Will I see you at MFPE?

 Are you coming to MFPE in Billings?

My colleagues and I will be working the exhibit hall at the upcoming MFPE conference, so if you are there, make sure to stop by our booth to say hello, pick up some free goodies, and visit with us about MTHS resources.

Are you on the fence? I just finished looking through the program and saw many exciting sessions. I'm particularly excited about the ones being offered by MTHS Teacher Leaders in Montana History past and present. 

• “Social Studies, IEFA and Me,” Savannah Buckner, Thurs., Oct. 19, 8:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
  • Elementary school teachers! Come learn with me about how to better incorporate Social Studies and Indian Education for All into your everyday lessons. Bring a tablet or laptop.
• “Finding and Integrating Native Voices,” Kathi Hoyt and Ruth Ferris, Thurs., Oct. 19, 11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. and Fri., Oct. 20, 10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
  • Where do you find primary sources in which Native Americans speak for themselves? Come join us and we will show you where to find some of these primary sources. How do you use them in your classroom? We have ideas for that too.
• “Tribal Government in High School,” Elysia Bain, Teacher Leader in Montana History, Thurs., Oct. 19, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
  • Learn ways to incorporate learning about tribal government into social studies classes.
• “Montana Historical Society Resources 101,” Jennifer Hall, Fri., Oct. 20, 11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
  • Discover free, standard-aligned resources for your grade level for teaching Montana history and Indian Education for All.

If you are at MFPE and teach social studies, I hope you'll come to the Montana Council on Social Studies lunchtime meeting, Thurs., Oct. 19, 12:00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m. There's free pizza! But also hopefully we can use this as an opportunity to work together to improve social studies education in the state. I'm also interested in MCSS's Lunch Forum on Friday, 12:00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m. (even though there won't be pizza) because it will focus on how current issues (from the Second Amendment to CRT) are affecting classrooms. I've also been told that there will be "snacks and conversation" on Thursday at 5:00 p.m., right after, and in the same room, as "National History Day in Montana."

Here are a few more sessions that particularly caught my eye. 

• “National History Day in Montana,” Hailey Hancock and Melissa Hibbard, Thurs., Oct. 19, 3:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. and Fri., Oct. 20, 9:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
  • National History–an academic competition focusing on history for students in grades 6-12–is returning to Montana! Attend this session to find out how to bring the History Day experience to your 6-12 grade social studies, humanities, or ELA classroom.
•  “Museum and Student Connect,” Bruce Wendt, Fri., Oct. 20, 2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
  • Students can contribute to local museums in multiple ways. Learn from students and teachers who have created exhibits and other projects at museums in Billings. Take home ideas to your local community.
• “Exploring How Where You Live Impacts How You Live through the Inquiry Design Model,” Erin O'Reilly, Thurs., Oct. 19, 9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
  • Use the Inquiry Design Model to explore how inquiry-based learning can shape your social studies classroom, with a specific focus on students investigating the compelling question: how does where I live influence how I live?

“Physical Archives and K-12 Students,” Joseph Lannin, Thurs., Oct. 19, 8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

• Learn how the Billings Public Library Special Collections Dept. is working to make their collections more accessible to students of all ages.

“Digital Archives and K-12 Students,” Jennifer Birnel, Director of the Montana History Portal (formerly the Montana Memory Project), Thurs., Oct. 19, 9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.

• Local and digital archives are not just the place for graduate students and professional scholars/researchers! These information repositories are filled with photographs, manuscripts, rare books, and numerous other materials with the potential to spark critical thinking and analysis. 

“Heart Mountain Interpretive Center,” Sybil Tubbs, Thurs., Oct. 19, 12:00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

• The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center provides an overview of the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans, including the background history of anti-Asian prejudice in America and the factors leading to their forced removal and confinement. Discover their educational materials for the classroom including reading guides, lesson plans, activities, and virtual field trips.

“Don't Panic: Let's Adopt a Thoughtful Approach about Generative AI,” Jason Neiffer, Thurs., Oct. 19, 2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.

• With new generative tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, Microsoft Bing, Canva, and Midjourney, we face an unprecedented moment in a fast-moving evolution and the opportunity to equip our students (and ourselves) with futuristic superpowers. Join for first-glance look at the coming AI tsunami, along with recommendations of where to start to immerse yourself in these tools to gain insight.

“IEFA Resources to Support Social Studies Standards,” Mike Jetty, Fri., Oct. 20, 9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.

• This interactive session will provide attendees with an overview of new and improved IEFA resources to support Social Studies instruction.

“The Montana ELA Standards Are Open For Revision! Be in the Know With This Information Session, Stephanie Swigart, Fri., Oct. 20, 1:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

• This session will provide participants with pertinent information about the ELA standards revision process and how they can be involved throughout the process. This will also be an opportunity for educators to ask questions and provide feedback to the OPI ELA Standards Revision team. about their priorities for ELA standards revision to inform the research phase of the revision process.

Finally, I noticed that Gilder Lerner Montana History Teacher of the Year, high school history teacher Casey Visser, is offering several sessions. Why not learn from a master?

• “Podcasts in the American History Secondary Classroom,” Oct. 19, 11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
  • Discover podcasts that will aid teachers in their American History content knowledge and learn how students can create their own podcasts as part of class projects.
• “Alternative Assessments in the Secondary Social Studies Classroom,” Thurs., Oct. 19, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
  • Explore options to assess student learning beyond the standard fill in the bubble tests. The session will focus on the Stanford History Education Group's materials.
• “Engagement in the Secondary Social Studies Classroom,” Thurs., Oct. 19, 4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
  • Discover various ready to use engagement techniques including Eduprotocols that will aid instructors in increasing student engagement in their social studies classes.

Register for the conference and explore the program (there's lots I didn't include here.) Hope to see you in Billings!