Professional Development

The Minnesota Humanities Center conducts professional development offerings that provide educators with humanities-based content and resources for improving classroom teaching and student learning. The Humanities Center offers in-person and online professional development opportunities for K-12 educators.

In-Person Professional Development

In-person professional development opportunities offer educators an environment in which to connect, learn, and share ideas.

Mnisota Makoce, an Indigenous Place: Exploring Bdote
THIS EVENT IS FULL AND CLOSED FOR REGISTRATION
Presenter: Mona Smith, Allies: media/art
Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Time: Noon-1:15 p.m.
Location: Minnesota Humanities Center
Cost: $15/person, includes lunch
Clock Hours: 1.5

DESCRIPTION
Come and hear Mona Smith, creator of the Bdote Memory Map, talk about Minnesota as an Indigenous place. As you challenge assumptions made about Dakota history and identity, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the significance of places in Minnesota like Minnehaha Falls, Coldwater Springs, and the Mississippi River to this land’s first people.

Learn more about this event.

Online Professional Development

The Minnesota Humanities Center is pleased to announce our new and innovative online educator professional development offerings.

Online Self Study Offerings - Participants will study content and complete a quiz or self-reflection section to gain a deeper understanding and application of the content. Clock hours will be earned upon successful completion of quiz or self-reflection component. Participants work on their own schedule, at their own pace and may take as long as they need to complete the offering.

Increase Student Engagement Through Absent Narratives REGISTER NOW Course Type: Online Self-Study Intended Audience: K-12 Educators Instructors: Minnesota Humanities Center staff educators, Dr. Omowale Akintunde, Dr. Matthew Brandt, Alexs Pate, and Dr. Keith Mayes. Cost: $30 Clock Hours: 6	DESCRIPTION This professional development offering will introduce the Minnesota Humanities Center professional development approach and provide a foundation for incorporating Absent Narratives into the classroom. A historical overview of the construction of race and identity will present educators with the opportunity to engage in a process of necessary self-reflection. Concepts addressed during the offering include the social construction of race, the concept of white as a race, the costs of assimilation and epistemology. Through exposure to the authentic unmediated voices of community members, the offering prepares participants to identify and understand Absent Narratives as human experiences. It guides educators in a thoughtful manner toward incorporating the stories, literature, art, music, history, and lived traditions whose absence exacerbates the ever widening relationship gap. Opportunities will be provided to explore Absent Narratives through the careful examination of selected examples. Educators will also explore links and connections to Minnesota Humanities Center resources, tools and additional learning opportunities for long-term sustainable change in the classroom.

The Abolitionist Movement REGISTER NOW Course Type: Online Self-Study Intended Audience: 6-12 Educators Scholar: Dr. Keith Mayes Cost: $15 Clock Hours: 2	DESCRIPTION The Abolitionist Movement professional development offering introduces the Absent Narrative of African Americans working and forging an identity and movement which shaped the political ideas, landscape and legislation in the post- Revolutionary period. Participants will learn an integrated view of African American history during this period and will be able to demonstrate the contributions of African Americans activists in influencing the expansion of freedom and liberty in the America. Participants will understand how this distinctly American group shaped its own identity and worked to expand equality and opportunity.

Black Independent Institutions in the Revolutionary Era REGISTER NOW Course Type: Online Self-Study Intended Audience: 6-12 Educators Scholar: Dr. Keith Mayes Cost: $15 Clock Hours: 2	DESCRIPTION The Black Independent Institutions in the Revolutionary Era professional development offering amplifies the Absent Narrative of a people fighting alongside their white counterparts and forging a new identity through the emergence of Black Independent Institutions. Participants will learn an integrated view of African American history during this period and will be able to demonstrate the contributions of African Americans activists in influencing the expansion of freedom and liberty in the America. Participants will understand how this distinctly American group shaped its own identity and worked to expand equality and opportunity.

African American History in Minnesota REGISTER NOW Course Type: Online Self-Study Intended Audience: K-12 Educators Cost: $30 Clock Hours: 6	DESCRIPTION The African American History in Minnesota professional development offering introduces educators to the rich history of Black Americans in the North Star State, from the days of the early 19th-century fur trade to the modern Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century. Participants will learn the stories of African American individuals, events and movements in Minnesota, told against a backdrop of contextual U.S. history, and will understand how the African American population built communities and fought for equality in Minnesota and on the national stage. The online course includes downloadable primary-source activities for the classroom, video clips, and a comprehensive list of resources. This online offering was created through a partnership between the Minnesota Humanities Center and the Minnesota Historical Society.