Thursday, February 13, 2025
3:30 – 4:30 PM ET
Registration opening early February
Interested in providing or enhancing studies about Indigenous Americans? If so, come connect with exemplary educators, Dr. Darren J. Ranco, University of Maine Native Americans Chair and Professor of Anthropology, who is citizen of the Penobscot Nation and Sherry Coyne and Lindsay Ely, middle school, interdisciplinary learning teachers, as they share how they provide Wabanaki Studies and studies of other Indigenous Americans at University of Maine and Gorham Middle School.
Dr. Darren J. Ranco explores the ongoing legacies of the Doctrine of Discovery in how land and property is held by settler populations in Maine, how this legacy disrupts Wabanaki access and stewardship, and what Wabanaki people are doing in response to these legacies. By revealing hidden colonial histories and Indigenous solutions to these histories, Dr. Ranco engages in deeper learning for students/teachers to think carefully/critically and creatively for challenge-solving.
Darren J. Ranco, PhD, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, is Professor of Anthropology, Chair of Native American Programs, and Faculty Fellow at the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine. He has a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School and a PhD in Social Anthropology from Harvard University. He has published extensively and teaches classes on Indigenous intellectual property rights, research ethics and methodology, environmental and climate justice, and tribal governance.
Sherry Coyne and Lindsay Ely describe how their students engage in Wabanaki and Indigenous American studies through individual lessons, coursework, and how study of Indigenous Americans is interwoven into themes of Identity, Culture, Belonging, Movement, and Cause & Effect in multidisciplinary units that are often team-taught by Sherry and Lindsay. The studies includes critical thinking (asking why? and how?), collaboration & communications (small group work), leadership (self- and peer-assessment), information & media literacy (reliable sources, bias), cultural competency (primary sources), and social/emotional intelligence (identity and curiosity).
Sherry Coyne has been teaching in the Gorham, Maine School District for 24 years as a middle school teacher. She graduated from Portland High School and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine where she majored in Elementary Education. She is currently certified to teach Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies at the K-8 level. She is also the middle school Athletic Director and high school varsity girls basketball assistant coach.
Lindsay Ely earned her Masters of Science in Education from the University of Southern Maine and is certified to teach K-8 Science, Social Studies, Math, and ELA. This will be her 8th year teaching and her 5th year at Gorham Middle School (GMS).