Teachers' Lounge

This program has been rescheduled from Oct 27 to Nov 3.
In this Teacher’s Lounge, join Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology educators to engage with best practices for teaching and learning about Native culture, history, and art. We will highlight how educators can teach with This Land is Home: A Seasonal Round in Native New England, a self-paced, virtual learning module that explores how the seasons shape traditional and contemporary Indigenous lifeways in New England.
Consider topics, issues and ideals related to teaching and learning with colleagues. Freely exchange and develop ideas in a relaxed and congenial environment. Join educators from across K-12, informal learning, and colleges and universities for aspirational conversations around topics of shared interest. Each Teachers' Lounge  is facilitated by an invited guest who initiates the dialogue around relevant pedagogical issues.
Save the date for Best Practices for Teaching and Learning about Native People, Part 2 in March 2022, which will focus on best practices for teaching with Native art and objects. 
Leah Hopkins is a citizen of the Narragansett Indian Tribe and is the new Community Engagement Specialist at the Museum. She is responsible for working collaboratively with Indigenous and Tribal communities, museums, and other institutions and Brown students and faculty to develop, implement and evaluate programming and education initiatives that best improve the visibility and promote the perspectives of Indigenous populations in New England. Leah holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Rhode Island, and has a background in museum and tribal education that spans over 10 years, working at both the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and with other regional institutions, organizations and tribal communities. Leah has done and continues to do extensive work within the New England region to promote the visibility, histories, cultural complexities, and cultural continuity of the area’s Indigenous peoples.
Leah Burgin has worked at the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology as the Manager of Museum Education and Programs since 2017. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, Leah's career has taken her to Michigan, Vermont, and Washington, DC., developing and implementing public interpretation and informal education programs for the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the US Capitol Visitor Center, among other organizations. Working at the intersections of anthropological archaeology, museum studies, and Native American studies (BA, University of Michigan), as well as public humanities (MA, Brown University), she's committed to the collaborative work of decolonizing museums and passionate about the social justice potential of heritage education. 
Join fellow teachers of all subjects. Professional development certificate available. 
Register to receive the Zoom link. For registration questions, please contact mlefast@risd.edu.
Register