelated tools for intervention and transformation. The book reveals a vision, the vital deep dialogues, and the essential steps toward generating sustained and empowered connections among self, home, community, and leadership. He consciously challenges the existing Eurocentric story lines of dysfunctional educative stories of Indigenous communities and perceived deficient individuals in education and generates ways to rethink the old discourses and story lines. He replaces these story lines with functional educative stories of restoring Indigenous leadership, communities, and individuals. Gregory demonstrates how this crucial transformation can be achieved through using Indigenous knowledge and viewing information in culturally sensitive and holistic ways to create a multipronged responsive educational system that will serve a sustainable community, leadership, and environment for the complex and indeterminate future. He explains how the ancient and unfolding stories of a community and their pedagogy are the essence of Indigenous education, revitalization, and organic Indigenous scholars and leaders. He describes these imperative processes and principles as a way to come back to our collective Indigenous power.” [Living Justice Press].

Registration: Link to Event Page | Event Registration Form

As a result of participating in the Online Study Circles Online Conversations, participants will:

• have an opportunity to read and discuss selected American Indian themed books with participants from across Wisconsin.
• learn about diverse aspects of Native American histories and cultural concepts.
• address bias, myths, stereotypes and misconceptions regarding our Indigenous peoples, communities, and nations
• engage in discussion with colleagues and explore multiple perspectives about First Nations Studies and the education of American Indian students

Online Study Circles Conversations: American Indian Studies
Consistent attendance is crucial to allow for learning and to result in a successful book study. Individuals who miss ANY of the Online Study Circles Conversations sessions will be required to return the book at your own cost. Please be sure your schedule allows for full participation on ALL dates and times listed BEFORE registering. No exceptions will be made.

• District Administrators and Principals
• Classroom Teachers
• Curriculum Specialists, Directors of Instruction, and Library Media Specialists
• School Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists
• Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs) Administrators and Staff
• Tribal, Community, and School Liaison's (Home-School/Title VI/Johnson O’Malley Coordinators and Staff)
• Tribal Education Directors and Staff
• Head Start, Early Childhood, and Preschool Staff
• College and University (especially Schools of Education) Students, Faculty, and Staff
• Library and Museum Staff
• Any others with an interest in American Indian Studies and education

Additional Information/Disclaimers
The book circle sessions will NOT be recorded or otherwise shared after the scheduled dates. The DPI American Indian Studies Program has found that this allows for more candid conversations, richer dialogue, and increased participation.

This training webinar does NOT meet statutory license stipulations for "Wisconsin American Indian Tribes and Bands", which is often referenced as Wisconsin Act 31. For those seeking to address statuary license stipulations, please visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Educator Preparation and Licensing - Statutory License Stipulations webpage for a list of approved courses and workshops. You can also visit the DPI American Indian Studies Program for further information.

Training Format
Each Online Study Circles Conversations will consist of one MANDATORY 60-minute orientation session followed by three 1.5 hour discussion sessions.

If you MISS ONE of the discussion sessions, you will  be required to return the book at your own cost. Since we only meet a limited number of times, this will be a firm requirement. Each session will have two facilitators who will support interaction and discussion, but will not be in lecture style form.

These sessions will be facilitated online using the Zoom cloud video conferencing platform.

• Participants are initially provided with a copy of the book at no charge.
• Participation in the orientation session is a prerequisite to receiving the complimentary book. Regardless if you have participated in a past orientation for previous online study circles conversations, orientation attendance is MANDATORY for the book study you are registered for. If you are unable to attend orientation you will NOT be eligible to be a part of the book study.
• Books will not be sent until AFTER the orientation meeting has been held.

Facilitators

• There are no registration fees to participate in the Online Study Circles Conversation offered by the DPI American Indian Studies Program. A scholarship, funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), has been applied to the administrative and instructional fees.
• Pre-registration is required and limited to 60 individuals* for each session (see above registration links/buttons by each of the books). Once spots are filled a waiting list will be generated but we cannot guarantee those on the waiting list will be able to participate.
• Individuals may only register for ONE of the four Online Study Circles Conversations offered for 2024-2025 (please see DPI American Indian Studies Program Calendar of Events for book studies available).
• Funding for this training limits individual acceptance to WISCONSIN RESIDENTS only.
• Orientation is a requirement of participation. If you miss one of the sessions, you will be required to return the book at your own cost.
• The Online Study Circles Conversations sessions will NOT be recorded or otherwise shared after the scheduled dates. The DPI American Indian Studies Program has found that this requirement allows for more candid conversations, richer dialogue, and increased participation.
• This training webinar does NOT meet statutory license stipulations for "Wisconsin American Indian Tribes and Bands", which is often referenced as Wisconsin Act 31. For those seeking to address statuary license stipulations, please visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Educator Preparation and Licensing - Statutory License Stipulations webpage for a list of approved courses and workshops. You can also visit the DPI American Indian Studies Program for further information.

* The DPI American Indian Studies Program reserves the right to prioritize enrollment to LEAs with federally-identified IDEA status, Wisconsin's First Nations, and districts with significant educational equity needs.

For more great training opportunities offered by DPI American Indian Studies Program, please visit our website at Calendar of Events.