Heather 0:00

Welcome to the artful teaching podcast! It's been a while. This is Heather Francis and I am back as a co-host for this show to produce a special episode with my friend Stephanie West. She and I are going to be discussing a framework that she has developed as part of her doctoral studies. It's called the Native Voices Framework. She's going to fully describe it in just a moment, but to get listeners right on the topic of what Native voices are: There's the Tribe. You have a Sovereign Nation. They have someone that they've appointed to speak for the Tribe. It's someone sanctioned by the Tribe to be their voice. That is an official type of voice. But then you can have a neighbor who lives next door who has Native heritage, and they have Native experiences and perspectives to share as well. Then you might go into your student’s or child's school and see a Native artist presenting something, and they are another type of Native voice to share. So it's important in education, when we're looking to amplify Native Voices, that we understand these different voices and the different values that they evoke and share with us. 

Stephanie West 1:29

You talked about the Native Voices Framework as being part of my doctoral work, and yes, it is, but this really started before then. We've shared content about this for years, so I can't say that this is my work, but more that I have been given the privilege of expanding on it as we've continued to learn more about these different perspectives that are available to us, as well as some missing pieces, which I'll talk about in a second, that help us to clarify how teachers might frame those perspectives and understand how those different various voices, Native voices, can impact their teaching of Native topics.

Heather Francis 2:11 

This framework is coming out of content that our program coordinator and program manager have been presenting in workshops for several years. And it's really great, Stephanie, that you're formalizing it. We love to see this kind of deep research and thinking. So the first question is, what is the framework? 

What is the Native Voices Framework?

Stephanie West 2:31

A framework is something that helps us to organize the information that's available to us and make it more applicable to our own work. The Native Voices framework, the image that we've created, which you can see on our website, is in the form of a circle. We felt it was really important to communicate both visually as well as through words. That is more of an Indigenous pedagogy, to also use shapes to communicate information. We have this circle that has a ring of individuals around it that have their hands connected. There's also some coloring to that circle. There's a deep red color as well as a black color, and they kind of blend into each other. It's concentric circles. The image that we currently have is two dimensional. I would love to have it recreated in a three dimensional shape. If we were to see it three dimensionally, I would see it as more like a cone, where it's wider at the base, and comes up to a point at the top. That point at the top is the focus. But the base visually communicates the different values that influence both our teaching of Native topics, as well as the different values that might influence different Native perspectives. We put that on a continuum of both Native values as well as Western values. And most educational systems are Western. 

Heather Francis 4:15

Yeah, that's the world we exist in. When we say there's Native perspectives and Western perspectives, we're not saying that it's this against that. We know our own culture, that's one of our guiding principles. We do operate in a very western perspective, and it has certain values underlying it, just like Native perspectives have certain values underlying them. We're just including both of them in this framework.

Stephanie West 4:41

One piece of this framework that's helpful when it comes to the values is that, yes, we put it on a continuum, because they're not completely contradictory, but they can be very different. It's also helpful when you have a framework. We don't necessarily, as teachers, think about, how does this value influence the way that I teach? Often, we just have values, and they're just part of our lives. But by having this framework, it encourages teachers to be able to consider, “Oh, this might be the reason why I'm choosing to do it this way.” By making it more evident, we hope that teachers can be more thoughtful in the ways that they include those different values in their teaching. Especially with Native teaching, because for it to be accurate and authentic, you have to make sure that it aligns well with Native values. 

Native Values of Community, Relationship, Responsibility, Reciprocity, & Holism:

Stephanie West 5:40

I looked at lots of different content and also reflected back on our experiences from what we have learned as we've worked with Native groups. I was somewhat hesitant to put these different values in as being Native values, because we know that each Native nation and tribe are all very distinct. But these were some values that we found that did cross over multiple different Native groups. The values that we found were: community. Community is so essential with Native communities. Then there is the value of relationship. Relationships are essential to the ways that we learn. When you think about Native communities, they usually learn through multiple different individuals coming together, as well as through different ages. It's often a side-by-side learning, and it's more as a community. Native individuals come together, not just for the benefit of, “What am I going to learn as an individual?” but, “How does what I'm learning benefit the community?” which is related to both community and relationship. Another value is responsibility. When we receive knowledge, we have to recognize that there's a responsibility that comes with that knowledge, and that's a very Indigenous perspective. Another value is reciprocity. As we receive something, we don't just receive it and say, “Oh, it's mine. I can do whatever I want now.” Instead, we realize that with that responsibility comes also a need to use it in a way that will benefit the community. Creating this sense of reciprocity. There are also those ideas of looking back to your ancestors and looking forward. It's this deep connection. Another element of this is the idea of holism, that you're not just educating a mind, but you are educating a whole entire person. There's this attention to “What is this person becoming as a result of the knowledge that they're receiving?” Those are some of the Native values that came out. 

Stephanie West 7:50

There are a lot of different Western values that we could have highlighted, but we highlighted these ones because these are the ones that are very evident in our educational systems, and strongly influence the choices that we make. Sometimes these influences have been present for years and years. Many teachers are influenced by the education they received, and they carry it forward.

Heather Francis 8:20

What was modeled for us is often what we adopt.

Stephanie West 8:23

Yes. So some of the Western values that came out – these are not bad values. Many of these are very good values. Such as scientific skepticism. That's a great thing, right? It's very essential in research. But it’s the idea that we don't just accept something, we are skeptical about it. Another one is this idea of singularity. When we're in school, there's this need to get the right answer, or that there is only one right answer. That can be very different from an Indigenous perspective that may believe multiple answers to be true. There's also individualism, and we, as a society as well as an educational system, definitely emphasize the individual, often over the community itself. You can see this in our standardized testing and in all the different ways that we assess students.

Heather Francis 9:19

Graduation, honors, awards, scholarships.

Stephanie West 9:23

Exactly. When we assess students, we don't usually assess them as a group and take that as a whole. No, it's individual. Another piece of this is also compartmentalization. When we bring knowledge into the classroom, we often will teach it in its own different subjects. Many teachers try to bring things together, because we're coming to understand the value of making the connections between different subjects. But in general, most of our subjects are taught by subject. Then you learn math or science totally siloed. So those are the different values that came out as I was looking at these. The other piece I described was that circle of people who are connected together. For me, this was really important to include. We feel this when it comes to cultural things, especially a culture that may be different from us, where we wonder, “Do I have a place here? What is my role here?” I felt it was really important to keep that connection there, so teachers could not only see themselves there, but also see the importance of all the different interconnected people that play a role in that. 

Heather Francis 10:45

Integrated subjects, integrated people, yeah, I’m getting the idea. 

Native Voices

Stephanie West 10:49

That's the base layer. The next level is those Native perspectives, those Native voices. We had already shared a lot of content about this over time. We had three different categories that we used. I don't know if you remember when we added the fourth category? 

Heather Francis 11:06

Oh yeah, I totally do! 

Stephanie West 11:07

Do you want to describe that?

Heather Francis 11:09

Yeah! We were publishing our online course, which has a recorded presentation that Brenda and Emily did for teachers in our endorsement program. It covers the official voices, the people who get to speak for the tribe. Then the culture bearers or knowledge keepers, who may not be a part of the tribal council or the tribal government, but they hold a lot of the tribal history and stories and culture, and share it through presentations or leading rituals. The culture is preserved in their knowledge of it. Then there's authentic voices, which are the children and students in your classroom who have Native Heritage, or their parents or a neighbor or an organization that's also amplifying Native Voices. When we were talking about it, we had to consider, “Well, what about us?” We’re these artists and educators who are seeking to amplify Native Voices. We're working with official voices, authentic voices, and culture bearers, so now we have some cultural knowledge, and we've learned from them, and we want to honor them… but who are we? What are we? Eventually we decided we were informed voices.

Stephanie West 12:28

I loved that as we discussed this we asked, “What does an informed voice mean? How do you define what is an informed voice?” As we talked about it, this group could include Native individuals as well as non-Native individuals. For example, Brenda Beyal is an authentic voice to her own personal experiences, but at the same time, because her husband went to an Indigenous boarding school, she is also an informed voice due to her relationship with him, and is then able to share what she has learned in that way.

Heather Francis 13:06

She holds his stories with him, even though she didn't experience them for herself.

Stephanie West 13:11

I love the way that you said that. “She holds his stories within her.” That's such a great way to put it. So when you look at the framework and at those different perspectives that are there in the center, you'll see that they are also shaded in different colors. What we tried to communicate there was that all of these different perspectives can be influenced by these different values in different ways. For example, probably the most embedded within Native values are going to be your knowledge keepers and culture bearers, because they have accepted a responsibility to carry on Native knowledge and to share it. Now, the official voices, you'd think that they must also be very Indigenous. But even just the structure of Native governments– 

Heather Francis 14:02

They've adopted some Western perspectives in terms of government and politics and governing.

Stephanie West 14:11

Because of their need to interact with Western governments that are a very western style, they have had to adopt that kind of structure themselves.

Heather Francis 14:22

Speaking of which, we have a new animated film released on YouTube that tells that whole history. So go check that out!

Stephanie West 14:29

It talks about Native sovereignty throughout the history of the United States, so definitely check that out. Because of the effect of Western government, they can have some of that Western perspective as well. Authentic voices may be individuals that can share about their own experiences, but these are also individuals who maybe grew up learning about their culture, but maybe they didn't! So it's good to recognize the impact that western values may have on their perspectives. And then, of course, there's informed voices. Because most informed voices are going to be from non-Native individuals, we have to recognize that each of us who are not Native, we bring with us biases from our own lives. Bias is not a bad word. Just like these different values are not bad. But we do bring different perspectives with us, and it's important to recognize that. At the very center of the framework is the child. This is the focus here. We hope that by amplifying Native voices in the classroom that this is going to benefit not just Native children, but really all children. That it can provide a more balanced and enriching understanding for all students. 

Heather Francis 15:52

Thank you, Stephanie! It's a lot of content in one little image, but it's really helpful. I hope listeners, you can go to our show notes and to our website and check out the image so you can study it for yourself. But I think Stephanie, the next thing we need to do is talk about application of this framework. How can teachers use it?

Culture Exploration: Learning From, Not About, Native Americans

Stephanie West 16:18

That's definitely the most important question here. When teachers are teaching Native topics– and before I get into that, because I say that often, “Teach Native topics,” sometimes I have to ask, “Okay, what do I mean by that?” Because, really, all topics are Native topics. But maybe they might be taught in a different way if it's from a more Indigenous perspective. Or an Indigenous way of knowing, is another term. So when I say Native topics, I really mean everything. But when teachers are trying to teach from a more Indigenous way, the things that they should do are, first, to grow your understanding of Native cultural values, and Western cultural values. I think that that's one piece of this framework that's important. To reflect on that, to think about, “How am I being influenced by different values when I teach these different subjects?” One piece of information that I came across is that most of the addition of cultural topics or cultural information into the classroom happens at a very superficial level.

Heather Francis 17:23

Facts, fun, figures, food, right? Geography? Which geography is important, but if you're just identifying the boundaries on a map, it may not be enough to understand the environmental implications to a culture.

Stephanie West 17:40

I think you said it at the very beginning. The goal here is to learn from Native Americans, not just about Native Americans. By first understanding what these different values are, then actively reflecting on those values and doing that in a continuous way, and considering how different values influence the decisions that we're making, how we're sharing Native knowledge, and what it is we're sharing.

Heather Francis 18:10

I actually had this moment when you were talking about the values in my imagination. In my mind, I saw myself as a teacher lining my students up at the door to leave the classroom, to go to the lunchroom or to another classroom or something. And my need for the order of the single filed line, which definitely has its place. Because you know, teachers, you know this. When you take a line of students through the hall, and there are other classes, the chaos that can ensue from a non-singular line…there's great potential. However, if I was looking at the framework, I think that's driven from my Western perspective of order and compartmentalization. But if I was looking for a transition to the computer lab that was more focused on community, I might say, “All right, you have three minutes to quietly make it to the computer lab,” and let them walk with someone side by side, and maybe share it as a social connection time, rather than, “Let's make sure nobody gets hurt on the way.” There'd be a time and a place where I would definitely take them single file, if there were other classes. But if it was during a class where there weren't people in the hallways, maybe that would be something I could choose.

Stephanie West

19:19

When you were describing this, I was thinking about how most of our classrooms are set up with rows. But a much more Indigenous way of coming together and gathering to learn is actually in a circle, and it's because of the balance that's present there. You can all see each other, and we're all equal in that circle, and we all have a part. That's another piece of information that I've found interesting as I'm learning more about Indigenous pedagogy. The idea from reciprocity and responsibility that even though there may be people who are the teachers, they also learn from the students. 

Heather Francis 20:04

The learner is the teacher, the teacher is the learner. 

Stephanie West 20:06

That reciprocity, right? So I think there's different ways that this can come out in our classrooms. And I love the example you shared about the line. 

Heather Francis 20:18

Yeah, choreography, you know. The dancer's mind of mine is like, “Hmm, how do we use space in schools in a more Indigenous way?”

Stephanie West 20:26

I love it. So we talked about the values. As well as reflecting on those values, and understanding what those values are. Then there's considering ways that we can amplify various Native perspectives in our classroom. The vision for the Native American Curriculum Initiative, our ultimate goal, is to amplify Native perspectives. It's by amplifying Native perspectives that we increase the accuracy and the authenticity of the teaching of Native topics,

Heather Francis 20:54

And that benefits all children.

Bringing Balance to Education: The Why of the Native Voices Framework 

Stephanie West 21:00

That's why we consider different ways that we can include a culture bearer or a knowledge keeper or an informed voice. But considering these different perspectives that are out there and how they might impact the decisions you might make. One other thing that just came to mind was about the visual description. You'll see that we have those smaller circles at the center, which are the Native culture bearers and knowledge keepers as well as official voices. That was intentional, because those smaller circles kind of communicate that these are less available to teachers. We recognize that.

Heather Francis 21:40

When I was a teacher, I taught middle school, and I ran a dance program, and I taught math. My social worker at my school told me about this great storyteller who was a friend of hers from the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray reservation out in Roosevelt, and we were in Salt Lake City, and she's like, “I would love to ask him to come out and do a presentation for your dancers.” And I was like, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!” I love to have cultural artists in my classroom, and my dance company students just eat it up. They love it. All my students would eat it up, but especially them as more serious students of dance. So he came out and he brought a stuffed coyote for some coyote stories, and he taught us about the four winds and harmony and Native colors and the significance of a hoop and a circle. Then he taught my students the Bear Dance, and they danced the Bear Dance in my classroom. And we got video, and we got photos. He took images with us, and it was a lovely workshop. Then it went even further. He was a culture bearer. I learned that he leads a sweat session on the reservation once a month, so he's a spiritual leader. He is a Ute filmmaker, so he makes films and he tells stories, obviously a storyteller and instructor, an educator. So I felt really confident having him in my classroom. But what's interesting is, when I started working this job, and we have this Native American Curriculum Initiative, there happened to be this debate and tension around the Bear Dance, particularly. And how official voices of the Ute tribe had told members of our team that the bear dance should not be danced by non-Natives, and it should not be danced in schools. Invite a Native to come and lead the round dance in your classroom, but not the Bear Dance. So I had to stop and be like, “Uh oh. Did I do something wrong in the past, when I let Larry come and teach?” I didn't vet what he was going to teach. I let him come and teach what he wanted to teach, because he was the expert! I don't feel guilty, I feel like I really honored the culture artists that I brought in, but I also hear those official voices, and definitely wouldn't replicate what I saw or teach it myself. Instead, we have a Bear Dance lesson plan. I would teach students about the Bear Dance and why it's important to them that it's not performed by non-Natives. 

Stephanie West 24:05

It's important to recognize that culture is not a static thing. Culture is living. It's changing, and it's changing with the people and with the influences that are around them. That's an important thing to recognize, and I think it's good that you are not feeling guilty about that decision. It's good for us to invite someone into our classroom, especially if it's a Native voice. They are the experts. Even though that's conflicting information, where you would think “Okay, well, they've said this and he did this. What’s right?” Honor what happened in that moment. I think it's good to have the information from the official voice, because that really guides what we do in the choices that we're going to make. Like you said, you would not then go and teach this now, right?

Heather Francis 24:58

Yeah, and this story really pulls out the complexity of the framework. We began with that idea of values. We have Western values, we have Native values. And immediately my reaction was like, but they're not in contention with each other. They just exist in this way. Sometimes we want things to be this or that, and in this scenario, there's complexity. If we're giving a call to action to teachers around this framework, it's not just like, “Recognize the values,” but do the internal work that's needed to hold the complexity that they are all there for us to use and pick and choose and notice and be aware of. It's not, “Oh man, I really need to shed my Western ways of being.” No!

Stephanie West 25:53

What we're looking for here is to bring more balance to our education, because we've had such strong western influences. And when I say, “Bring more balance,” we're not asking teachers to do this all on their own either. We're not trying to. It's “How can we bring in these different values?” and especially when we're teaching about Indigenous or Native ways of knowing or specific events, that we try to do so in a way that's more accurate and authentic. By understanding these different values, I think it helps us to then transform the experiences in ways that make it more enriching and deeper. It's not just “Oh, I'm learning about this,” but, “How are we becoming different as a result of this? Are we learning from Native Americans, or are we learning about them?

End Credits

Cally Flox 26:52

Artful teaching is made possible by the BYU Arts Partnership in the McKay School of Education. Thanks to James Huston for editing this podcast. 

Brenda Beyal 27:00

Music was generously provided by Connor Chee, a Navajo Dine, composer and performer.

Cally Flox 27:07

And special thanks to all of the teachers who are changing lives every day while serving in schools.

Heather Francis 27:12

If you like what you heard, please leave us a review. You can find all the show notes for this episode and more resources at advancingartsleadership.com

Brenda Beyal 27:20

Don't forget to check out our Tribe-approved lesson plans on the website as well.

Heather Francis

27:24

I'm Heather Francis,

Cally Flox 27:26

and I'm Cally Flox, 

Brenda Beyal 27:28

and I'm Brenda Beyal,

Cally Flox 27:29

wishing you an artful journey.

Utah Department of Culture and Community Engagement

Native American Teaching Artist Roster: Utah Division of Arts and Museums

List of Utah Title VI Coordinators

 

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website

www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 

https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Episode Notes:

Cally Flox: Welcome to the Artful Teaching podcast. I'm here with co-host Heather Francis. We have two guests with us this morning, Emily Soderborg, project manager of the Native American Curriculum Initiative, and Brenda Beyal, project coordinator of the Native American Curriculum Initiative. Brenda, we've been answering questions from our teachers, and we have a list of questions here that we've been trying to get to. Let’s jump right in. Our listeners want to know: “How do I meet, connect with, and make friends with Native Americans in my community?”

You May Already Have Native American Friends

Brenda Beyal: You have already met Native American people. You probably have friends that are Native American. The assumption that there are different communities that we have to walk into, to meet people and make friends, is probably something that we need to do away with. There are Native Americans all over the United States—we're still here. We are contributing members of the community. 

If you want to make friends or get to know a little bit more about culture, there are many opportunities that you can look for. One is to see if there are any community outreach programs, like in our community, there is the Utah Department of Culture and Community Engagement. Go to their website and you will find a lot of information on different events that may be happening. There are always series or lectures going on; there are museums that you can visit that are maybe hosting an art show done by Native Americans; and, you can also reach out to the Title VI program in your school community. I know that in our community, right now, it's winter. There are storytelling events that are going on up and down the Wasatch Front that you can find out about. It is quite easy to find events that you can go to. But I want to ask Emily, as a non-Native, how would you approach going into an event or, you know, just becoming a part of maybe a celebration?

Building Confidence to Participate in Native Events

Emily Soderborg: I think the biggest thing is just observing first, having a really open mind. I will just go and take my family places; oftentimes, I don't know anyone, but I'll just sit and observe and watch and see how other people are interacting. Be open to try new things. People that I follow on social media, I get information. This helps me to know a little bit about what's going on—just a little bit— which helps me to have conversations that feel more comfortable. Oftentimes, if you have absolutely no idea, no background, then you don't know how to start a conversation with someone. Having just a little bit of information, understanding that there are no wrong questions, believing that we can honestly, openly, and sincerely ask questions, then the people that we're interacting with, whatever differences they may have, whatever culture they may be from, they will recognize that and they will respond. 

I know I've asked questions in the wrong way in the past, and I've learned from that. The people that I was talking to said, “Oh, that's probably not the best way to ask that question. Here's a different way to ask it.” For example, asking the question, “Where do you come from?” isn't the best question. Instead, more appropriate questions are, 

• “Can you tell me about your background?” 
• “Can you tell me where your accent comes from?”
• “Can you tell me where your language is from?” 

I've learned from asking questions because I really want to know, and from just doing a little bit of research, so I know what types of questions are appropriate or what things I should ask. Finding the students in your classroom that are Native and connect with their parents. Asking parents questions has been really helpful for me too.

Asking Questions Appropriately Helps Build Community
 

Cally Flox: Emily, talking about the students in schools—during Arts Express 2022, we had many Native American artists who were there presenting, and each of them shared their stories as they presented. I was struck by how many of them grew up with their friends and their teachers thinking they were Hispanic rather than Native American. Because of that misunderstanding, they never even had a chance to share what their heritage is, and where their relatives came from, or what they connect with, or associate with. To hear that over and over again: “They thought I was Hispanic.” “They didn't understand what my braids meant.” 

How simple it is to ask questions! You offered great ideas, Emily, teaching us how to ask authentic and genuine questions and then how to listen. We want to get to know every student in our class. So, we should be asking these questions of everybody: 

• “What do you relate to?” 
• “How do your grandparents feel about this?” 
• “Where does your language come from?” 

I love how you ask those questions. When I went to a couple of different powwows, the Native people there are in full regalia and are with their people, and that culture is different—I was the outsider. That was a different way of getting to know them. It's one thing when we're in the majority, but then there's another thing when we're in the minority.

Emily Soderborg: I've had that opportunity often to be in the minority. You recognize how uncomfortable you might feel, and how, since Native Americans are in the minority most of the time, how they have to approach things differently. Being in the minority helps you recognize how they feel most of the time, and helps you know how you would want to be reached out to how you would want to be responded to. Having those experiences helps you be more able to be the one open and welcoming when you are in the majority.

Finding Commonality Within Our Native and Non-Native Communities
 

Brenda Beyal: As an indigenous person, if I see someone at an event, or if I invite someone to participate, I welcome questions. I always hope that they do not come into an environment thinking us and them, but rather us as humans that are having shared experiences, and that we have more commonalities than differences. Going into a situation and looking for commonalities helps in any situation, whether it's talking with somebody that is from a different race, or who comes from a different life experience, or comes from maybe a different point of view, religion, that we look for the commonalities

Cally Flox: When we find those commonalities, we see that we are more alike than we are different, that we can learn from one another, and see that together, we make a community. I think that that puts everyone at ease. Brenda, typically when we start a podcast, you start by introducing yourself in your native tongue, right? Because we've jumped right over that today, could we stop and acknowledge one of the beautiful ways we're different is your ownership of your culture through your language. 

Brenda Beyal: Yá’át’ééh Shí éí Brenda Beyal yinishyé, 'Áshįįhi nishłį́, Kinyaa'áanii bashishchiin, Tó'áhani dashicheii, Tó'aheedlíinii dashinalí, Ákót’éego asdzáán nishłį́. I just shared with you that my name is Brenda Beyal. I am born into the Salt Clan. I'm born for the Towering House people. I shared my maternal and paternal clans. At the very end, I said, “This is the kind of woman I am.” That's how I ended it.

Cally Flox: Beautiful. Thank you so much. Each time I hear you introduce yourself I reflect: 

• What is my maternal lineage? 
• What is my paternal lineage? 
• What kind of woman do I want to be?

I learned so much in these reflections. We find our common ground as I let you express your individual voice. Remember the day you taught me how to make frybread out in the in the driveway, getting ready for one of our gatherings? I realize we are both cooks for a family. We have both done family reunions and large gatherings before for our different clans. And we did that together that day based on your recipes and your heritage, but it's aligned perfectly with the times that I spent learning cinnamon rolls from one of my great mentors and cooking with my grandmother. Those things perfectly aligned! 

Observing Family Relationships at a Native Powwow

One of my most powerful memories when I was at the powwow here at BYU: I was brought to tears watching three different fathers. I sat quietly and just observed, because I love the dancing and the regalia and the interactions of the families. I love watching the families work. I watched three fathers standing in different places, helping their sons don their regalia for their dance: one was a toddler, one was maybe five or six, and one was eight or ten. I watched the caring of these fathers as they went through the ritual of putting on the regalia, getting ready to dance, and then watching these little boys follow their fathers out into the hallway and go down and line up to get ready to enter for their dance. I went, “Oh, my goodness, families are universal. Families are the same.” They had their rituals; my relatives have our rituals of baseball games or river rafting. But the emotional connection was just the same. I just saw the power of parenting in the time these fathers were spending with their children.

Brenda Beyal: Cally, that just warms my heart because it brings me back to the commonalities: seeing how we're alike rather than looking for differences. I'm not saying that we don't acknowledge the vibrant diversity of people in general, but underneath that all we all have love for family, love for ancestors, and love for one another.

Heather Francis: This topic made me think about recent Native American friends that I've made. I've been working with a woman in my neighborhood on a couple community projects. I knew that she traveled back to Arizona and that she had Native American heritage. But when I bring it up—and I'm trying to ask more questions to understand her background—it's not really what she wants to talk about. Asking her to tell me about her Native heritage feels almost “othering” rather than creating understanding on the ideas that are present and shared between both of us. So I focus on our relationship, our shared goals, and everyday ordinary experiences. I honor her Native American heritage by also acknowledging the many contemporary labels that she brings to the table everyday such as employee, mother, volunteer, community activist, etc. 

Brenda Beyal: I love that. I want to go back to where you have already met Native Americans, because we are a very vibrant part of the community already. I love that friendship trumps any kind of need to separate or even, you know, “Because you're Native, let me talk to you about Native things.” Instead, it's the friendship of people and human beings. Obviously, for all of us sitting here, we don't talk native 24/7 just because Brenda Beyal is in the room. We talk about all kinds of things.

Heather Francis: Could it be said that making friends with Native American people is like making friends with anybody? 

Brenda Beyal: Exactly.

Cally Flox: Along that same line, it's important that we become aware of others’ sensitivities when it comes to anyone we’re making friends with. Because I'm going to make friends more quickly with a Native American person when I do ask the right questions like—I can't think of it right now, Brenda, but you've said don't ask, “What tribe are you from?” What is the important wording?

Brenda Beyal: Sometimes people will say, “Oh, so are you Indian?” That's probably not the best way to begin a conversation. If you have introduced yourself and said hello, and you find this person intriguing and you think, “Hey, we might be friends.” Then, maybe another question down the line would be, “What tribal nation are you from?” Or, “What tribal nation do you hail from?” That kind of wording shows that you are being more specific rather than generalizing Native American people. 

Cally Flox: What’s the question Native people ask each other so they don’t date in the same clan?

Brenda Beyal: Oh, that's for differing tribes, for the Native people. For Navajo people, you want to make sure that you’re not dating someone that is born into the same clan you are, because clans are actually a form of building relationships and showing that we are all related. My parents would always encourage us to find out what clan the person that we were dating came from, because they never wanted us to date someone who was a member of our clan. So we would say, “What's your clan?”

Emily Soderborg: I want to state that oftentimes, I ask permission: “Would you be willing to share what your heritage is? What are your affiliations with tribal nations?” Because they might not want to talk about it. 

Heather Francis: I think that in some ways we broker friendships with schools and teachers and native communities. So if you are interested, we can help you connect with your Title VI coordinator or connect you with the Native Artist Teaching Roster. Bringing a Native artist to your classroom is a great way to make a new friend. 
 

Cally Flox: Some of the children in your classroom who are Native have never had the courage to speak up and say they’re Native. The day that Native artist shows up might be the day that they have the courage to really talk about their heritage.

Brenda Beyal: I do have to say that there are many parents who would happily come into your classroom and teach about their culture and their heritage.

Follow Us:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
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• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Episode Keywords:

NACI, Native American Curriculum Initiative, teachers asking appropriate questions about Native content, cultural appropriation, addressing Native stereotypes, indigenous pedagogy, Native American lesson plans, authentic voice, Artful Teaching podcast, Native American, classroom, indigenous pedagogy in the classroom, lesson plans, Native American, tribe, NACI authentic experience, teachers, culture keepers, share, curriculum, lessons, indigenous education, culture, Native American cultural arts, sovereign nation, song, Native American song, Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, Shoshone Fish Song, choosing appropriate books, Native American children’s books, decision-based model for Native content, tipi, eight sovereign nations, Utah Educational Network

Episode Resources:

Decision-Based Model for Selecting Appropriate Native American Content for the Classroom

Blog Post: Answering Teachers’ Questions about the “Utah Indians” Song

How to Choose Native American Children’s Books for the Classroom

Utah Educational Network Resource: Five Tribal Groups, Eight Sovereign Nations

I Love the Mountains–Damen Doiya lesson plan

Northwestern Shoshone Fish Song lesson plan

Shi Naasha lesson plan: Coming soon!
 

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website
www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans
www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 
https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Episode Notes:

Why “Utah Indians” from Utah’s Popular Fourth-Grade Program is a Song to Set Aside 

Cally Flox: Welcome to the Artful Teaching podcast. Today we address the next question teachers have asked our Native American Curriculum Initiative experts, Brenda Beyal and Emily Soderborg. In our state, we have a wonderful program that was created in the 1990’s called “This is the Place.” It was written and based on people's understanding and the cultural zeitgeist of the day. Over the years, a sense of awareness emerged that one of the songs on that program, called “Utah Indians” is not ideally suited for representing Native American culture or Native American people. Over and over and over again, we get questions from teachers about this song: “Wow, is this song okay?” “Can I sing this?” Teachers now know to ask the questions, and they are asking intelligent questions, noticing: 

• “This song supports stereotypes.” 
• “This song is saying things that aren't really true.” 
• “This song has that stereotypical beat.” 

Teachers are learning to ask the right questions. They’re asking, “Can I use this song?” “What do I do?” Brenda Beyal is the Program Coordinator for Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI), and Emily Soderborg is the NACI Project Manager. They're here to help us answer that question today.

Brenda Beyal: Thank you, Cally. We have had this question over and over again. When this song was first created, it was acceptable to people in general. Now, in 2023, we have viewpoints and perspectives that have changed. At this point, this song is probably verging on creating a narrative that is inaccurate for children. We want to do what's best for children. We want them to view their fellow friends and fellow community members in a way that is authentic and accurate. I don't know if this song does that.

Cally Flox: This is a song, based on our criteria, that we recommend be set aside.

Brenda Beyal: Yes.

Cally Flox: Too many inaccuracies exist in the song for a simple explanation for children in the classroom. For example, if we're choosing a children’s book, and there are one or two inaccuracies, we can show those to the children and still use the book with modifications. This song is one that needs too many modifications. It's time to set it aside.
 

“Utah Indians” Song Perpetuates Stereotypes of Native Americans

Brenda Beyal: Right. Perhaps you're a teacher that is on a team that possibly uses the song, or you need to talk to an administrator about the song. Here’s how you can explain why the song “Utah Indians” marginalizes communities. There are a couple of things that we find in the song that are uncomfortable. For example, the very first words of the song—which is supposed to be about Native people—are actually sharing the original perspective that the song comes from.

Cally Flox: Will you tell us what it says in the beginning of the song?

Brenda Beyal: It's, “When white man came…” This song actually tells you what perspective the song is coming from.

Cally Flox: That's an honest point of view. This is a song written from white man's point of view about when white man came to the land. 

Brenda Beyal: Yes. 

Cally Flox: We want to move forward to restoring some of those cultural bonds and the sharing of the land and a more respectful point of view. At least the song was honest about the perspective they were sharing.

Brenda Beyal: Yes, yes. And that perspective was definitely skewed.

Emily Soderborg: Another thing to consider is that the song never brings Native Americans into the present. The song completely categorizes Native Americans as a historical people. Our discussions with Native families and Native educators show that the song has made many Native children feel uncomfortable and unseen, as to who they are today. So if they're being asked to sing this song, these Native children are not able to represent who they are today. The message of this song is not helping them connect to who they are right now.

Cally Flox: A great example of that was Brenda's nephew. His teacher told students, “Draw a Native American house,” and he drew a teepee. And Brenda said, “Do you live in a teepee? And he said, “Well, no, but that's what the teacher wanted me to do.” If a Native child can't find themselves in a song about Native Americans, that's interesting.

Teaching Children About Eight Sovereign Nations in Utah Instead of Five Tribal Groups

Emily Soderborg: This song teaches the five tribal groups; it goes through each of their names. In our work with the eight sovereign nations, we know these groups want to be known as the eight sovereign nations. We are hoping to help perpetuate their identity as eight sovereign nations rather than just the five tribal groups within Utah. Teachers can help with this concept by using the great “Five Tribal Groups, Eight Sovereign Nations” resource that Brenda and Cally have created with UEN as a performance resource instead of this song. I think a lot of times, the reason why teachers want to continue using the “Utah Indians” song is because it's part of a performance. Teachers want something that they can have students do for parents. But if you want songs to sing, we have also been given permission to sing several Native American songs from the specific tribal nations. 

Brenda Beyal: I want to talk about how a teacher can approach a team or an administrator who is encouraging them to continue to sing the song. The song “Utah Indians” not only maintains the stereotype of relegating Native Americans to the past, but also the perpetuates Native American stereotypes through the very beat of the song. It has a strong–weak–weak–weak pattern that is often labeled as the “Hollywood beat.” It's the beat that many movies use to depict Native Americans. It’s definitely not a Native American beat. That sometimes feels jarring when you're a Native American and you hear that beat.

Emily Soderborg: That beat is used to create stereotypical Native American music written by people that are not Native American. With a vocalization, it might sound like, HI–yah–yah–yah, HI–yah–yah–yah, HI–yah–yah–yah. This is not anything you're going to find in any Native American music. And I grew up with music like that, and I know now that it is stereotypical. When we know better, we do better—we change.

Knowing Better, Doing Better: Listening to Marginalized Voices

Cally Flox: I think that's a really important point. Brenda generously said at the very beginning of the episode that people thought this song was okay, in the 90’s when this was written, this was how the culture saw things. But I do want to acknowledge that there were people who knew it wasn't okay. There were people who felt marginalized every time the song was sung. So what I'm really grateful for is that as a culture, we've come to a place to start listening to those marginalized voices and saying, “Oh, this makes you uncomfortable. Teach me why.” Now, we can know better and do better. We're not faulting anybody who wrote this beautiful program that's been used in schools for 30 years, one that many children have embraced and loved and grown up doing. We want to acknowledge how important this “This is the Place” program has been in the development of many children learning the history of our state. We're trying to say, “Yeah, this is a great program. Now, how can we make it better based on some of the understandings that we have right now? How can we be sensitive to this particular marginalized group, bring them into the present, and strengthen our communities today?”

Indigenous Experience is an Essential Part of Utah History

Brenda Beyal: I love that this teacher is asking this question because they want to be inclusive. Someone may say, “Well, let's just not do anything with Native Americans.” It’s impossible to talk about the history of Utah without talking about indigenous people within the state. If you're nervous, and you just say, “Well, let's just not do anything,” then you're creating a greater void in all children's narrative of how Utah became a state. Another point that one could bring up in seeing the need for the song to be replaced is that some of the lyrics use the terms “Great Spirit” and some lyrics say that Native Americans worshiped wind, fire, and water and different entities. As a Native American, I've never worshipped those elements. I may have a strong relationship or see reciprocity with those elements, but I've never worshiped them. Those lyrics can be confusing to not only Native children, but also to all children alike. Using the idea of a “Great Spirit,” we have in my Navajo culture, we have the Holy Ones. So, that can also be a sticking point.

Heather Francis: It's not just stereotypical, but it's homogenizing. These are not Navajo-specific lyrics, not specific to the Paiute tribe. Since it's not tribe-specific, it's homogenizing, or saying all Native Americans worship this way.

Emily Soderborg: I like to think about the way we use the term Native American: I like to connect it with the term European. Think about Europe, and all the different languages, all the different cultures that are found in Europe. So if you say, “Oh, someone is European,” you know that a French person is not the same as a German person, that they are going to have different backgrounds, different cultures, ways of living. So when we say Native American, that is very similar to saying, European. In the United States, there are 574 federally-recognized tribes with different languages, different cultures, different ways of doing things. So if we homogenize them all into one group saying, “Oh, they all do things the exact same way,” it's like saying, “People in Europe are all exactly the same, their languages are all the same, the way they do things are all the same.” Because Native Americans span more than just one continent—there are indigenous people all over—looking at it that way helps us understand the harm that can be caused by homogenizing.

Brenda Beyal: Although there are 574 federally-recognized sovereign nations, many more sovereign nations exist that only carry state recognition and not federal recognition. Additionally, there are many who aren't recognized at all, who continue to hold on to their culture and their tribal ways. 574 is just the starting point. There are so many more nations out there. 

Rewriting the “Utah Indians” Song

Cally Flox: Teachers, we are so grateful for these questions and your desire to improve the accuracy and authenticity of the work that you do in your classrooms. When we contacted the publisher of the “This is the Place” music and program, that publisher said, “You know, I don't have the resources right now to rewrite that song, but I'm certainly happy if somebody else wants to rewrite it.” He certainly acknowledged that he, too, wants to be supportive. We have had conversations with the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, as well as with the Utah State Board of Education and discussed who would be willing to rewrite this song. I can't wait to see which artist, or maybe a team of Native American artists, will step forward to write a new song for this wonderful program that people like to use. 

Lesson Plans with Authentic, Tribe-Approved Songs for the Classroom

Cally Flox: Teachers, we have some additional song suggestions to offer you. 

Emily Soderborg: The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation has given permission for students in Utah to sing two of their songs. (As we are gifted opportunities to sing these songs, we also are given responsibility to sing the songs with the necessary knowledge and respect.)

Neither song should be sung without creating context for the listener. As you're doing performances, it's important to provide context. In the two different lesson plans, we have included a paragraph that provides this context for your students. I'm going to read it for you:

There are many native tribes in the United States with distinct languages and cultures. Within Utah, there are five tribal groups, but more importantly, there are eight federally-recognized sovereign nations. These eight sovereign nations are the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, the Skull Valley Band of Goshute, the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah Ouray reservation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Paiute Indian tribe of Utah, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and the Navajo Nation. The song we are sharing today is specifically from the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone nation and does not represent other Native American groups. We hope Native tribes will respect the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation's choice to share this song from their culture. Not all Northwestern Shoshone songs are appropriate for elementary students to sing. Many of the songs are ceremonial or sung for specific reasons or at specific times. However, Patty Timbimboo Madsen, the Cultural and Natural Resource Manager for the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, has given permission for students to sing this song. She believes that singing this song will help students to better understand how Northwestern Shoshone people see their surrounding environment. This song is traditionally sung while passing time, perhaps when a Shoshone is outside and sees something that brings the song to mind, like the clouds floating or being near the mountains or streams. We express our gratitude that the Northwestern Shoshone have graciously shared this part of their culture with us, and we will do our best to respectfully sing it.

I think as we're singing the songs, it’s important to acknowledge which tribal nation it comes from, that the tribal nation has offered permission for it to be sung—because not all songs should or could be sung by non-Native children, and that we express appreciation for the opportunity to be able to sing it. 

• Pengwi bai Anoga, (Northwestern Shoshone Fish Song)
• Damen Doiya. 

Cally Flox: Now before you give us the third one, is there any chance you would sing for us the first line of each of those? 

Emily Soderborg: Yes. Even though I've been given permission to sing it, we do have recordings of Native speakers singing these songs (that you should definitely have students listen to.) 

Recording of Helen Timbimboo singing “Damen Doiya”

Recording of Paula Watkins singing "Pengwi Bai Anoga"

Pengwi bai anoga, pengwi bai anoga, penwi bai anoga eh-na

Pengwi = fish

Bai = upon or above

Anoga (said with two different syllabic emphases because it is sung two different ways in the song) = waves

Buhip = green or grass

Eh-na = song word

That's one of the songs, Pengwi Bai Anoga.

And then we have Damen Doiya.

Damen doiya bai bagina havegin

damme/damen = our 

toiya/doiya = mountain 

bai = above 

bagina = fog/clouds 

havegin = lying while moving 

na = song word 

haiyawainde = the end of the song/the rat's tail broke off

We also have a Navajo song that we have been given permission to sing, which is Shí Naashá. 

Shí naashá, shí nashaá, shí naashá biké hózhǫ́ lá, hey ya hey ney ya

Shí = I

naashá = walk

biké = path I follow

hózhǫ́ = beauty way

lá = (emphasizing what was said before)

hey ya hey ney ya = vocables showing the end of the section

Here are links to these lesson plans:

• I Love the Mountains/Damen Doiya
• Northwestern Shoshone Fish Song
• Shí Naashá (coming soon)

Emily Soderborg: Pronunciation takes practice, but these are all songs that students can sing. The lyrics are repetitive. Every time I've taught them to students, they love them. Students feel drawn to them, and they want to sing them.

Cally Flox: These would have been songs the people sang when the pioneers came, so they are authentic Utah history songs. 

Brenda Beyal: Absolutely. They definitely tap into Native people.

Heather Francis: Yes. We have lesson plans that help you create context for students, that give you instructional resources to learn the songs, and the lesson plans include other standards. The content is more than just letting students learn the song. What are some of the other things students learn as they're learning these songs?

Emily Soderborg: The lesson plan is called the Northwestern Shoshone Fish Song, because if we titled it Pengwi bai Anoga people would not understand [what type of song] they're looking through in the lesson plan. [We wanted it to be immediately recognizable that this was a Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation lesson plan.] The Northwestern Shoshone Fish Song lesson plan uses lots of language arts standards: students are writing stories and connecting to a different culture. The lesson plan has social studies standards as well. The I Love the Mountains–Damen Doiya lesson plan includes a compare and contrast exercise, comparing “Damen Doiya” with an English folk song. Students are learning the geography of Utah with the landforms, studying different parts of the Great Basin, Rocky Mountains, and the Colorado Plateau. The Shi Naasha lesson plan includes the historical aspect and also ties in health standards, examining how students are responding to their own ability to deal with stress and different things in their lives. In all of these lesson plans, students are writing, reading, and creating lots of connections within themselves and across other content areas.

Cally Flox: You guys have done such a great job on these lesson plans. They are just loaded with many, many layers.

Brenda Beyal: I do have to say that these lessons are tribe approved: they have been shared and planned or collaborated on with each of the tribal nations.

Heather Francis: Watch this UEN video for a hand mnemonic device that helps students remember the five tribal groups, but more importantly, the eight sovereign nations. We have a blog post with information about this fourth grade song specifically, so we'll link that blog post as well. Teacher, this blog post shares important talking points for when you talk to your team or administrator who maybe resistant to changing this song in the program.

You can find all the show notes for this episode and more resources at advancingartsleadership.com.

Follow Us:

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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

Indigenous pedagogy, teachers asking questions, Native American voices, amplify Native voices, history, importance of multiple perspectives, transcontinental railroad lesson plans, Native American historical timelines, answering questions, cultural appropriation, reflective listening, asking with genuine intent, honoring the no, listening, listening to amplify Native voices

Episode Resources:

Amplify Native Voices Online Professional Development Course
Artful Teaching Podcast Episode 19
Decision-Based Model for Selecting Appropriate Native American Content for the Classroom
Native American Children’s Books
Why a Hula Hoop is Different than a Native American Hoop
Native American Round Dance
Tips for Teaching Native American Art Projects Without Cultural Appropriation
Real and Ideal: A Closer Look at Westward Expansion (Transcontinental Railroad) lesson plan
Bear River Massacre Commemoration 
Women’s History Month: Mae Timbimboo Parry 
Bring a Native Artist to Your Classroom

Join our Native American Curriculum Initiative mailing list!
 

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website
www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans
www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 
https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Episode Notes:

Heather Francis: Today I am introducing our content that was previously recorded at the end of 2022, when we filmed Brenda Beyal and some of our NACI team at a recording studio to capture some of the knowledge, experiences, and stories that we have to share with teachers, educators, and interested community members. We are asking questions about the Native American Curriculum Initiative and the principles and practices that have led our work up to this point. In today’s episode, Brenda answers questions about the importance of teachers asking questions with a genuine intent to understand. Then, after asking questions, she describes the importance of being prepared to listen attentively. Asking questions with genuine intent and listening attentively is one of the seven guiding principles that guide our work in the Native American Curriculum Initiative. You can listen to Episode 19, or check out the landing page on our website for NACI to learn more about our guiding principles. 

This specific guiding principle is really important to us as we work with Native partners and make sure that we're creating educational resources that not only amplify their voices and bring increased representation to the classroom, but also gain approval by their official voices and tribal councils. Listening attentively is really important. That's why we asked Brenda to explain some of her thoughts on this principle. In this podcast, Brenda invites Stephanie West to discuss this topic. Stephanie West is an instructional designer studying instructional psychology and technology at Brigham Young University. She's on our NACI team, and she and I designed the online PD course. Another podcast episode focuses just on the PD course. Since she has been doing a lot of the grading in the online course, she knows a lot of the questions that teachers are asking, like “Why is it important to ask questions with genuine intent and to listen attentively?”

Why is it important to ask questions with genuine intent and to listen attentively?

Brenda Beyal: One of our guiding principles that has been so important for us as we've done our work with NACI is the idea of asking questions and listening attentively. When a teacher asks me a question, I don't ever think a question is too small or insignificant, especially when it comes to culture. Because when a teacher asks a question, it makes me feel like this teacher really wants to know more, and possibly wants some guidance. That's how I feel when a teacher asks me a question. I want to ask you, Stephanie, since you are the creator of the PD course, what kind of questions do you get from teachers who are taking the PD course?

Stephanie West: That's a great question. I think that a lot of teachers really want to know what's appropriate. I think that's the biggest question that we get: “What can I teach? What can I not teach?” Those are the biggest questions. Other questions that they might ask are: “How can I teach this? And do it in a respectful way?” I think those are probably the most frequent questions we get.

Brenda Beyal: Sometimes we've gotten questions about very specific parts of the curriculum, whether it's a dance or a song, or or even a book. Teachers want to know: “Is there cultural appropriation with this project I'm going to do or with this story?” Is that what you have found also?

Stephanie West: Absolutely. I think those questions that you're talking about are more specific questions, but they still fall under that same umbrella of the more general question: “What is appropriate? What is respectful? Am I appropriating?

Brenda Beyal: Yes. As we were creating the timelines, we wanted to make sure that we were truly amplifying the Native voice. Can you tell me how the guiding principle of listening attentively and asking questions has helped us produce a wonderful timeline for each of the Native tribes?

Stephanie West: I think that listening (first asking), but then the listening part is really, really key to that. I think that Native individuals have not felt heard for so many years, or if they have been heard, they have been misheard. Listening—it's not just asking the questions, but it's also the listening—and creating the timelines has been an incredible experience. I feel like I have learned so much. When I met with some of the Native groups, it was slightly uncomfortable at first. Their discomfort likely came from a place of distrust of us, at the beginning. It took time for us to establish any kind of relationship. Our listening was key to that relationship because at first they didn't trust us to actually listen. Going back to another principle, some Native groups didn't trust us to honor their ‘no’ if  the answer was a ‘no’ for some of the things that we asked about. What's been really interesting for me is that we have a large amount of silence in our conversations:  we'll ask a question, and then we don't get a response for a while. We don't get a ‘yes,’ or a ‘no,’ or any specific answer. Then, through a very indigenous way of teaching, they'll tell us a story. Instead of answering directly, they tell us a story. Through that story, we come to understand the answer to the question that we asked.

Brenda Beyal: Using reflective listening and making sure that we're telling the story, or what they're telling us, in an authentic manner—not inserting ourselves into the story, and not allowing our way of viewing life to skew what they're saying.

Stephanie West: There are lots of reflective questions that go into that. Once they share a story, or share a perspective, then we reflectively question to make sure that we've clearly situated the information that we're creating in the timelines. It's a very reflective process. We continue to go over and over one particular piece, one event in the timeline, until we know that it is exactly worded the way that this native group would like it worded.

Brenda Beyal: It's interesting that we started our NACI project with the question, “What would you like the children of Utah to know about your cultural ways, your history, your tribe?” We use reflective listening to help develop all of these resources that we are developing now. Questions are always invited and welcomed. Questions are the foundations of our projects.

Stephanie West: I think one piece of advice that I would give is that no question is offensive if it's truly, sincerely asked with the intent of amplifying a Native voice and really coming to a sense of understanding. Sometimes as teachers or individuals, we're afraid to ask a question. But if we are truly sincere, I think that the individual that we're talking with understands that.

Brenda Beyal: There are some specific questions that were asked such as, “Can I do this dance without having a Native American in the classroom? Or it might be, “I've always done this art project, and now that I've taken the course I'm wondering if this is an appropriate art project. I feel like it might be verging on cultural appropriation.” There might be another question, something simple, like, “Why do you call traditional dress regalia? Why don't you call it a costume?” There have been questions such as, “Do you call yourself a Native American or American Indian? Or, “What is the best term to use?” All of those questions vary, and we welcome them. If you have questions that you would like to have answered, please email us. Hopefully, we can give you some answers. If not, we will definitely send you to people or organizations that can help you. [See Episode Resources for a list of blog posts that provide helpful answers to some of these questions.]

Heather Francis: In this next clip, Brenda shares the importance of looking at history from multiple perspectives. She talks about how she believes that history is often told from one perspective and that there's danger in “the single story.” She describes why multiple perspectives are important to her and how working on some of our general Native American lesson plans, like the one on the transcontinental railroad are really important because they offer multiple perspectives on events in history and other events that impacted the lives of those living here in the state of Utah or the territory of Utah. Whether you're teaching Utah social studies or not, understanding history from multiple perspectives, and including Native perspectives on history, is really important.

Brenda Beyal: Often I feel like history is taught from one perspective, and there is a danger in just that one perspective or in that single story, because you lose the complexity of that historical time. When we take a look at other ways of seeing things, the world opens up for us and for students. There are times that parts of history are taught to children where we gloss over struggles and hardships in history. When we do that, we dismiss someone else's story. We all have a story, we all have a culture, we all have a way of looking at that history. It's important to acknowledge and recognize that through the making of America, there have been many struggles. So often in our state, we're willing to talk about how the pioneers crossed, and came to the valley of Salt Lake. We're willing to share the hardships that they went through: how people were left behind, how people died, and how the weather and the elements really were hard on the people that crossed the plains. 

But yet, we are hesitant to teach about the Bear River Massacre, or the Swamp Cedars Massacres. I feel like multiple perspectives on the different things that have happened are important. The transcontinental railroad is a perfect example. We see it as progress, you know, connecting the east with the west. But there's a part of that history where there was a decline in bison herds. Those bison herds were essential to Native American livelihood. When the government decided that the bison needed to be decimated, they were taking away someone else's livelihood and way of living. Sometimes, we don't hear about that. I feel like if we're going to not repeat history, we need to teach the history that we shouldn't repeat. Multiple perspectives open our eyes, help us to empathize, and help us realize that we are all human; we all have struggles, and we are all a part of creating a future that is good for everyone.

Future Episodes for Series 4: Utah Indian Song and Making Friends with Native Americans

Heather Francis: This concludes the first three episodes of this Native American series where we've had Brenda answering our questions. The next two episodes in this series are Brenda answering questions that teachers submitted in the fall of 2022. We got together as an NACI team to dialogue and have a conversation about some of these questions that teachers had. One of the questions she'll be answering is about the "Utah Indians" song that is part of a fourth-grade musical program that many schools have used for decades. In the 90’s, I remember being a child who participated in this program. We talk about that song and discussed possible alternatives to that song. We also explore a question about how to build relationships and become friends with Native Americans in your community, whether they're students in your classroom, parents, community members, or Native artists that you want to bring to your classroom. 

Follow Us:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Episode Keywords:
Native American pedagogy and the arts, indigenous pedagogy, Native American lesson plans, authentic voice, Artful Teaching podcast, Native American, intuition, classroom, artist, indigenous pedagogy in the classroom, lesson plans, Native American, tribe, NACI authentic experience, teachers, culture keepers, share, curriculum, lessons

Episode Resources:

BYU ARTS Partnership YouTube channel

Amplify Native Voices PD Course

I Love the Mountains–Damen Doiya lesson plan

The Great American Bison lesson plan

General Native American lesson plans

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website
www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans
www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 
https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Episode Notes:

Building Partnerships With Native Groups & Distinguishing Among Authentic Native Voices

 

Heather Francis: Welcome back to the Artful Teaching podcast. This episode includes recording with Brenda Beyal from the end of 2022. These recordings document and archive some of her wonderful thoughts about Native American curriculum and indigenous pedagogy and their relationship to arts education. In our last episode, Brenda talked about what indigenous pedagogy is and how it's connected to the arts and arts education. 

We asked her about the Native American Curriculum Initiative, who it benefits, and why teachers, administrators, parents, PTA members, and community leaders are interested in this work. We design arts-integrated lessons about Native American lived experiences and cultural practices and we do it with tribe approval. Brenda discusses why tribe approval is so important to all of the educational products that we develop. 

We do a lot of partner-building with tribal members and cultural representatives. We build partnerships with Native artists and personal contacts who have Native heritage. We have learned that a broad spectrum of different voices represent the Native American experience. In this episode, Brenda distinguishes between authentic Native Voices—culture bearers or knowledge keepers, who are the keepers of native knowledge—and official voices. Official voices are those that can officially speak for a tribal nation or Native group. 

 

Who is the Native American Curriculum Initiative for?

“Who is NACI (or the Native American Curriculum Initiative) for?” Brenda invites Emily Soderborg, who is the NACI Project Coordinator, to answer this question. Emily is non-Native, and she speaks about her non-Native experience creating materials for the Native American Curriculum Initiative, and how the initiative has benefited her. Brenda adds her experience and how the vision of this initiative to amplify Native voices has benefited and impacted her in her own life. 

Brenda Beyal: The Native American Curriculum Initiative, otherwise known as NACI, is for non-Native and Native people alike. Emily, how do you feel like NACI has helped you as a teacher and an educator?

Emily Soderborg: Working with NACI has opened my eyes to so many new ways of seeing things and doing things. I feel more self-confident. I feel like I've been able to immerse myself more in understanding and sharing things in appropriate and accurate ways. I'm not Native, and I grew up with a lot of stereotypes in the learning that I was given. I think it's changed how I approach things and how I teach others around me. It's made me more empathetic and more willing to try new things.

How NACI Amplifies Native Voices in Schools 

Brenda Beyal: I think NACI is for Native teachers and Native people, because we strive to amplify our Native voice. Having that feeling of being recognized and acknowledged is a way of reconciling some of the hard struggles in the past that have been invisible to so many people. We as a group–especially Native Americans–have been invisible because of other people's stereotypes, or overgeneralization of culture. I feel like NACI just helps to bring greater authenticity to Native people in general. I think what we're doing with lesson plans, curriculum building, and resources is that we are helping students to see themselves within the curriculum. They can see themselves in the books that teachers read; non-Native children can have a window into other perspectives and ways of living and knowing and doing other than what they were raised with.

Emily Soderborg: What I have loved is that as we have worked with the eight sovereign nations, the biggest thing they say is, “We are still here. We want to be seen.” NACI is amplifying those voices. Students, teachers, and Native artists’ voices all matter: everyone has a voice, everyone has a right to be heard. As we work together, we can create awareness of others without lessening our own culture. NACI is for us all, so that we can all recognize how we can learn from others and how we can share with others.

A Safe Place for Asking Questions about Native Culture

Heather Francis: I would like to add my own voice to theirs and talk about the impact NACI has had on me. I am also non-Native. I'm very interested in other cultures, and I want to understand people with different experiences better. NACI has been really enlightening for me, because I didn't know very much about the Native American experience before this initiative. I've spoken in past episodes about some misconceptions about Native American experience and Native American people that I had in the past, when I was an educator. I think I shared the story of a student that I had in my dance class: I taught middle school and she was quiet in class, she didn't really like to move, and she seemed a little resistant. At an assembly, she performed a jingle dance with the Native American students at our school. I had no idea about her cultural experience that had this rich embodied movement practice. I felt sad that I hadn't known that information yet. I'm loving being a part of this initiative and learning from Brenda, Emily, our designers and our native partners. 

But I also want to add that this initiative has provided an emotionally safe place, because some cultural questions are very sensitive, and I am not sure if I'm asking the cultural questions correctly. I don't know if I'm even allowed to ask. Brenda, Cally, and the whole NACI team has developed an environment where no question is a bad question and where curiosity is applauded: every time I have a question, it's like, “Thank you for asking, I would love to clear that up. I'd love to tell you more.” That just feels really good. This initiative has provided a really safe place to ask hard questions, questions that are hard for me. If you're a teacher who's interested in learning more about the Native Americans, in your classroom and in your community, come join us for a workshop, come look at our lesson plans, email us, talk to Brenda—this is a really great place to ask your questions. Another great place to ask your questions is our online course, Amplify Native Voices, a one-credit PD course on Canvas—feel free to sign up. The next question is, “Why is tribal approval on our educational materials so important?”

Why is Tribal Approval on Our Educational Materials Important?

Brenda Beyal: From the very beginning, when we started writing lesson plans, we knew that we wanted to go right to the source. We asked the question, “What would you like the children of Utah to know?” We went to the tribes, and we asked them these questions, all of the tribes gave us something different. When we wrote the lesson plans, it was important to us that we captured authentic voices. So, we went back to the tribes. We worked with them. We read the lessons. Every word was approved by the Native tribes and the reason why, when a teacher is teaching Damen Doiya (which is from the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation), and they are teaching the song that has been approved to sing by the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, they can feel confident. If someone comes in and says, “I don't think this is appropriate for you to be singing this song,” the teacher can say, “I am using this lesson from this lesson plan, and right here, it shares the tribal seal. It shows that this lesson was developed in partnership with and in collaboration with the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. They reserve the right to be able to share this song with the children of Utah.” That says a lot: that shows that you are being sensitive, you are trying to be authentic and as accurate as possible, and you have given your due diligence to teaching indigenous content in such a way that you are creating an environment where you are being inclusive in an authentic manner.

Heather Francis: Like Brenda described, we spend a lot of time building relationships with our Native partners to make sure that they read every word of our educational products, that they approve, and that they confirm that it is the story they want shared about their tribe or their nation. As an educator, I love knowing that the tribes have approved this content—that approval does give me confidence. If you experience using one of these lesson plans and feel that confidence, we would love to hear about it! Please share your experience with us through email or social media. 

Distinguishing Among Native Voices
 

Brenda Beyal: In our work, we have included authentic voices, culture bearers and knowledge keepers, and official voices. There are distinct differences between these three:

• An authentic voice is someone who has that lived experience. I'm going to share the example of my husband: my husband has the lived experience of going to a Native American boarding school at the age of five. His voice is authentic in that experience. I cannot speak to that; I do not have an authentic voice about boarding schools, other than that I live with a man who has experienced some historical trauma. Lived experiences are authentic voices.
• Knowledge keepers and culture bearers are those within a tribe who are usually an elder (not always), but are people who have the responsibility of being knowledge keepers and teaching cultural ways to people. We have met with culture bearers and knowledge keepers.
• Official voices are people within the tribal community who can speak for the whole tribe. Usually it's a tribal council, a cultural specialist, or an education director. They are the ones who make a decision where they speak for everyone.

In our lesson plans, we have all three voices. We have authentic voices, which are those who can speak to lived experiences. We have knowledge keepers and cultural bearers. And, we have official voices. The tribal seal that is on our lesson plans is evidence of official voices. We do have general lesson plans where the official voice possibly could overlap with the authentic voice. Take, for instance, our Great American Bison. We have gone to authentic voices, knowledge keepers, and accurate, authentic sources. Because there are 574 recognized tribes in our country, and so many experienced the transcontinental railroad and its effect on the bison, it would be really hard to get an official voice. We do have lesson plans where we don't have an official voice. We call those our general lesson plans and you can find them all on our website.

Heather Francis: Stay tuned for next time when we look at Brenda's answers to the questions about why it's important to ask questions with genuine intent and to listen attentively. This is one of our guiding principles of the Native American Curriculum Initiative. She'll also talk about the importance of looking at multiple perspectives when studying history. We hope you have an artful day.

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website
www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans
www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 
https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Follow Us:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest

Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at 

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

When Brenda presents for teachers, a whole flock of teachers gather around her at the end of her sessions. And, our sessions don't always end on time, because there's so much that Brenda has to share with teachers—teachers just keep raising their hands. They have so many questions. Even when the session is over, they don't leave without getting a chance to talk to Brenda face to face, one-on-one about their particular questions. She's really grown to be a thought leader in our community, and a great representative of many native and indigenous voices that are to be shared. She's an authentic voice. She is a Navajo/Diné woman. She is an educator of over 35 years, she has worked in educational and native communities for a really long time. You've heard her on the podcast before: she just has such a gentle, humble and genius way about her. 

We took Brenda to the studio and recorded her answering some questions that we thought would be really important to have documented and answered. These videos are now published on our YouTube channel.  Today, we're sharing two of the questions Brenda answered in the recording studio. 

1. What is indigenous pedagogy? 

2. How do the arts support indigenous pedagogy? 

Brenda and many of our NACI team members who design our tribe-approved lesson plans speak about the relationship between arts, arts, education, native culture, and native or indigenous pedagogy. Brenda gives a fabulous answer to that question in this episode. Let’s start with the first question that Brenda will answer: what is indigenous pedagogy?

What is indigenous pedagogy?

Brenda Beyal: Indigenous pedagogy is a framework that uses cultural teachings of indigenous peoples. There are structures within that framework that can be used by teachers to help them to become more culturally responsive in their classrooms. 

Storytelling:

One of the very first frameworks I can think of is storytelling, using story to help children learn a concept, or putting across an idea or even using story for correcting behavior. There are many ways that indigenous people use stories, but it is threaded throughout all of their cultural ways. 

Place-based learning: 

Another I would say structure and indigenous pedagogy is place-based on the idea that you use the historical, the environmental, the cultural place from where students come from. To help teach content, another indigenous structure would be learning by doing, using all of your senses, to help you to learn things that you should be learning. Within that structure, you could have side-by-side coaching, you would have time when you are able to reflect and listen in such a way that it helps you to just learn and do. That's an indigenous structure. 

Learning from mistakes: 

Another structure that I feel strongly about is that mistakes are to learn from and not to be graded on. 

Cooperative learning: 

Within all of these structures learning through collaboration is important. Indigenous pedagogy contains the idea that people have responsibilities within a group. As children learn, through play-space learning, through learning by mistake, side-coaching, all of those share the idea of collaborating and cooperating together.

Heather Francis: I want to recap and honor what Brenda recognized as part of indigenous pedagogy. She talks about how storytelling is a part of indigenous pedagogy and place-based learning where the historical, environmental, and cultural background of the students is used to help teach content in the classroom. She also talked about how indigenous pedagogy includes experiential learning, learning by doing, using all of your senses to help you learn. This includes side-by-side coaching, and I love how she focused on reflection and listening. 

Brenda is so good at modeling reflection and listening while sitting in Zoom meetings—I can just see her lying back in her chair and nodding her head and thoughtfully taking in what people are saying during conversation. She's so good at listening. 

I also love that mistakes are to be learned from and not to be graded on. And that indigenous pedagogy includes cooperative learning. Learning through collaboration with others and taking responsibility for the part you play in a group is important. These are all great examples of how a teacher, like she said, could be really culturally responsive in their classroom by including these indigenous pedagogical strategies. 

The next question that I asked Brenda is about the connection between the arts, arts education, and indigenous pedagogy. She actually uses all of these elements of indigenous pedagogy and uses storytelling to teach us about how the arts and these pedagogies are connected. I hope you enjoy this answer as well.

How do the arts support indigenous pedagogy?

A previously recorded interview with Brenda Beyal, Heather Francis, and Cally Flox.

 

Brenda Beyal:The arts and indigenous pedagogy pair well, they tell hard stories. They reach children—the arts reach children—because the structures in the arts are so inviting. That's why our NACI program is a part of the BYU Arts Partnership. We went on a tour yesterday to an art department. As we were traveling through the different spaces within it, I noticed indigenous pedagogy just genuinely and authentically being used. We went into an art gallery, and it was a faculty art show. Each of the faculty members was telling a story through their art and through their medium. It started with maybe their own cultural story, their own historical way, or it was place-based in that environment. 

We went to another space. There were students who were doing printmaking; there was one student who had the same prints. There were just so many prints on her table. We asked her, what are you doing? And she said, I'm trying to get my print to look like this. Somewhere, she had a model, and someone had shown her, but now she was learning through her mistakes. She didn't stop. She just continued to learn. She was becoming resilient in her art. She was also learning by doing. Another place that we went, they were oil painting, and there was a still-life there. As the girl painted, she kept looking at the still life, looking at her colors. There was a teacher right there in the middle of the room who was right there, willing to side-coach, willing to model, and she was in a safe space where she could experiment and learn. I feel like the arts naturally have indigenous pedagogy embedded in them. 

Now, if you don't believe me, let's invite an artist in and see if my indigenous structures match up to what they were taught in their art form. So, Heather, can you come in? Can you tell me about your world of dance? And how you see indigenous pedagogy: side-by-side coaching, cooperative learning, learning by mistakes, that we learned from our mistakes?

Heather Francis: First, I want to point out, I think there's one more indigenous pedagogy that just happened, which is the inclusion of family.

Brenda Beyal: Intergenerational learning! Yes, definitely. Thank you for reminding me.

How Dance Incorporates Cooperative and Embodied Learning as Indigenous Pedagogies

Heather Francis: We're not blood, but you, you are like my auntie. And now you are doing this with me? Yes, mentoring me, but also including me—thank you. In dance, there's lots of storytelling, we use movement to express what either happened, is happening, or what we hope will happen; or, how we're feeling, how we felt, or how we hope to feel. We use movement, which is very sensory. You talked about how indigenous pedagogy is embodied: it's learning by doing, it's using all your senses. So I include intuition, that sixth sense. When an artist is creating, they'll often get to a part in their process where they have a problem that they've identified: “Oh, I want it to be this way,” or, “ Oh, that didn't work out how I wanted.” You have to use your intuition to make the next right step. Sometimes it might be a tool you do know that a mentor taught you. Or, you might have to create it yourself. But you have the intuition to make that choice. The ability to make choices like that is something you learned as an artist. And what was another one? Oh, cooperative learning. There is lots of cooperation in dance, especially when you're dancing with a company. Or if you're co-choreographing, making the decisions with other people during productions, you have your lighting designers, stage set, costumes, programs, marketing—the whole production team has to cooperate together.

Brenda Beyal: So do you see how I feel like indigenous pedagogy pairs so well with the art forms? Absolutely. Can you tell me about this in your art form? Can you tell hard stories through dance?

Heather Francis:Oh, yes! We do tell hard stories through dance. I've seen women who've lost babies express their pain and grief. I've seen Native groups express the pain of land acquisition from outsiders. I've seen people express the pain of not being understood, feeling like an outsider. There are hard stories that the arts do tell. Some are narrative and tell hard stories that happened historically. And I've seen that in Australia, some Maori people did a dance that seemed….at least from my perspective; it's all about interpretation too, right? So they might have been having a great time, and I thought they weren't.

Brenda Beyal:But that's okay. Because you have different perspectives. Thank you for joining me. Our lesson plans are built on an indigenous pedagogy paired with the arts. There are many activities and art experiences that you can use to help your class become more culturally responsive. You can see them built into our lesson plans found on our website.

Heather Francis: There you have the first two questions and answers that Brenda recorded at the video studios last semester. I hope you learned something about indigenous pedagogy, that you got an opportunity to reflect on how you use indigenous pedagogy in your classroom. Thank you so much for joining us. Our next two episodes will be filled with more Questions and Answers from Brenda So, I look forward to sharing that information with you and hope you have an artful day.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Emily Soderborg shares her experiences attending the Bear Dance with her family on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. Emily shares what she learned about the White Mesa Community and their Bear Dance stories and traditions.

Episode Keywords:

Native American, classroom, arts, artists, teachers, culture, authentic voices, students, indigenous pedagogy, Native American art, Native American Curriculum Initiative, elementary arts education, fry bread, arts integration, Bear Dance, community, White Mesa Community, Native American pedagogy.

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website

www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 

https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Follow Us:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest

Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade-level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Episode Notes 

Cally Flox 

Welcome to the Artful Teaching podcast. We are back again in our Native American curriculum initiative series. Today we are talking to Emily Soderborg, who is one of the researchers and writers on our team as the project manager in the Native American curriculum initiative. As part of her research, Emily recently attended a Bear Dance, and she's here to share her story.

Emily Soderborg

The Bear Dance is done at different times of year with the different Ute nations. So just so people are aware, there are three federally recognized Ute nations. One of them is the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, sometimes also known as the Northern Ute. Then you have the Southern Ute, and then you have the Ute Mountain Ute. The Bear Dance travels from different communities. It starts in Randlett, in the Uintah area, and then it goes to Whiterocks, and then Fort Duschene. Then it goes down to Ignacio, in the Southern Ute area. Then it goes to Towaoc (toy-yak). In Towaoc, by that time, because they do the dances on different weekends, it's around June.

The dance is performed in sequential order. Each Bear Dance has its own Bear Dance chiefs. So not just one, but they have multiple chiefs that are in charge of knowing the songs of organizing the events. Out of those, each of them has specific people that sing different songs, but they also call it the Bear Dance circuit. Because the Ute people, no matter which nation they're from, some travel with and go to every single Bear Dance. They feel like the bear is actually traveling with the Bear Dance. As the dance is performed in Randlett, with the first thunder, the bear starts to wake up, the bear is growing, it's waking up—coming up out of hibernation. And it stems from this story. This is the story I heard. I talked to Jack Cantsee Jr., who is one of the White Mesa community’s Bear Dance Chiefs. He said, ‘There were two boys lost in the forest. A mother bear found them and she raised them. As they reached adulthood, she sent them back out. She taught them this dance. Then, they went and taught the dance to the communities that they were in.’ This is part of a ceremonial dance, but it's also a social dance. When the White Mesa Community was trying to figure out how they were going to fit their Bear Dance in with all of the other Bear Dances, they turned to their elders. This was Jack Cantsee Junior's grandpa and his great grandparents. They said, ‘We haven't had a chance to do our Bear Dance.’ As a community, they decided that their Bear Dance would be done in the fall, and instead of bringing the bear out of hibernation, their Bear Dance was to send positive energy with the bear to put it back to sleep as the last Bear Dance of the season. There are no Bear Dances from June until Labor Day. On Labor Day, I went down to witness the White Mesa community Bear Dance. They were sending the bear to go back to hibernate.

Heather Francis

Bear Dances only happen from September to June?

Emily Soderborg

No. They happen from the first thunder in the spring, which is usually March. So you have Randlett, Whiterocks, Duchesne, Ignacio and Towaoc. All five of those happen in the spring, in March, April, May, and June on different weekends. The White Mesa communities’ dance is on Labor Day weekend.

Heather Francis

There's a big break there in July and August. 

Brenda Beyal

My understanding is that there are times that the Bear Dance Chief decides whether the Bear Dance is going to be held or not.

Emily Soderborg

Yes. Jack Cantsee Jr. said that the Bear Dance chiefs, he, and three others decided to cancel the dance the first year of COVID, which they hadn't done in a really long time. Last year, they decided that it would only be Ute members of the White Mesa Community that were allowed to participate. It was very small. Prior to that, and then this year, for the first time in two years, the Bear Dance was open to the public: anyone was able to come and watch and participate. As I went down there, I didn't know exactly where I was going. I had talked to the education director, and I told her I was coming. She's the only one from the White Mesa Community that I've actually met in person. So I was going—not knowing where we were going. They just had big signs that said, ‘Bear Dance this way.’ So I just followed them. I was going partly because I was doing research. But I was also just going with my family over Labor Day weekend with my husband and my two little girls. We were giving our girls this opportunity to experience something new and different. Just because in my work with NACI, it's kind of changed the way I view things, I want to give my children more opportunities to see things through different perspectives. That's part of the reason we went. I had no idea where I was going, what I was doing, I just followed signs, because I knew that it was happening on Labor Day weekend. Thankfully, they didn't start on time, which happens as people are setting things up. I had 45 minutes to talk to Jack Cantsee Jr. I am not in any way, shape, or form an expert, I am just sharing my one experience talking with Jack Cantsee Jr. and then watching what was going on. He explains the dance. The Bear Dance is done in a corral that they've built. It's a round circle, with an opening facing the east. They framed the corral with wire, and leaned juniper trees up along the wire, all the way around this huge circle. Jack was telling me that as you enter from the east, and you go to the left, that that's like the circle of life. It is birth. As you get around to the back, directly across from the entrance, is the stand where the singers are singing with their notched sticks. They didn't use any drums, they were just using the notched sticks. That part of the circle represents adulthood. As the dance keeps traveling around, it goes to the elders. It's just this cycle of life happening. Being there and seeing the corral that they were in made me recognize this dance is a really, really simple dance. It's easy to do. But—the setting, and the symbolism can't be replicated without the Bear Dance chief. It can't be replicated without the tribal members building that corral and having those specific things in place. I recognize that, even though this dance might want to be replicated by teachers, because it is a very, very simple dance, it's just walking forward and backward—without the setting that it's in, it would totally change the feeling of the Bear Dance.

Heather Francis 

You had a family member who got to experience the Bear Dance?

Emily Soderborg

Yes. As I was talking with Jack Cantsee Jr., I was asking him, “So who is allowed to dance in this?” He said, “Well, anyone can dance.” But I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt because it was 103 degrees. It was really, really hot. He told me, “Well, you would need to be wearing a skirt. And you would need to have a shawl to be able to dance.” As a female, I wasn't participating. But, it is a female-driven dance. The females are the ones that ask the males to dance. Jack Cantsee Jr. said, “If your husband's here, he needs to be ready and willing to dance because if he gets asked, he can't say no.” It's just part of the dance that males have to dance. I asked Jack, “Do males need to wear something specific, like the females need to wear skirts and shawls?” He said, “The only stipulation is that he shouldn't be wearing shorts.” Well, my husband was wearing shorts. But since we'd stayed overnight, he actually had pants. I said, “Hey, would you be okay changing into pants in case anyone asks you to dance?” He changed and he was wearing pants. I had my five-year-old and my three-year-old, and we were just watching. We took our camp chairs with us. We had a big umbrella. We were just sitting. You just sit right on the edge of the corral. Most of the time, three or four women dancers would go ask men that were sitting in a certain area really near the singers to dance. But they did a special memorial dance for someone who had passed away. And Jack, who was one of the Bearer Dance chiefs, invited all of the women who were ready to dance to ask someone to dance. Then, 40 or 50 women were dancing instead of four or five. Almost every single male there was asked to dance. My husband got asked to dance. He went out, and they lined up men across from women. Then, there is someone who taps them on the shoulder. That tap tells him that he can break away from the lines, so he can start moving forward or backward. Thankfully, they actually did a song first with him just standing in line. My husband was able to watch. Since he was in the middle of the line he was actually able to watch as they were going back and forth. But he was happy to participate. He wasn't seeking out the opportunity to dance. But he was happy that he was able to be there and do it in the correct way. He knew that it was respectful to not say no, that he just joined in the dance when he was asked to dance. Jack was also telling me that even if I could dance, I wouldn't have been able to dance with my husband. The Bear Dance [is described as] a family dance. It's a way that they get to know other people. It's a social dance. The women are meeting with their aunties, their cousins. And they say, “Okay, I'm gonna go ask this man to dance.” And the women say, “Nope, you can't. That's your cousin, or that’s your uncle.” You can't dance with a male-person in your family, [but the dance is family oriented and] is a way of getting to know other people in the community.

Brenda Beyal

Emily, one of the questions that we ask teachers to ask themselves when they are looking at maybe a book or a resource that they want to share with their students is, “How will this enrich my students' understanding?” I want to ask you that question: how did this enrich your family's understanding? 

Emily Soderborg 

It was just incredible to be immersed in it, not just to watch it. Even though I wasn't dancing, I was still immersed in it. I got to watch how the families were interacting. I got to show my children how families were interacting. Witnessing the dance from a different point of view, I think, enriches our understanding that it's not all done the way that we think that it should be done. I was sitting next to a Navajo woman who was from the Blanding area, and she said, “Oh, I'm not going to dance. But I come every year, because I want to support them.” Recognizing that it wasn't all Utes there, that there were so many different people who were coming together. And she said, “I've missed it!” One of the reasons she wanted to come was for the feast—because the Bear Dance goes Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, they have it for four days. But on Monday, they have a feast that the White Mesa community shares with anyone who comes in. So she said, “I have missed their frybread and their beans! No one makes them quite like that.” Which was so fun. We didn't get to eat together because they still had COVID protocols. We had a drive-thru feast. We drove through, and they were giving us boxes of food, but they had meat and beans, fruit and corn, and frybread for anyone. It was free for anyone who was there. Applying this to things that I took away from this experience—Jack Cantsee Jr. was telling me how this feast was unique and special, just for the White Mesa community. All the bear dances are different. We can't assume that because a Bear Dance is done in Randlett that it's going to be the same in White Mesa. They did a special dance right before the feast. It was called the Frybread Dance. Jack said it was the mother bear trying to entice her two sons that she had raised—the human sons—back to her and so the dancers go around the entire corral with a piece of fry bread in their mouth, dancing with fry bread in their mouth, saying, “The feast is ready,” but it's also the mother bear trying to entice her her sons back with her because she missed them so much that she wants to be there with them. This story helps me recognize that, even within cultures, different communities have different stories. If I want to seek truth, I have to ask for multiple perspectives. I can't just say one person's story tells the whole story; it's one person's story tells that person’s story. That's why I'm excited about this. I'm going to be working on the white Mesa Community bear dance lesson plan. I'm not writing a Bear Dance lesson plan for all of the different communities. I'm focusing on the White Mesa community and telling that specific story.

There's a little tiny pocket that is the White Mesa Community that is reservation land, most of the Ute Mountain Ute land is actually in Colorado. There's just a little pocket right in between Blanding and Bluff that is also reservation land of the Ute Mountain Ute.

Heather Francis

I love it, you went to their space, to their land, to their experience that you were invited to. And really, really participated. I like hearing the story too, because all of our lesson plans that we've done have this kind of research involved where we're talking with partners, we're getting accurate, authentic voices we're visiting on reservation land. As a teacher listening to this, I'd be like, Wow, I don't have so many weekends to go out. But we do encourage teachers to seek out these experiences.

Brenda Beyal

Actually going and experiencing these kinds of activities will give you a new perspective on why, and maybe how, or they give you reasons that you can tell your children, that though the Bear Dance is a simple dance, it's a sacred dance: it should be done in a space that the Bear Dance Chiefs see that it should be done in. Not just, you know, anywhere and by anyone.

Emily Soderborg

Jack Cantsee Jr. had gone to Blanding Elementary, the week before, because on the Friday of the bear dance, they actually bussed students to the corral that were not Ute. They bussed the students there so that they could participate in the Bear Dance. Jack had talked with them. I'm teaching them what the bear dance was meant for, but also the need to be respectful. One of the stories he did tell me is that there was a little boy who was goofing off, and he fell down. And he pulled his partner down while they were dancing. They stopped everything. They stopped the music, they went and they blessed that boy and that girl, they drew a circle around them, and they wouldn't let them stand up until they had finished blessing them with the instruments, because they wanted them to recognize that anytime anyone falls down during the Bear Dance. They wanted them to recognize the significance of being respectful, and of helping the person that you're dancing with. Because one person is constantly walking backwards, and you switch off, one person is walking forwards while the others are walking backwards and then the other way. They brought it into the community—they brought them to their Bear Dance corral, to dance there. They didn't just go dance at the elementary school, they brought them there to have helped them have that experience there.

Cally Flox 

There are local opportunities for teachers to experience Native American dances at powwows. There are many powwows available. Teachers, don't get discouraged when you can't travel to specific pieces. Enjoy what we have in our own communities and find a close by powwow and start there. Emily, thanks so much for sharing your story today. Do we have any final comments?

Emily Soderborg

I just thought it was so fun. I'm glad that I'm able to share the joy that I had in learning more that it's not just research, like book research, but it's in-person research and talking to people and going and doing things I've never done before and not being afraid of trying something new because I get scared doing things but I it was it was great.

Heather Francis

I love that you didn't even know Jack Cantsee Jr. You didn't even know him. But you met him and you took the opportunity. It seems like he enjoyed talking to you too. You weren't interrupting his space or time but you were acknowledging and honoring him by letting him tell you the stories that he told you.

Brenda Beyal

Yes. One thing that really interested me is that Emily is somebody that's on time all the time. If it starts at three, she's there five minutes till three, or before three. She's somebody that keeps me on time. But she's learning that time doesn't always have to be linear, that time can be circular. There's such a thing as circle time with Native American people. We start when we're ready to start. We finish when we're ready to finish—when everything has been accomplished, rather than saying, “We're starting at eight and ending at nine.” Because she was in the White Mesa community space, Emily honored it. Because her husband said, “We've got to be there, we're going to be late.” Emily said, “No, it's okay. We'll get there when we get there.” Because as soon as she knew she was entering into the White Mesa community, she was on circle time—which means we start when we start, and we don't finish until everything is completed. Because she was willing to be on that circle time, she was able to meet with Jack Cantsee Jr. and she was able to spend 45 minutes. And this isn't because Emily Soderborg was coming and therefore we're going to hold off for 45 minutes. It's just the way it happened. For Jack Cantsee, having somebody interested in what he had to say was as important to him as it was for Emily. I know that because he wouldn't have spent all of that time unless he felt like there was something he needed to say, because he is one of the Bear Dance chiefs down in that community.

Cally Flox 

Thank you for joining us on this episode of artful teaching. We wish you joyful learning and artful days. 

Brenda Beyal

Thanks to James Huston for editing this podcast. Music was generously provided by Connor Chee, a Navajo Diné composer and performer.

Cally Flox 

Special thanks to all of the teachers who are changing lives every day while serving in schools. 
Wishing you an artful journey.

Listen to the Utah Teacher Fellows podcast. We explore the greatness of the profession through individual teacher stories. Join Audryn Damron and Ryan Rarick as they speak to teachers and teacher leaders throughout the state. Recent episodes include Audryn explaining her decision to run for state school board. KaceeWeaver, a teacher in the Ogden School District, spoke about the rooms full of human potential she encounters as a kindergarten teacher. And coming this month we speak with Marley Mclune about overcoming impostor syndrome and how she strives to own her own greatness. We love discussing a wide array of complex issues that make up the teaching profession. We also would love to engage with our audience. Check our show notes for our email address where you can submit mailbag questions that we will discuss in future episodes. Find the Utah Teacher Fellows podcast at theutahteacher.com or on any major podcasting platform such as iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.

In this episode, Brenda Beyal and members of the Native American Curriculum Initiative team offer ideas for supporting Native families' connections to schools. This conversation responds to several questions submitted by a teacher who desires to help Native families find a cultural space in their school district.

Native American Curriculum Initiative Website
www.advancingartsleadership.com/naci

Native American Lesson Plans
www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

About the BYU ARTS Partnership 
https://advancingartsleadership.com/node/66

Episode Keywords:

families, monthly meeting, people, Native American, teachers, education, arts-integrated education, school, curriculum, trauma, Native, experiences, salt lake city, lesson plans, Paiute, title, boarding school, Utah teachers, Native teaching artists,  Utah, community

Episode Notes:

Heather Francis 
Welcome to the Artful Teaching Podcast. Our guests, Brenda Beyal and Emily Soderborg, are here with us. They are the program coordinator and project manager of our Native American Curriculum Initiative. Today, Brenda is answering questions that teachers have submitted about including native content in the classroom. The question we have for this discussion comes from a high school social studies teacher in the Salt Lake City School District. This teacher is aware of the Title VI Native American parent committee that meets monthly, but is concerned that they don't have a lot of attendance. They're struggling with funding and staffing and advocate positions and wants to offer more at the meeting to encourage attendance and engagement. I think the teachers’ main question is, “Is there information or curriculum that I can bring to this parent committee to enhance engagement?” What are your ideas, Brenda, for connecting Native families with a cultural space that connects them with their schools?

Brenda Beyal
This is a really good question, because we are all about creating curriculum, and I'm hoping that Emily will help me with that particular part. The Title VI program is a fantastic program. It’s a federal program specifically to help Native American families connect or reconnect to school, culture, and language. Every district in the state of Utah should have a Title VI coordinator. The Title VI coordinators are the key to bringing families to monthly meetings and it's exciting because there are a couple of things that you can think about when thinking about Native American families. Many times we think that the Native American family should leave their children at home. But in indigenous culture, we take our children with us everywhere. We take them to the powwows, we take them to go eat dinner with us, we do everything with our children. We even go to dances with our children, you know, pack them with us and have them dance and play with us while we also enjoy ourselves. It is definitely a family event. So looking at it as a family event and seeing the positivity of intergenerational relationships would be an important component that needs to be acknowledged and validated. A monthly meeting definitely should include multiple generations. You know, food always brings people together and we can learn a lot from one another.

Salt Lake City is home to many different indigenous people that come from differing tribal nations across the United States. I am just thinking in my mind right now, friends of mine in Salt Lake, some of them are Diné, which is Navajo. Some of them are Hopi. Some of them are Ute. Some of them are Choctaw. Some of them are Lumbee. I have friends who are Paiute, who live in Salt Lake City and Goshute. Bringing those families together and helping them to understand that community is also about learning about one another's culture within Indian country. I think that another way of helping families come together is maybe connecting with different organizations within Salt Lake City. The Urban Indian Walking Center has wonderful resources, and they honor multigenerational families, they honor traditional ways and learn from them. Partnering with them might be a good thing to do. Having a meeting at their center might be a good place to start. I know that the Red Butte Garden has wonderful classes and wonderful programs that welcome indigenous communities. The Museum of Natural History also is very welcoming. Those are just a few off the top of my head that I can think of.

Cally Flox 
A lot of times when we bring people in the community together, people don't know how to serve or what they have to contribute. I'm wondering if when these families are brought together, the question can be asked: “Who are you and what do you have to offer? You're an important member of this community, do you have skills or stories or things that you can bring into the school and get to know people?” I wonder if they shared our lesson plans on our website or if they shared the Utah artist roster, and it gave people a vision of, “Oh, you mean people want to learn those stories?” “Oh, my grandmother sang me that song” “Oh, I know that person on the artist roster, maybe I have something to offer.” Perhaps sharing the resources that we've offered to teachers with the parents and families will help inspire them to realize they have indigenous art forms happening right within their own families. They have their own stories, their own oral traditions, and they may have some wonderful things to offer their school community.

Brenda Beyal
Tying it to culture, I think is important. Coming together as Indigenous people is always such a good feeling, especially if you're far away from ancestral homes. I really like that idea, Cally. When I was teaching school—many, many years ago—Eileen Quintana showed up in my classroom, and she introduced herself as the Title VI coordinator. As she helped me learn about Title VI, and the impact it can have on Native children, and Native families within our district, I became excited. Now Eileen’s office–she didn't have an office…she was hired as a Native American program manager of Title VI, so her office was in the trunk of her car. And maybe that was a good thing because what she did is she started traveling from school to school and the first people I think she sought out were Native teachers within the community, and within our district. When she told me about what she wanted to do, I was on board, I wanted to participate. She gathered a few core groups of people who have the same vision and passion and through the years has built an amazing program for the Nebo School District.

I want to go back to the part where the meetings are poorly attended by the Native American parent committee. I want to offer another lens into why that might be happening. My husband had to go to boarding school when he was in Kindergarten. He went to boarding school, the first couple of years of his schooling and his experience has been something that he's had to deal with for many, many years. Knowing this, I realized that maybe there are children whose parents or grandparents are products of boarding school experiences, and therefore may have reactions or may not see school as a welcoming place. If you look at boarding school history, there are some, I'm sure, who thrived. But there are many who could not speak their language, who had their hair cut, and their way of living just completely constrained; they were no longer able to be the person that they wanted to be. Some of these experiences have possibly created behaviors, such as not liking being in a school environment. I think I would say, taking the time to look beyond that they're not coming to monthly meetings, maybe looking to see that there can be some historical trauma that might be impeding their willingness to come into a school would be beneficial. So, how about holding a monthly meeting or trying to hold a monthly meeting somewhere else, other than in a school?

Cally Flox
I think to help our listeners really understand the depth of what you're saying, Brenda, it's important to recall a phrase that was common in that day and age, which is, “Kill the Indian, save the man.” When we can put it into the blunt terms of what the thinking was of those leaders—those leaders thought they were to assimilate the Native Americans into white culture. And they did set out to annihilate everything about them that was Native American, or Shoshone, or Paiute, or Ute. That kind of systemic trauma leaves very deep wounds and scars and when people don't know their personal identity and when they're shamed for their personal identity, that is a deep-rooted kind of trauma that requires awareness. Where you were using careful language, I wanted to bring that phrase back into people's awareness: “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

Brenda Beyal
Thank you, Cally. General Richard Pratt is the one who said that. Native American people were taken from their families, specifically. I think I should ask Stephanie to give us what she's learned about boarding schools, or give us a little history of it.

Stephanie West
I don't have a lot of specific knowledge about boarding schools, so I can tell you some of the conversations that we've had with the native groups here in Utah, and I think it's a lot more individual perspectives. When we talked with the Paiute, Indian tribe of Utah, that was a very sensitive topic for them. It is a trauma for them, it's been a major trauma. I think that there are many individuals who, and even talking with the Navajo Nation about their experiences, they look back at them and they see that this was a tearing apart of families. Families were so integral to Native populations, to indigenous beliefs about themselves, their culture, and their connection to the land. It tore them away from their homes, it tore them away from their land and their communities, and so that's a lot of the trauma that's associated with that. However, there were multiple different perspectives. When we talked to the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute reservation about their experiences, some of them had somewhat positive perspectives on this. They said that they did have some positive experiences that came about because of that. I think it's important when we look at that, to recognize the trauma and recognize that everyone had different experiences. That definitely is probably affecting some of the families’ views and their ability to connect now with education, and with their schools, and the school community.

Cally Flox
Those are wonderful insights about why people might feel alienated from our schools. We've shared earlier about the wonderful curriculum that we have to offer. Does someone have a concluding statement?

Emily Soderborg
They talked about curriculum, wanting to know about curriculum. I just wanted to say that our curriculum, even though it is an elementary focus, so much of it can be used with any age level, it just takes a teeny bit of adapting. It can be used with families. So if you're doing The Great American Bison Lesson Plan, you can have families come together and create artwork at the same time. Or you could have families coming together to learn a song and how it connects with other songs in other cultures. I know the Title VI program in Nebo, because that's where I live. Right now their students are performing a play that they're doing at the Jim Matheson Courthouse. They're using the arts to then bring families together and they connect together through the arts.

Heather Francis
In this question, the teacher had asked about supporting Title VI initiatives with non-Native teachers. Our lesson plans are made for non-Native teachers to include native content in the classroom. So that would be totally appropriate, right?

Brenda Beyal
It would be appropriate. Obviously, you would hope that you could find Native people within the community that could partner with the non-Native teacher, because I think there's always good side-by-side coaching and they see two different perspectives, and I think that it’s good for our students.

Cally Flox
Super. Thanks for joining us, everybody, and we'll look forward to seeing you next time. Artful Teaching is made possible by the BYU Arts Partnership in the McKay School of Education.

Brenda Beyal
Thanks to James Huston for editing this podcast. Music was generously provided by Connor Chee, a Navajo Diné composer and performer.

Cally Flox 
Special thanks to all of the teachers who are changing lives every day while serving in schools.

Heather Francis
If you liked what you heard, please leave us a review. You can find all the show notes for this episode and more resources at advancingartsleadership.com. 

And don't forget to check out our tribe approved lesson plans on the website as well.

We wish you an artful journey!

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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Transcript coming soon.

• University of Utah’s Marriott Library Book Arts Program for Teachers
• Peter and the Wolf
• Flight of the Bumblebee
• William Tell Overture
• Arts Express Summer Conference

Three STEM + Arts Research Participants Share Their Educational Experience and Backgrounds

Today’s guests are arts integrators in the research practice partnership through BYU and the Provo City School District: a visual art teacher, a teacher from a Title 1 school, and a teacher in a dual language immersion program (DLI). Welcome to Elicia Gray, Lisa Galindo, and Jennifer Hildebrand. To learn more about this research partnership, please listen to episode 28. 

(Elicia Gray) I'm Elicia Gray, and I teach K-12. I mostly spend my time at elementary school teaching art integrated with other subjects, but visual art is my primary subject. I was interested in this research project because I seek collaboration with other teachers who know more about science than I do. I wanted to understand authentic science connections that I could make with visual art projects in the classroom.

(Lisa Galindo) I'm Lisa Galindo. I teach third grade at Provo Peaks Elementary. I just finished my masters of STEM education. I have always loved the arts, was invited to the group, and want to learn how to integrate arts with STEM.

(Jennifer Heldenbrand) I'm Jennifer Heldenbrand and I teach sixth grade at Canyon Crest Elementary. I have been teaching for several years and have always enjoyed doing art projects with my kids, but wanted to have a better understanding of how to pull art and science topics together.  

(Tina McCulloch) Okay, well,  what a nice diversity of backgrounds. . All of us together really do have some interesting backgrounds. But also that idea of I can take my STEM core and add some arts or as Elicia says I can take my arts and add some STEM  into it. It's all for the betterment of our teaching and to engage our students. So I would just like you to share a story of an experience that you've had in your classroom where you engaged your students in an arts integration and what extra outcomes happened. Whether it was you got to know your students a little bit differently or the content really came alive.

Engaging Students in Arts Integration Creates Deeper Learning

Moon Phases Cyclical Bookmaking

(Jennifer Hildenbrand) Our class looked at the phases of the moon. One of the things that I did was show a picture of the moon, probably a vintage 1930’s or 1920’s picture of the moon, maybe with a scarf around its head as if it were not feeling very well and looking a little pensive. That visual opened the door to a lot of discussion. One student in particular said, “I think I'm seeing a crescent moon. I think it's a waxing crescent moon.” The class stopped and thought: “Where does this come from? What's giving you this idea?” There was a shadow around the edge of that picture that was able to help the student think through tha ideat. From there, we learned the moon phases; we talked about why they occur; and students’ questions became quite intricate. The students wanted to know more—they were practicing inquiry-based learning. From there, we created some lovely, cyclical books that allowed them to create their own version of the moon phases.

Create your own  Bioluminescent Fish to Adapt to the Deep Sea Environs

(Elicia Gray) I think people forget that artists and scientists have a lot in common. When I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my students, I tried to approach these scientific principles the same way as I would approach art principles. For example: “Let's discover something new. Let's notice something new. Let's try to solve a problem.” Both artists and scientists are problem solvers. 

During the unit on ecosystems, my students studied deep sea fish. We started with this question: “What would keep an organism alive in the deep sea?” I was really fascinated by the idea of bioluminescence. That's one of the fun things that I get to do as an art teacher: I get to just really explore something that I want to know about and then share what I find fascinating with the students. I wanted to learn about  bioluminescent fish: Why do they light up in the dark? What artistic principles would be similar to or evident in that process? 

We watched a lot of videos about what deep sea organisms did. We found out why they glow in the dark. Sometimes it was to attract food or to attract mates or to defend themselves. The fish had all these really interesting, different reasons why they would light up. I had the students design their own bioluminescent fish that reflected one or more of those survival adaptations. The students got to decide what parts of the fish would light up. Other considerations were the size of the fish, the environment it lived in, and how it survived.

After considering these factors and making these decisions, the students designed and painted their own fish. We painted with fluorescent things, fluorescent tempera paints, and anything that was fluorescent. We put them in a dark room and lit it with a black light, and it was bioluminescent! Just like it is in the deep sea. That was fascinating.

I loved seeing the kids' reaction to that moment when the lights went out: “Whoa!” That “A-ha!” moment of creative ownership is priceless as a teacher—”We made that! We did that!” More importantly, each artwork was completely different, because it was something that they invented. Each fish was based on scientific principles that help them understand how something would survive in an environment that the students are totally unfamiliar with. This project was a way to really just explore a different medium, try out something new, and students had a blast. Those peer-to-peer conversations were very rich, because the students had all that science evidence for the artwork they were seeing.

Students’ Showcase Substantial Scientific Learning in Art Class

(Elicia Gray) We displayed their bioluminescent fish as part of an art show. Ironically, my art classroom is completely devoid of windows. It's black, it's a deep hole. It was perfect. I put a little label outside the classroom door and we called it “The Deep Sea.” The rest of the art show was in the hallway, the gym, and other open areas at the school, and we had arrows going to the deep sea. All the overhead lights were off, and we turned on the black lights to allow the kids and their families to enter the deep sea. It was a riot, they loved it, and so did I.

Parents were genuinely surprised their kids were learning something substantial in the art classroom. We research ideas, and we talk about really important things and students  are given an opportunity to solve real-world problems in a format that they design. It's a really creative space if we make room for it.

Using Music in the Classroom to Identify Animal Traits

(Lisa Galindo)  As a generalist classroom teacher, I mostly focus on reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. My experience with integrating the arts  is typically a culminating activity at the end of a unit to show what we have learned. After reviewing the third-grade arts standards, I found a musical standard about composers and how they paint a picture with music and sound. I thought, “How could that tie into what we're learning in science or math?”

I remembered, “We're learning about animals.” I remembered listening to Peter and the Wolf as a child. The composer used music to show certain traits about the animals, a topic that fits in with our science exploration of animals: we are learning how these traits help animals survive, etc. A lot of kids aren’t exposed to classical music, so I turned it on. The students were so excited. They were so engaged. They exclaimed, “This is fun!” The video I played had orchestra members dressed up as the animal character their musical instrument was being represented by. I was surprised how excited they were to listen to it. We cut it into two days, because it was too long. The next day at the door they asked, “Are we gonna finish Peter in the Wolf?” 

“Yeah!” They were really excited.  

I said, “We will stop every once in a while and analyze what animal we hear.” 

“Well, that's the duck.” 

“What's happening?”

“He's swimming.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because of the sounds, they were really fluid and flowing.” 

“What is the bird doing?”

“Oh, he's chirping?”

“What makes you say that? How does the composer get us to think that the bird is chirping? What sounds do you hear? Or with the wolf? How do you know that’s the wolf?”

“Well, it has kind of scary low sounds, and it sounds really scary, right?”

After that, I gave them two pieces of music and had them draw a picture of what they were hearing, using visualization skills. The first one we did was the Flight of the Bumblebee. I didn't give away the title of the musical work. Next, we did the William Tell Overture. I wanted students to think of an animal that those pieces of music reminded them of. 

I was really surprised that only two students drew a bumblebee for the Flight of the Bumblebee. Others drew a rabbit, or a mouse, or a squirrel, or a bird. One student said, “I couldn't think of anything, any animal, but I thought of the wind. That music made me think of a wind storm.”

I said, “Why did you think of a wind storm?” 

He said,  “Because it was really fast and strong.” 

I said,  “I can see where you're coming from. I really like your windstorm.”

I told the students, “Nobody’s ideas are wrong.” Then, we listened again. This time I told them, “The name of this piece is Flight of the Bumblebee.” They responded with, “Oh my gosh, I can hear it. I can hear the wings flapping and buzzing.” 

We repeated the experience with the William Tell Overture. Several kids drew a picture of a horse. Several other kids drew pictures of other animals. I said, “You know, it's all your interpretation of what the artist is painting in your mind. Nobody's wrong.”

Seeing their engagement, excitement, and their artwork felt exciting. I thought, “Oh my goodness, there is a whole movie that deals with this! Fantasia.” Now they're really excited to see Fantasia. Maybe we'll turn off the video, just listen to the music, and students can practice more visualization through drawing pictures.

The Arts Provide Every Student Access to Learning

During these hands-on experiences in class, every student was engaged in the arts. During normal, non-integrated lessons, there are students who are not engaged. The arts allow each student an access point—there isn’t a wrong answer. Students are discovering in these learning inquiries that their opinions are valid, especially when they can point to evidence justifying their conclusions.

Arts Express Summer Conference: Educators’ Favorite Professional Development

All three educators agree that Arts Express Summer Conference, an arts-integration professional development conference through the BYU ARTS Partnership, is the best way to get immersed in arts-integrated pedagogy. A two-day conference focused on building arts skills, collaboration, valuable keynotes, and renowned presenters make this conference the best value for summer professional development in the state. It takes place at the beginning of June. Tina explains, “As the school year winds down and you are completely out of “teacher energy,” this conference is such a good way to start off the summer and start planning excitedly for the following school year.” 

(Jennifer Heldenbrand)  Arts Express helps combat end-of-year rundown and gives me that kickstart to enjoy my summer.

(Elicia Gray) I feel like they pamper you. They treat you like you're a professional and they help you as an artist to really enjoy rich, professional experiences. The message and the atmosphere of the conference focuses on teachers nurturing their personal well-being through the arts as well. The conference teaches you how to teach arts integration to students and simultaneously offers teachers a really beautiful experience. It’s a personal and professional symbiosis.

Book Arts: A Tangible Keepsake to Demonstrate Learning

(Jennifer Heldenbrand) I'll give you one more that I really enjoy. One of my passions is doing book arts, and the University of Utah’s Marriott library has a book arts program with a summer intensive for teachers. Recently the structure has changed to support shorter intensives throughout the school year. Learning how to put books together is a great skill as a teacher. My experiences with my students shows when we make books, that artifact is something they're going to keep and enjoy.

How to Get Started with Arts Integration? Jump In

• Just do it: Jumping in is a great way to get started. If teachers feel daunted, ask for help. There are so many wonderful resources—arts educators are delighted to help teachers get going. But even if there isn’t an arts educator at your school, just jump in.
• Start with your interests. Whatever you’re fascinated by, that energy is going to infect your students. Find something that you really want to learn about and start there.
• Keep practicing: through the years you’ll get better and better.
• If something doesn’t work, revise! Change it! Try something else.

Jump in, and go for it. It’s normal to feel embarrassed or afraid about trying something new and not nailing it the first time. Modeling new skills is a great tool for teaching students to step outside their comfort zones and pass along our joy in learning to them. When our students succeed, we succeed. 

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Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade-level, art form, or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

• The Brain Dance by Anne Green Gilbert
• Utah Teaching Artist Roster
• Building an Arts-Rich School
• Performances & Exhibitions
• First Steps in Teaching Creative Dance to Children by Mary Joyce
• Dance Integration—36 Dance Lesson Plans for Science and Mathematics by Kaufmann & Dehline
• Jana Shumway Dance Lesson Plan - Utah Animals
• Creative Dance Integration Movement Resource
• Tricks for Using Picture Books for Dance
• Water Dance by Thomas Locker (Bookshop.org)
• Art Should Be a Habit, Not a Luxury by Arthur C. Brooks

Who is Mr. Dance? Meet Provo City School District’s Arts Coach, Chris Roberts

Heather Francis and Tina McCulloch have been working with Mr. Dance for over 10 years. Chris gave Heather her first teaching job out of college at Rees Elementary. Chris taught Tina the Brain Dance, which created a big change in her third-grade students. 

Now retired, Chris was the Beverley Taylor Sorenson (BTS) arts integration coach for Provo City School District for over 20 years. He worked to facilitate the BTS grant through collaborating with principals and supporting BTS arts educators. As the Provo City School District arts coordinator, Chris supported arts-integrated classroom activities and professional development for Pre-K–12th-grade drama, music, visual art, and dance teachers. 

Mr. Dance Supports the Arts in Schools by Teaching Students in Classrooms and Teachers in Professional Development 

Beginning with no job description, Chris made a flier of skills and activities he could offer to teachers as a district arts coach. He went to all 13 elementary schools, and hand-delivered a flier in every teacher’s box. He “had a few bites.” Those few initial interactions rapidly snowballed: now, Chris is a high-demand educator, packing as much Pre-K-6th grade dance integration as he can into his limited 30-hour workweek. 

• Learn and share information
• Highlight BTS educators across the district to promote the arts
• Support educators in creating and publicizing school arts nights, performances, and exhibitions.

For example, Chris recently assisted in planning a district-wide dance concert involving all the students in all Provo’s secondary schools and two elementary schools. Ballroom, creative, and modern dance were included. It was an incredible experience for the elementary students—“just amazing that they got to go to Provo High School and dance in front of a full house of families and friends.” This was a magnetic performance bursting with positive energy that was felt by each participant and audience member. Tina recounts, “Chris planted in the hearts of these little elementary students that this is a lifestyle. This is a way I can carry the arts throughout my life, and the positive energy feeds on the arts and makes a positive cycle for artful living.”

“Chris is amazing. He has a way of working with students and teachers to help them become more aware of their bodies and minds. And to integrate core content into his kinesthetic dance activities. He didn't come from a dance background originally, which makes his story even cooler. And I think it's helpful because he knows how to approach students who also don't come from a dance background.”

Mr. Dance Wasn’t a Dancer: Dance Integration is for Everyone

Chris was the carpool dad for his daughter, who joined BYU’s Children’s Creative Dance Program beginning at age 3. Chris’ wife supported his hobby of teaching by  working in the business world. Instead of sitting in the car, Chris observed his daughter’s dance class and corrected papers. He listened and watched Miriam Bowen teach the class for three years and witnessed his daughter develop creativity, communication, and problem-solving skills. Finally, it clicked: “Well, that's exactly what I want for my students.”

Chris wrote a grant. Doris Trujillo, who is a teaching artist, visited his school for 10 days. As a parting gift, Doris gave Chris First Steps in Teaching Creative Dance to Children by Mary Joyce. The following week, Chris went to class holding that book—with ZERO experience teaching dance. He explains: “I read what Mary Joyce wrote in the book to tell the students. I read it, and they did it. Then I read the next thing, and then they did it, and  then I read the next thing, and they did it. It was amazing!” Chris’ positive momentum kept on dancing: he attended dance integration workshops sponsored by the State; traveled to Seattle to learn from Anne Green Gilbert’s two-week dance workshop; began teaching dance workshops to teachers. The “powerful women” who taught Chris to dance have been a momentous source for growth and influence for his development from a carpool-dad-turned-novice-dancer to ‘Mr. Dance.’

What Happens When Teachers “Let the ego go.”

Chris’s advice to teachers out there: “Do not be afraid of being the fool. You have to let your ego go. It's so important to bring dance to these kids.” Letting the ego go helps create an atmosphere of “Yes! I can do this!” for every student, no matter their dance experience or level of self-confidence, even the reluctant students who cling to the classroom walls. Chris’s lived experience learning to integrate dance—his journey of transforming from a ‘regular’ classroom teacher to ‘Mr. Dance’—models this very “Yes, I can. I can do it!” attitude. 

Additionally, listeners, the way Chris held his posture as he described the way he used Mary Joyce’s book—holding his hand out in front of him as if reading aloud from a book—was full of energy and purpose. For the teachers who believe, “I am not a dancer. I am not comfortable in my body or expressing things using my body,” Chris’s example as a teacher who began as a complete novice serves as a totally attainable inroad toward dance for teachers who are uncomfortable with this art form. Dance is for everyone. Unexpected joy can happen when teachers set aside their ego and move their bodies. Chris relates an example of the unique experiences teachers have when they first dance with their students—a second-grade teacher wrote him a lengthy message explaining the feelings and emotions she embodied when she danced. She “felt freer than she's ever felt in a long, long time.” 

Collaboration Tips for Arts Educators and Classroom Teachers

BTS educators in Provo District reach out to every teacher and ask: “What's the best way that I can communicate with you? How often? And how can I best serve you?” This way, classroom teachers decide what fits their teaching needs best: face-to-face meeting, email communications, or collaboration during Friday PLC time. The point is that arts educators honor the needs of the classroom teacher, and vice-versa.

Research shows the most effective learning happens in co-teaching environments between classroom and BTS teachers. Chris encourages principals—especially those with first-year BTS arts educators—to create this specific type of collaboration: put the classroom teacher together with the arts educator, to co-teach. 

Typically, BTS educators initiate conversations with classroom teachers. For those educators not in a BTS school, teachers can reach out to a visual art planning time technician—or other arts educator— and say, “Hey, I'm studying the water cycle in a couple of weeks. Is there anything you can do to help me with that?”

The research is clear: the more arts are integrated into the classroom—regardless of the art form—student retention and engagement are much higher. For example, let’s say a school has a visual arts BTS educator, and a non-visual arts/generalist teacher needs support with integration. That generalist teacher can reach out  to that BTS educator and collaborate on what is happening in each others’ classrooms to support learning in both classrooms. 

“Mr. Roberts has been working with my class since 2016. Eight years now, wow. He is amazing. He finds books about all different subjects, such as science, literacy, or social skills. He is so creative in designing ways for the students to dance to the books and learn something at the same time, from how plants grow to the rain coming down, rhyme scheme, and being kind, he finds ways to incorporate movement into these lessons.”

How to Plan Dance-Integrated Lesson Plans  

Find a Children’s Book

Chris spends lots of time reading children’s books because they offer a rich starting place for integrating science, math, social studies, and language arts. Chris describes his process: “As I read a children's book, I may exclaim, “Wow, this says all kinds of verbs in it! Just look at these images. We could dance to these verbs and images! So, when I see a children's book that has a lot of movement potential I buy it and I use it. 

1. Consider Content Standards

Consider the grade; what is developmentally appropriate for the grade; consider what they're studying in their science, and in their math, and in their language arts and in their social studies. So I use books like that, that way, picture books mainly. 

Use Available Lesson Plans

Use the lesson plans on advancingartsleadership.com

Jana Shumway’s (Jordan School District) lesson plans 

Dance Integration 36 Dance Lesson Plans for Science and Mathematics by Karen Kaufman and Jordan Dehline. This book contains incredible lesson plans. 

Innovate: Make It Up 

Chris walks in nature—listening, observing, paying close attention to that environment. His mind quiets and ideas come to him. 

Enlivening STEM Subjects by Integrating Dance in Schools

Notice that most scientists, mathematicians, neuroscientists, Nobel Prize winners—they all have hobbies in the arts: violin playing, or watercolor painting, or dance. This illustrates why arts integration into STEM subjects is critical: the arts bring those subjects to life. It's hard to imagine doing science without adding a visual, musical, literary, and/or physical movement component. Handing students a math or science book to read doesn’t enliven these content areas: inviting students to express learning through paint, creating a mind map, or getting out of their seats and moving with the idea. 

For example, look at a math class on angles: teaching the language acute angle and equal angle and obtuse angle. Show students how to make those angles with their bodies, using their arms: Make a 90-degree angle. Use your arms to show me an obtuse angle. This makes learning more fun and creates muscle memory, so that when students need to recall, it looks like this “Oh, yeah, I did this way. I can close my eyes and remember that time in class.” They can recall the hands-on, arts-integrated experiences—a painting they did, a song they sang, a dance they created. The arts make learning come alive. 

Listeners, please note: as he speaks, Chris is moving his arms in different angular sizes and shapes. He is replicating what he has seen students do while taking tests and trying to remember information. This is evidence that movement matters: students are using the proprioception senses of their bodies to remember a space that they held or a shape that taught them the knowledge they need in that moment.

Arts Teaching Contributes to Deep Learning for Students and Vital Living for Teachers

Tina shares a teachers’ experience witnessing changes in her students after implementing more dance into her classroom. The students embody a key outcome of arts-integrated teaching that the arts make learning come alive: 

“As she watched her students, she noticed that dance strengthened students’ abilities to listen and follow complex directions. In all areas of instruction, it is crucial for students to be able to follow multi-step instructions. This ability saves time, and builds working memory. In dance students are able to easily self-evaluate their ability to follow these complex instructions. And the feedback is always immediate.”

Chris shares an article by Arthur Brooks titled Art Should be a Habit, Not a Luxury. Just like exercise and sleep, engaging with the arts is critical for a full and happy life. Coupled with routines for self-care, the arts in teaching add vitality to teachers and classrooms: teachers feel more refreshed at the end of the day; teachers feel joyful. “Teachers need to gauge for themselves by asking, ‘What am I doing for myself to keep me vital and running on my 100% for my students?’”

When students witness a teacher feeling that aliveness and vibrancy—a teacher who is feeding themself physically, intellectually, soulfully, and socially—students grow too: students are happier and leave school in a different mindset. Arts-integrated learning helps school shifts away from drudgery toward joyful and artful learning.

For Teachers: 5 Essential Practices for Self-Care & Artful Living 

Chris shares five aspects of self-care that can help teachers live wholly and teach artfully:

1. Physical Care: Teaching is a highly demanding job. Being physically present, eating nutritiously, getting rest, and making time for exercise are important ways teachers can rejuvenate and live sustainably. unless they're completely there and putting the right fuel into their body, getting the right exercise, and just taking care of their physical self.
2. Emotional Care: Teachers need a friend, someone important, close, and safe that they can lean on during a down day. Healthy emotional expressions—like turning on some music in the kitchen while they're making dinner and dancing—helps teachers tune into their emotional self.
3. Social Care: There's also the social part that they need to take care of. It is important to keep key people in their lives that support them, that offer them the help they need or the listening ear.
4. Mental Care: There's also the mental part of them. The intellectual part of them that they need to keep abreast to have good science such as good neuroscience and solid educational philosophy.
5. Spiritual Care: Last, I think it's okay to talk about a spiritual self . So like I described before to you already I take long walks in nature. Right now, my wife and I are empty-nesters so we just do it on our own, but I know a lot of classroom teachers have kids, so I encourage them to take walks  with their kids. Take a family nature walk, because walking in nature has a more powerful effect than walking in the mall.

Please subscribe to the Artful Teaching podcast on your favorite platform: Amazon, Google, Spotify, Pandora. We would love to have you as a subscriber. You can also subscribe to our blog or our newsletter or updates on our Native American Curriculum Initiative. We love sharing our tips and tricks for arts integration in the classroom with you.

Follow Us for More Arts Resources:

• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Instagram
• Facebook

Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade-level, art form, or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

• Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie
• Visual Thinking Strategies
• Critique as a part of Visual Thinking Strategies

Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form, or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

How to Integrate STEM + the Arts 

Heather Francis and Tina McCulloch discuss a specific arts strategy that Tina uses to help her students substantively inquire about different scientific phenomena. 

As a classroom teacher, Tina was experiencing rapid changes in classroom education: new theoretical models, new curricular materials, new state standards; she noticed herself and others losing their teaching identity. Arts integration proved a lifesaving practice. Her goal for this podcast series is to create a comfortable environment for teachers to move forward in STEM and inquiry-based learning through the arts. 

How to Teach to the New Utah SEEd Standards

In 2015, Utah adopted new SEEd standards for the K-12 classroom. The rollout for materials distribution and testing has been slow: state standards testing for fourth and fifth grades didn’t occur until 2021. 

Previously, teaching STEM was based on a more formulaic model: teach facts, present worksheets, answer multiple-choice questions. The teacher presented content and found out what the students’ misconceptions were, then planned another lesson to correct learning or memorize new facts.

Now, students lead the investigation: they ask questions, create their own models, and the teacher facilitates class discussions. Students and teachers are both uncomfortable; the teachers’ instinct is often to jump in and try to rescue the struggling student, but the value of inquiry-based learning rests in the process of student exploration, struggle, perseverance, discovery, and making connections as a class.

To get started with SEEd concepts, teachers can ask students:

• “What are you curious about?”
• “What questions do you have?”
• “How can we construct knowledge together?”

Teaching SEEd Phenomena: A Real-Life, Local Example

Tina shares an example of her experience teaching to the new standards using the principle of presenting a phenomena. She explains:

“I showed them this flash flood coming down. People could hear it and they could hear the rumble. They knew that it had rained and you could hear the people talking in the background. Then the flash flood comes through carrying big tree trunks or rocks and just muddy, muddy water. My students didn't understand why that was such an unusual event. They didn't understand what precipitated it and why it was flowing the way that it was flowing; they had never been witness to this type of event. The video wasn’t enough—the students didn’t have enough context and experience to understand the magnitude of what it means to witness a flash flood. Yet, for the people down in San Juan County—and only one of my students who had hiked in that area and seen one—they see flash floods often. So when those flash flood warnings come out of those slot canyons, it's an important thing to make sure you know. So that's when I thought, “Oh, I really have got to come local,” and find better phenomena for my students to see by using events they could witness right here in their backyard that would drive their questions.”

Tina brought the phenomena home by incorporating the knowledge that many of her students’ fathers are involved in construction. She drew their attention to the east bench of the Wasatch mountain range by showing a news clip of a new-build home that slid off its foundation and landed in the street. She also shared how a local high school is sliding off its foundation every year that it’s a wet winter—it’s being rebuilt now. Her students realized that that’s the high school they will attend. Linking two local events that directly impacted her students’ lives made the difference for their learning. The questions began: “‘Now, Mrs. McCulloch, we live down here in the valley. We're okay. Right, my house isn't gonna slide if I leave the garden hose on?”

“I said, “No, your house isn't gonna slide.” Then we talked about why their home was safe. As we finished the whole unit, one kid said, “I'm always going to make sure that I never live on a mountainside.”’

Being Uncomfortable: The First Step Toward Rich Conversations

Moving from earth science phenomena—a topic where students can clearly understand the impact—to other types of science proved tricky to maintain a high level of student curiosity. Often, phenomena were just a picture students would observe. 

Tina explains: “The last one I had was looking at a patch of grass, a single blade of grass, then grass underneath a microscope. I got very generic, boring answers (green, green and pointy, maybe three inches long). I wanted them to go deeper. They needed to go deeper. But I, as a facilitator, did not know how to do that.”

Students’ uncertainty played a role in their silence—students don’t want to let their peers know that they don’t know, even as teachers work to increase the equity in classrooms, encourage every voice, and validate each comment. Students want to have divergent views, as well as convergent views. 

Uncomfortableness is something that we need to become comfortable with. Teachers can learn to facilitate discussion, which becomes a rich opportunity for students to develop a whole bunch of inquiry-based questions: “How do we figure out how this phenomenon works?” Allow students to take their own questions and solve that scientific problem. In each classroom space, teachers can make sure students know that it is acceptable to throw out any idea and access your own schema, or reference the evidence in the picture or video by saying what you see.

Using Arts-Integrated Strategies to Help Students Articulate Rich Observation

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) help take students out of a scripted, right-or-wrong answer framework into a place of imagination and critical thinking. Typically used with works of art, Tina used VTS to create a bridge between observing artwork and studying science phenomena. 

To warm students up, Tina used Visual Thinking Strategies with Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie, creating a great discussion in the classroom. Topics of discussion included agreeing to disagree, building curiosity and practicing observational skills. Students can use sentence stems, like “I noticed,” or “I think,” and then another person will make a connection with that and say, “Oh, and I see.” 

What Are Visual Thinking Strategies?

Philip Yenawine, an art educator at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, began bringing in classes of patrons and students to view curated artworks. Together with a cognitive psychologist, Abigail Housen, Philip developed Visual Thinking Strategies. This series of open-ended questions expand students’ interpretation of artwork. Using Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie as an example, the class discussion might look like this (teacher-asked questions are bold; potential student answers are italicized):

“What do you see?” 

(Crickets)

“Anybody, what do you see?”

“I see some yellow and red squares.”  

“I see some blue and black lines.” 

“I see some big blotches of colors.”

“What makes you say that?” 
(Students get more descriptive in their answers)

“I think it looks like city streets.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, it looks like all those red and yellow, small squares are at intersections.”

“What more can we find?”

(This passes the question baton to a different student, inviting someone else to share their observations. At the very beginning, this process can be really slow (and uncomfortable). Teachers need to wait for students to answer. As Tina explains, “All of a sudden, once students realized I'm just paraphrasing what they're saying, they're getting more and more accepting of divergence.”)

“I wonder…”

(This bridges the gap between VTS in art and VTS in science phenomena.This question helps ready students to take the next step once they are facing a science phenomena question. Visual art is a comfortable place to start using VTS and practicing classroom dialogues; once science phenomena are introduced, teachers can use the same questions to guide students toward self-directed inquiry and investigation.)

Practical Classroom Tips for Effectively Using Visual Thinking Strategies 

Students move from ‘reading’ a work of art toward ‘reading’ a phenomena. Here’s what that looks like in Tina’s classroom: When observing water condensation, students really couldn't see what it was. Tina asked “What do you see?” and always followed up with “What makes you say that?” with the same student who offered an observation. This helps students think deeply about the why, create a “because” statement, and generate text evidence for their observational claim. After observations are made, teachers use reflective listening to paraphrase student statements—this helps the rest of the class understand what others observed, if they couldn't hear them that well, and it validates students’ observations.

Visual Thinking Strategies are most effective in an environment of non-judgement. This means that when students offer an idea, value-laden statements like, “That’s right!” “Good job!” are less effective in spurring a whole-class discussion. Validating students’ ideas looks like repeating back to the student what they said and adding, “What makes you say that?” This non-judgemental approach encourages all students to participate. In order to pass the baton to the next student, teachers can say, “Now, what more can we find?” and another student will speak. This strategy allows the eager students to talk, then after they have had a chance, the more reticent students will start talking. Tina reiterates the importance of teachers waiting: “If you are smart enough, you'll just pause. Usually, you can get that one reluctant speaker to finally make a comment, because he's been thinking this whole time. He's learning his voice is valid. Then, offer “Now, what do you wonder?”

Incorporating Divergent Thinking of Phenomena Using Visual Thinking Strategies

Works of art are created from an artists’ individual interpretation of their lived experience—science can be more straightforward and less open to interpretation. What happens when students offer a unique interpretation of a phenomena? Unlike a work of art, is there a right interpretation of a scientific phenomena?

Phenomena offer an anchor during the VTS discussion: the focus of the conversation is for students to direct their inquiry in uncovering what actually happens with the phenomena. At the outset, yes, students may have lots of misconceptions. Students will need to come up with some ways to test those hypotheses. The inquiry comes from the students’ observations, ideas, and questions, guided by teacher questions like these:

• What would we need to study?
• What kind of texts would we need?
• Or what kind of experiments are we going to need to perform in order to figure out how this really, really works?

When considering a phenomena like density (and what happens in real life when putting a Gatorade or soda bottle in the freezer), students can think about questions like these: “What does density really mean?” “Is density the same as weight?” When Tina showed students a glacier, students can see that giant ice floes are mostly sunken in the water. A student observed, “So it's definitely very dense. It's denser than water.”

Another student made a connection: “We just did history and learned about USS Arizona, and how it's in Pearl Harbor. The ship sank…but how can it float?... but it sank.”

These kinds of observations are exactly what teachers want students to think about when exploring the world like a scientist.

Next week, tune in for an episode featuring Mr. Dance, an instrumental figure in thousands of people’s lives, nationally and locally. He integrates dance and science, dance and mathematics, into classrooms. Recently, he produced the Provo City School District dance concert. Some listeners in our BYU ARTS Partnership community know who Mr. Dance is. Listeners who don’t know—come and listen next week! You won’t want to miss getting to know Mr. Dance.

Please subscribe to the Artful Teaching podcast on your favorite platform: Amazon, Google, Spotify, Pandora. We would love to have you as a subscriber. You can also subscribe to our blog or our newsletter or updates on our Native American Curriculum Initiative. We love sharing our tips and tricks for arts integration in the classroom with you! 

Follow Us for More Arts Resources:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Subscribe on Amazon Music 
• Instagram
• Facebook
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Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade-level, art form, or subject area at 

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

• Rocky Mountain Arts and STEM Think Tank

Supporting Teachers with STEM and Arts Integration in the Classroom

**Listeners, take note: this is not a STEAM podcast series, but a series of episodes focused on STEM and the arts.

Today’s host Heather Francis, with co-host Tina McCulloch, introduces a series on STEM and the Arts. This podcast is important because teachers need practical, applicable examples of what STEM plus the arts or the arts plus STEM look like in the classroom. The experts and teachers in this and future episodes offer insight and experience to our listeners.
Dr. Heather Leary is today’s guest and is a professor in the Instructional Psychology and Technology department at Brigham Young University. This episode explores the distinctions of STEM and the arts, and discusses Dr. Leary’s collaborative STEM and arts project.

Tina is an elementary school teacher with 13 years of experience who integrates the arts into her classroom because the arts create connection, are part of her teaching persona, and help students “recognize the interconnectedness of our learning.” 

Dr. Leary has a bachelor's degree in fine arts and began her career as a photographer. Over time, her STEM-focused personal and professional lives overlapped (doing research, working with classroom teachers, and doing professional development). STEM offers a powerful, systemic way to consider content, think about critical thinking and problem solving: STEM is a holistic and simultaneously fun, creative, and engaging approach to learning.

Definition of STEM + Arts — Reaching for Transdisciplinarity

Integrating STEM with the arts helps teachers move towards transdisciplinarity, or emphasizing the natural connections and overlap from arts into science, arts into math, and arts into technology. 

Arts + STEM ←→ STEM + Arts

The relationship between STEM and the arts is symbiotic: the relationship goes both ways. Classroom teachers can integrate the arts into STEM-based content, and arts teachers can include science, math, engineering and technology into their lessons. Arts educators do just as much as STEM in art classrooms, and not in a superficial way, but in a powerful way—these connections show up in very deep, problem-solving ways, compelling teachers and students to think critically. The arts aren’t limited to just visual arts, but include all the art forms—theatre, music, dance, visual—and choosing an appropriate artform can support students as they work through problems.

As a dance math teacher, Heather Francis describes an example of a classroom application for using dance as a way to teach mathematical patterning to build the skill of mathematical visualization. 

In practical terms, students’ math problem might be: given the length of a flagpole’s shadow, calculate the length of a flagpole. Students likely have difficulty understanding that a flagpole has a shadow. Teachers can choose the artforms of visual art and/or dance: students can draw a flagpole and include its shadow, and/or perform shadow dances. This practice of artform-based patterning translates into larger applications, when students have their own interesting problem due to their experience with an art process informing their mathematical learning and the math informing their creative expression.

 Supporting Utah Elementary Teachers’ Implementation of SEEd 

The SEEd standards are the new science standards for Utah elementary schools. The greatest influence in the classroom is the teacher, so effective professional development for teachers really spreads to the students. Dr. Leary describes how her research-practice collaboration with Provo teachers is influenced by the district’s emphasis on STEM education. 

STEM + the arts are mutually inclusive. Together with Dr. Leary, the arts and classroom teachers are exploring and defining what SEEd-focused teaching looks like using STEM and the arts. They have identified the following needs

1. Teachers need to understand the SEEd standards.
2. Teachers need collaboration to create arts adaptations to SEEd-focused lesson plans.
3. Teachers need continued support as they work to implement the STEM and arts lesson plans.

Teachers ask questions like these:

• How can I integrate this using _____art form?
• What are the standards I am responsible for?
• When do the SEEd standards overlap with the arts standards?

In order to build capacity for teachers and develop students’ skills and knowledge, Dr. Leary and the classroom and arts teachers collaborate to design and implement lesson plans, and collect data from these classrooms. This research-practice partnership is unique because it brings together teachers from different schools and different grade levels. Tina McCulloch works with Dr. Leary both as a classroom teacher and as a graduate student project manager, experiencing the project from both lenses.

Their project is a design-based research project. In design-based research, the practitioner and the researcher work together. The practitioner’s experience changes over time, and is used as a foundational place for theory development, resource creation, future research questions, and necessary shifts for application and practice. Considering the needs of classroom teachers is essential for a participant like Tina, who participates in this research as a practitioner (teacher) and researcher.

Lessons Learned from the STEM + Arts Research Practice Partnership

This research collaboration began in 2019, with Dr. Leary initiating conversations with three classroom teachers and one art teacher. These simple but powerful conversations, which offered these educators time and space to think deeply about the intersection of STEM and art, and what they could do, created an impetus for more collaboration.

Teacher & Arts Educator Collaboration is Key to Create Meaningful STEM + Arts Student Learning Experiences 

Dr. Leary describes how teachers are really hungry to learn how they can do more transdisciplinary work. Teachers want to be able to teach in a very authentic, real-world, holistic way: when students walk out into their communities, they hear things, see things, and interact with things, and can start to form a larger, comprehensive perspective and picture of the world: “The world isn't just math, or just science, or just engineering, or just art or just technology, right? All of the disciplines are necessary for something to happen.”

This STEM + arts research work is designed to help teachers create that learning environment, that curiosity, that transdisciplinary approach to seeking information. STEM + the arts is a way to do that; it’s an iterative way to teach: learning by doing, making mistakes, creating a growth mindset with curious thinking and skills development.

Cross Grade-Level Communication About Arts and Science Matters

Elementary SEEd standards are designed so that third grade aligns with fifth grade; fourth grade aligns with sixth grade. Teachers from these aligned grades talk to each other with these questions in mind:

• As a sixth-grade teacher, what do fourth graders learn that I can expect to build on?
• What should students know by fifth grade?
• As a fifth-grade teacher, how can I support your work with third-grade students?

Cross grade-level communication is essential for building teacher collaboration and laying a foundation for efficient teaching and supporting student success in their inquiries.

District support also means that teachers who have never talked with their arts coach, or art educator, or the science educators, are now having productive and meaningful conversations and input about long-term planning and overall learning goals. 

The Arts Help Create Meaning in Inquiry-Based Learning

A teacher in Provo District has a master's degree in STEM. At first, her approach to the new SEEd standards looked like this: “I know all about how to do the engineering process and how to have this phenomenon in my classroom.” Soon, she realized, “they [my students] need something more.” As a member of the STEM + arts research partnership, she understood that the ‘something more’ was the arts, but she had no idea how to implement the shift toward the arts. As she continued learning about arts integration, and because of the arts skills she learned because of her involvement with the partnership, she said, ““Now I can do a little bit more.” 

When Tina came into her classroom, she said, “Look what my kids did!”

They had done some watercolor painting of clouds. She said, “Because you were willing to show me what wet-on-wet looks like, and how to put some dry brush in there, and then how to sponge some parts off, we have this wall where the kids can talk about their cloud formations and they refer to it all the time.” 

The best part? The students want more. They are asking when the class will be doing the next arts-integrated activity. Because of this small success, this teacher has an intrinsically-motivated drive to learn more and invest more fully in deep learning through STEM + arts.

Together, Teachers Create Grassroots Momentum for Artful Learning

More on this idea of reciprocal symbiosis: Teachers are creating momentum by gaining new dispositions and realizing opportunities to access the full capacity of their school’s arts educator through artful conversations, opening the door to an arts-integrated curriculum: when classroom teachers get support from the art educator in their school, they work together to build a strong foundation of positive momentum for both other teachers and the art educator. These relationships and conversations are effective because they create multi-lateral momentum and movement: not just change from the top-down, but also—and more importantly—a bottom-up and multidirectional ribbon of change that creates sustainable longevity. Just like STEM + Arts ←→Arts + STEM, teachers + arts educator ←→ arts educator + teachers. 

District Support is Essential for Sustainability and Building Teacher Capacity

In order to create longevity, support for the teachers, and grassroots change in pedagogical practice, Provo City School District had to be included: the district needed more effective ways of teaching STEM content (because of the updated SEEd standards), and teachers were starved for holistic ways to effectively teach to students’ curiosity. These related needs created an ideal environment for research and conversations among administrators and teachers about the how.

The district provides essential backbone support by assisting with dissemination—reaching a much broader audience than just three classroom teachers and one art teacher—which creates an added element of sustainability: a  district-supported partnership system that facilitates teacher growth and student achievement. Because district resources and personnel are built into the infrastructure of the research project,

• teachers are more likely to collaborate with each other;
• teachers are getting support from peers and administrators; and
• teachers are more willing to try new strategies, practices, and take risks and get better and better at new arts + STEM skills

A few years into this process, progress is evident because teachers have tried new approaches and lesson plans, they are learning and growing, and ready to share their experiences with other teachers, creating change at a district level.

Benefits of STEM + Arts Research 

This research partnership’s structure is unique because it covers both sides of the design-based research experience: the practitioner (teacher) side—what works in the classroom? How can we improve student learning and teacher practice by integrating STEM+Arts?; and, the research side—how is what teachers are experiencing useful for future design-based research projects?  What can we change about the structure of these conversations to improve efficacy for teachers?

Tina emphasizes how an informal learning setting—like this podcast—is an opportunity for a teacher to listen to it in the car on the way to school and maybe become inspired; maybe hear something; maybe go to the show notes and think, “I am going to dip my toe in. I am going to be brave, and I'm going to try something new.” Our hope and passion is that STEM + Arts ←→Arts + STEM series allows teachers a little bit of freedom to innovate, because the intersections of STEM + Arts really  

build critical-thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. These are 21st century skills. We encourage other teachers to walk alongside us as we work to support students to be producers and creators. 

Join the Rocky Mountain Arts + STEM Think Tank: Our STEM + Arts Learning Community

The collaboration between Dr. Leary and the teachers in Provo district is an open space: join the conversation now! The Rocky Mountain Arts + STEM Think Tank meets monthly, and is hoping to expand to include any teacher.

Goals for monthly conversations include:

• Tried-and-true classroom lesson plans/teaching techniques presented by teachers
• Question time/collaboration time
• Planning time/collaboration time
• Report back on trying something new in the classroom: refine, revisit, revise.

Reach out to Dr. Heather Leary (Heather.Leary@byu.edu) or Tina McCulloch (tinamc@provo.edu) if you’re interested in joining the think tank!

Future episodes 

Look forward to hearing from:

• Mr. Dance offers his experiences helping teachers integrate dance into science and mathematics.
• A classroom-teacher-turned-art-teacher integrates STEM into art and helps classroom teachers improve their art knowledge.
• A district arts coach shares ways he supports art educators to understand how classroom teachers are using SEEd standards
• Participants from the research partnership share how feelings and stories about this year’s STEM + Arts ←→ Arts + STEM journey.

Stay tuned for next time, and follow us on social media @everychildeveryart.
Please subscribe to the Artful Teaching podcast on your favorite platform: Amazon, Google, Spotify, Pandora. We would love to have you as a subscriber. You can also subscribe to our blog or our newsletter or updates on our Native American Curriculum Initiative. We love sharing our tips and tricks for arts integration in the classroom with you

Follow us and find more arts integration resources:

• Native American Curriculum Initiative Mailing List
• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
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• Subscribe on Amazon Music 
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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form, or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

• Elementary Lenses of Integration & Visual Arts
• SEEd Science Standards One-page Summary 
• Elementary Lenses of Integration Music
• Elementary Lenses of Integration Drama
• Elementary Lenses of Integration Dance
• Elementary Lenses of Integration ALL FINE ARTS
• Draw the Name of Your Favorite Animal Lesson Plan

Bob Smith, Alpine School District Elementary Arts Coach

The last episode featured Mr. Dance, Provo City School District’s Arts Coach. This time, we highlight the Alpine School District. Bob Smith works with all the district’s arts educators in all 62 elementary schools. Arts coaches support these teachers in their development and growth and coach classroom teachers who are new to the arts. Coaches like Bob help teachers understand meaningful ways that they can connect to their students through the arts.

From Teacher & After-School Drama Director to District Arts Instructional Coach

Like Mr. Dance, Bob stumbled into the arts. His teammate said, “Hey, the principal signed me up for this weird program. It's got a lot of art stuff, I don't really understand it. Would you take it for me?” Bob came to the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts Academy and “found [his] people.” 

“We were drawing, we were dancing and singing and playing drums, and connecting to a really awesome curriculum. At the same time, we were diving into books, looking deeply into science, exploring different social studies topics, all in day one at the Arts Academy, and I was hooked.” 

Bob finished the Arts Integration Endorsement and continues his work with the BYU ARTS Partnership. 

The arts enlivened Bob as a teacher and after-school musical theater program director. He has always used the arts in his teaching: turning on music for writing, drawing every day—discovering a whole group of people who were teaching in an arts-integrated way, helped him become a better teacher and then a coach.

Artful Tip for Classroom Teachers: Draw Everyday With Your Kids

Only half of Alpine schools are privileged to have the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Progra, grant. In order to increase access to the arts, Bob creates simple resources that teachers can easily see, connect with, understand and apply to  transform their classroom.

Bob creates lesson plans, sends them through the arts teachers, and sends an invitation to classroom teachers to co-teach with Bob in their classrooms. For example, recently he sent out a lesson called “Draw the name of your favorite animal” with an invitation: “If you would like me to come and demonstrate this for you in your classroom, send me an email.” Since then, and after visiting five or six schools, similar projects in other classrooms are popping up. Other teachers are emailing, “We decided to take it on.” “We decided to give it a try.” Find the lesson plan here.

Arts Integration is the Learning

Bob describes the magic that happens in these art rooms and these dance and music and drama rooms. Someone who is trained in art forms—like dance, music, drama, and visual arts—can make magic almost effortlessly. The Arts Integration Endorsement offers teachers just enough to know it's important to know that it can be magic, but when they get back to the classroom by themselves, it feels… “Oh, what did they say?” “What did they do?”  “What was that exactly? I don't know that I'm super skilled yet.” 

Making bite-size chunks means that integrating the arts feels easy to use: draw every day! Turn on a video tutorial—teachers don’t have to be an artist or the teaching artist for this skill—students can work on developing hand-eye coordination, creating visual connections to a topic, and from there teachers can move right into writing. Instead of only drawing on Fun Friday, begin each week with a meaningful drawing project centered on a learning topic for the week, and add details to it every day. Then, when the class gets to Friday, students can write a paper about the week’s topic. Because they will have drawn out connections already, students will have so much more to write about. 

Bringing Creativity, Problem Solving, and Collaboration into STEM Through Arts 

STEM means that teachers demonstrate the inherent overlap between multiple content areas: students really understand the application of math, they can visualize effects of science on evolving societies, they can comprehend a cause and effect visually and environmentally. By adding the arts to those content areas, connections light up. 

Teachers can give students an arts tool and a topic to discuss or explore or create. For example: when studying measurement, teachers can help students incorporate math through musical rhythms or visual patterns; incorporate science as students define words and sing vocabulary. The arts enliven STEM.  STEM subjects are inherently creative: adding the arts creates added value to understanding STEM. 

Building arts skills helps students think about questions like, “How can I represent this idea?” “How can I show my thinking?” “What tools can I use to communicate my ideas to others?” These are 21st century skills: successful adults are able to represent their ideas and communicate them with others. 

One-Page List of SEEd and Arts Standards to Facilitate Arts Integration 

Bob shares an important example about his experience coordinating with his science team about the new SEEd standards in Utah: “Many of the arts integrators who are doing amazing arts integrated projects were curious about the alignment. ‘Can I still do landforms with fourth grade?’ So I asked our science educator, “Break these down for me.” And she started breaking them down. I still kept thinking, Oh, this is like 100 pages of standards. So I kept working, breaking it down until I just had a one page summary of each grade’s science curriculum. I put the science standards side-by-side with that grade’s arts standards, so now teachers can see a clear summary of the big objectives of the SEEd and arts standards alignment.”

Bob offers a single takeaway for teachers regarding SEEd standards: choose a specific phenomenon and use the arts to explore it. For example, look at animals that change color and ask a question.

• “What's the science behind it?”
• “What meaning is there behind it?”
• “How can we capture that and represent different aspects of that in the art form?”

Once students find their passion, curiosity, and excitement and after they have “embraced it in their body through movement or through drama, through visual art, or singing about this interesting thing,” teachers can add in the teaching elements.

Collaboration between Arts Educators and Classroom Teachers is Key for Arts Integration in STEM

Bob explains, “Share those big rocks and those big essential standards that you are trying to really hit home in your classroom with your arts educator. The job of your arts teacher is to build skills in your students. In your collaboration with them, the arts teacher will make visible what your students are capable of in that art form. Then you are going to see some natural connections.”

He continues, “It's so amazing to see principals giving time to the arts educators to collaborate with the classroom teachers. If you're a classroom teacher who wants the support of an arts teacher, or an arts teacher who wants to connect more deeply in the classroom, make a plan together. Talk to your principal and say, “Can we set up a regular time to meet so I can check in regularly to see how my kids are evolving in this art form in the art room.” When the arts educator and classroom teacher have that opportunity for side-by-side time, they can really make it purposeful with these big rocks—the essential standards—to really make connections and nail inquiry-based learning for the students.

Bob shares an example of what this arts collaboration looks like using the SEEd phenomena of rocks. For example, a classroom teacher wants to use watercolor for different types of rock like sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. This teacher thinks, “Watercolor would be a great way to explore a type of rock. But I don't have time to teach them how to watercolor. That will take extra time.” The arts educator can (or already has) built those skills in the visual arts classroom, then the classroom teacher can get right to the integration part because those art skills are already the foundation for the exploration. 
A Story of How the Arts in the Classroom Allow Teachers to Truly See a Student's Point of View 

The arts are fun, plain and simple. For example, put a box of scarves in the middle of the classroom: colorful, beautiful scarves. Teachers can say, “Kids! Explore these for just a minute.”  Students fiddle with it for just a second. Pretty soon, they're tossing it high in the air and catching it, and laughing and giggling.

Then teachers can say, “Now, I want you to show me the water cycle through these scarves.” Or, “I want you to show me the plant life cycle through these scarves.”

Bob shares what might happen: “Students look at this play thing. They have to reimagine it as a seed, a sprout, a leaf, a flower; or they have to somehow turn it into clouds, precipitation, rivers and oceans. That critical thinking is huge. But it's fun! It's so amazing to see teachers light up when their kids get it when they are smiling and having fun and creating and coloring and they're having a blast.”

The arts are good for the soul. In Bob’s words: “I was sharing drawing skills and telling teachers to ‘Draw with your kids all the time!’ One teacher did a typical Valentine's activity. Each student had a paper heart. Inside the heart, the teacher wanted them to draw meaningful things: what the students loved, what they cared about. The teacher drew her dog, she drew her kids, she drew her family, she drew her favorite place to go. She told her first-grade kids to ‘Go ahead!’ 

A boy started scribbling black and brown.

He was always the kid who was told,  ‘Be quiet.’ ‘Stop touching other things.’ ‘Stop touching your neighbor.’ ‘Sit back down in your seat.’

The teacher was really close to telling him to stop, get a new paper, you're doing it wrong. But! She had learned from watching her school’s art teacher to ask the kids to give a description. For example, ‘So, tell me about your work.’

And she said to this student using black and brown inside his Valentine’s heart, ‘Okay, talk to me about how you're coloring yours.’

And he said, “I'm coloring like this because that's what's in my heart. Everybody hates me and everybody thinks I'm doing a bad job.”

Her heart broke. She realized, ‘Yeah, I have been doing that.’

That boy’s permission to express himself with just a few crayons and a drawing allowed his teacher to see into her student, looking beyond the walls that sometimes show up as rambunctious energy and misbehavior. She saw a kid who just wants to connect with people. The arts are a tool for social emotional learning, good for our emotional well-being, and are a safe space to express ourselves.”

Accelerated Learning Happens When Arts Are in the Classroom

These stories illuminate the way that the arts play a role in teachers’ authentic assessment of students’ personal needs and their academic journey. Through student drawings, tableaus, movement, written words, and the songs that they create and sing, students show how they’re doing, what they need socially, and how they grasp the standards. This relational, observational data that really helps teachers capitalize on student needs.

The arts give teachers permission to let children be children and explore. Teachers guide explorative learning by introducing a purpose. Students can work on interpretation and the expression of learning. 

Arts-Integrated Classrooms Save Time

Often teachers say, ”Oh, we don't have enough time to do art.” Bob tells them, “You don't have enough time not to do art.” Here’s why: the accelerated learning that happens when teachers bring the arts in—and the connection that sticks with kids—is going to stay with them so much longer than mere regurgitation. Reminding teachers that the arts are not one more thing, but a different, beautiful way to teach that gets students excited, allows for play, and allows for creating and learning in a meaningful way.

Bob concludes: “We look at programs that need our attention: literacy, math skills. But if we really look at the heart of where students are actively engaged, really paying attention, and excited about what they're learning, it's in the arts rooms. When we find that beautiful balance of building students’ skills in the arts room, helping the classroom teachers see those arts skills that their students now have and giving teachers a few tips on how to employ that skill—then, classroom learning happens on a deeper level. That’s a win.

Share this podcast with colleagues! Please subscribe to the Artful Teaching podcast on your favorite platform: Amazon, Google, Spotify, Pandora. We would love to have you as a subscriber. You can also subscribe to our blog or our newsletter or updates on our Native American Curriculum Initiative. We love sharing our tips and tricks for arts integration in the classroom with you.

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• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
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• The Arts Educate the Whole Child

An Unusual Route to Becoming a Visual Arts Educator

“Being in the arts endorsement course saved my life.”

Marie Mattinson, visual arts educator at Edgemont Elementary School, is this week’s guest. Marie graduated with a bachelor's in psychology. She worked as a PE teacher and loved working as an aide for an autistic student. She completed the requirements for a teaching license while teaching part time (including special ed math, third-grade, and after-school programs). After teaching third-grade full-time for 12 years, Marie hit burnout because of testing and expectations. Colleagues

Lisa Gardner and Diane Ames convinced her to enroll in the BYU ARTS Partnership’s Arts Integration Endorsement program. “Being in the arts endorsement course  saved my life, really. I was happy again. I was happy to be with the kids and as I was happier, and we were creating things together in all art forms the kids were happy, and it created a cycle of everybody being better and happier.”

After being hired as a visual art teacher, Marie earned her master's in Art Education. She works to integrate science and math into the visual arts curriculum in all kinds of ways. Marie is a recent recipient of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson’s Legacy Award for Excellence in arts education for elementary visual arts instruction in the state of Utah.

An Arts-Integrative Pedagogy Actively Engages Struggling Students

Marie shares how the arts deeply impacted the learning of her own child: 
“My son was struggling with long-term memory, retrieval, processing and comprehension. His comprehension is really low. He has ADHD and I just watched him crumble as a first grader. As a second grader, he struggled to write and stay engaged; he hated school, he cried every day. PJ day was the best day because it was the one day we didn't have to have a tantrum about clothes. We had tantrums about everything else.

When he learned his vowels, he was in Miss Gardner's class. They learned through songs, so he can decode and read so well because of music. Then in third grade, our music teacher taught him multiplication through songs, and he can do multiplication because of songs. His French third-grade teacher used movement and dance, (she was also in the Arts Integration Endorsement class) and he learned French that way, because he's in the French immersion program. 

Then, I realized that I needed to be more patient and engage all the kids because if my kid was struggling, I needed to be a better teacher and be more patient. I watched him do so many things that he couldn't control. Instead of, ‘Why won't you just sit and listen?’ ‘Why won't you just do this?’ He can't. Before my lived experience with my son, I didn't realize that kids who struggle with ADHD and other things, they can't. They don't mean to be like that. Yet, the pedagogy that creates confidence in learning, connections, and success are the arts.”

Educate the Whole Child: Teach Social-Emotional Skills

Marie is passionate about educating the whole child. Students need to learn the skill of knowing how to care for other people, be empathetic and good listeners. Marie believes these skills are just as important as any academic curriculum you could ever put in front of them. Many lessons in her third-grade classroom focus on people: “Let’s look at cultures, let’s look at who is in our class. How can we learn more about them? How can we represent their beliefs and their interests in an authentic, empathetic way that celebrates them?” 

For example, including this social-emotional learning during math class: students can practice empathy and listening skills, collaboration skills. When students start breaking down or showing frustration because the math concept isn’t landing, teachers can help support that student’s emotions first, then work together on the math concept: “It all matters.”

Using Art to Celebrate Diversity and Create Culturally-Responsive Classrooms: Puzzling Out Students’ Ancestral Countries

Marie’s school is extremely diverse: the French dual-immersion teachers hail from Rwanda, Spain, Austria, Ukraine, Switzerland, Morocco, and two are from France; students are comprised of all different socio-economic backgrounds and neighborhoods, and include a lot of second-language learners, and students from Columbia, Brazil, Uruguay, Congo, and Haiti. 

Second graders are given a puzzle piece made from paper. They find out which country their ancestors came from. Students learn about their ancestors, where they came from: students find a picture of a monument or landmark from that country. Marie helps each of her 650 students—some of whom are first-generation immigrants—make a contour line of the monument on their puzzle piece, paint a value-scale, and fit all the puzzle pieces together. A discussion is next: “students talk about how different and diverse we all are, and yet! We all fit together, and we live together. We can share these great things with each other.”

Arts Educator Collaborates with Classroom Teachers

Because Marie was first a classroom teacher before becoming a visual art educator, her collaboration with classroom teachers carries weight: “When I say, ‘I promise, trust me, this is going to work and it's going to engage your kids and you will be happier,’ teachers believe me. I do a lot of the work for them in the beginning. In fact, I dragged them. I've dragged a lot of people along. I'm happy to do it, because it takes a few years. I think one of the fifth-grade teachers, she took over one of the integrated projects that we'd been doing and did it on her own in her classroom. I mean, how great is that? She's doing it herself now.”

Successful STEM Arts-Integration Collaborations: The Importance of Planning Ahead

As the arts educator who chooses projects and curriculum and teaches visual art skills Monday-Thursday, sometimes teachers ask Marie, “Hey, we're learning this in science, do you think you could do that in your classroom? and I'll respond, “I'll see if I can fit it in, or no, we've got to do that on a Friday.” Fridays are for integrated projects—sometimes students spend two hours in the art room making clay ocarinas as part of an integrated project to complement the classroom curriculum.

Co-teaching is an effective way to integrate the arts with STEM: the classroom teacher reminds the students what was talked about in science or math and asks, “Why is that working?” Marie asks questions to relate the science or math topic to a visual art theme, so that the kids find the connections between the art and the science, or the art and the math.  

Marie explains the value of co-teaching, planning, and arts integration with STEM: “Why are we doing this? We could make a pretty picture if we wanted to, but that's not our goal. Our goal is to help students understand science. What is art doing to help you understand science or social studies? As other teachers see the artwork go up around the school, they talk and they're like, ‘How do we get in there? How do we get scheduled?’ And I say, ‘Well, we have to sit and plan because if we don't sit and plan, it ends up being me doing a whole bunch of extra artwork.’”

Strengthen Student Learning by Inviting Various Art-Form Educators to Co-Create with Classroom Teachers

Professional development with arts integration strengthens student learning by cultivating arts skills and offering resources to teachers. The BYU ARTS Partnership sends a music educator, a drama educator, a dance educator, or a different visual art educator, to Marie’s school. The school’s teachers decide which units are not as strong or lacking some sort of integration with any art form. We send those ideas to those arts educators and they come with prepared lessons and ideas on how to integrate those. The arts educators work with each and talk them through the lesson and help create the unit’s lessons. The educators practice the lessons so that the classroom teachers feel more confident. Ideas start flowing from the teachers: “Oh, maybe I could do this!” “This gives me a little bit of a start.” The best part about this process is that the classroom teachers didn't have to come up with it all on their own, since classroom teachers are always short on time. The synergy among the classroom teachers, whole grade-level teams, and the arts educators creates a beautiful synergy of ideas and a product that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Amy Rosenvall is the district science educator who is part of this research. Amy says, “Well, the science piece actually means this. So how can we really make it authentic science and art?” So integration isn’t, “Here's this art project that represents the science, but the art is actually doing the science.”

Research Shows 100% Engagement in Science + Arts Lessons

For Marie’s master degree, she created a capstone study focusing on the ecosystems unit from the sixth-grade curriculum. She integrated every art form into that entire unit. Marie explains: “The data showed 100% engagement, every single time, whenever we integrated with an art form. This is a class that had 70% low economic status, seven IEPs out of 18 students, three students with autism. I think maybe three were gifted, which has their own needs to be challenged. So very, it was a really challenging class with 100% engagement. One particular student struggled with depression—his head was down on the desk all the time. Yet, he danced with Mr. Roberts, he painted with me, he did music with Mrs. Lee, and he did drama with Mr. Roberts. Even if the effort had been to engage this one depressed student, it is totally worth it.” 

Classroom Teachers Do Not Have to Be Arts Experts

Marie shares a story about her experience with an art form she isn’t strong in: “In the Arts Integration Endorsement, I loved the singing—I struggle with singing, I'm not confident. I remember one time when I was teaching third grade, I was trying to teach my students a song. They said, “Mrs. M, can you just go get the music teacher?” I was like, “No, thanks a lot.” I remember Jen Purdy saying “You don't have to sing to do music.” That gave me confidence. Likewise, dance and drama don’t have to be a production. The integration endorsement was eye-opening: I learned to engage people in all the art forms without having expertise in all the art forms. When my students learned about ecosystems with the music, they didn't sing, they followed the flow of energy while Mrs. Lee ate a piece of cheese, drank some water, started playing her cello, and began walking around. It was incredible. Then students played the cups and did rhythms. Arts integration is much more than just being an expert in one form of art.

Because arts integration can create 100% engagement in the classroom, students deserve the arts. They deserve engaged learning—not the non-interactional learning that happens when reading a book and answering questions on a Chromebook—but the kind that happens when the class reads together and has a discussion, the kind that happens when Marie’s daughter sits in the backseat of the car and says,  “Mom, did you know this about molecules?” And I was like, “How did you know that?” Because Mr. Robertson taught us and we were bumping around and we were doing that.” This is the kind of learning that fills students’ cups, reduces isolation, increases engagement, and creates shared learning. The arts are socially interacting, collaborating, letting us see our humaneness.  

Artful Teaching is Vital for Teachers’ Sanity + Resilience

Marie tells a story of collaborating with a former middle-school math teacher who came to elementary school because of licensing issues. This teacher had taught only math for years and years. Marie explains: “She was terrified of literacy and I said, ‘No, no, literacy can be fun. I also struggled in the beginning. But teaching can be fun. We just need to integrate.’ She said, ‘I don't know…What about Disney shorts? Those are empathetic. They always have a lesson and they're engaging. They're colorful, you can teach all of the art forms, and you can get so much out of literacy.’  After watching the shorts, I came in and I taught and the class did a mind map of three different Disney shorts. Then she just said, ‘I didn't know literacy could be fun for me. This is the first time this entire year I've been excited to come to school. Because I can't wait to share this with the kids. And it's fun. It's a fun way to do literacy.’

How to mind-map:

• Mind Mapping with Tony Buzan (video)
• Mind Maps for Kids: An Introduction (book)
• The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Unlock Your Brain’s Untapped Potential (book)

Disney short films for mind-mapping:

• Lou (requires fee to watch)
• For the Birds

Disney is good at making social issues feel applicable and personal—students can empathize with topics like a lost sweater in “Lou.” Incorporating media arts into literacy and social-emotional learning becomes easy when difficult topics become humanized and real. Marie recounts that the teacher struggling with literacy felt surprised that sixth-graders could discuss topics like these, and Marie reminds listeners that third-graders are capable of meaningful conversations about difficult social topics, because it helps them become better people. Tina recalls that a professor of hers “never calls them children, instead she says they're ‘little humans.’ 
They are little and we're all having this experience together. What a beautiful way to think about that.”

Please subscribe to the Artful Teaching podcast on your favorite platform: Amazon, Google, Spotify, Pandora. We would love to have you as a subscriber. You can also subscribe to our blog or our newsletter or updates on our Native American Curriculum Initiative. We love sharing our tips and tricks for arts integration in the classroom with you.

Follow Us for More Arts Resources:

• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
• AdvancingArtsLeadership.com
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify
• Instagram
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Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade-level, art form, or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Today, we have a treat for you—-a sneak peek of what you’ll get at Arts Express Summer Conference from one of our fabulous presenters, Dovie Thomason, a Native American storyteller and author. After we tell you a bit more about Dovie and her experiences, we will share a recording of one of the stories she performed and recorded for the Utah Division of Arts and Museums in 2020, titled “Frog’s Teeth.” 

The Story Behind the Story “Frog’s Teeth”

This story comes from a series titled “Stories Grandma Told Me.” This is not a story Dovie heard from her grandma. It was a story given to her when she was the mother of a child beginning to lose their teeth. The person who gave Dovie this story received it from her father’s traditions as part of the Oneida First Nation in Ontario, Canada. 

We thank Jean Tokuda Irwin and our partners at the Utah Division of Arts and Museums for granting permission to use this recording and for introducing us to Dovie and sponsoring her at Arts Express this summer as a keynote speaker and presenter. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGD_KkI4Ibg

Dovie Thomason Biography 

Coming from the rich oral tradition of her Lakota and Plains Apache family, Dovie Thomason has had a lifetime of listening and telling the traditional Native stories that are the cultural “heartsong” of community values and memory. Both wise and mischievous, Dovie unfolds the layers of her indigenous worldview and teachings with respect, sly humor and rich vocal transformations. 

When she adds personal stories and untold histories, the result is a contemporary narrative of Indigenous North America told with elegance, wit, and passion. Her programs are a heartfelt sharing of Native stories she has had the privilege of hearing from Elders of many nations and are woven with why we need stories, how stories are a cultural guide in shaping values and making responsible choices, how stories build communities and celebrates our relationship with the Earth and all living beings. 

The oral tradition she gifts to listeners inspires delight in spoken language arts, encourages reading, supports literacy, can be used in classrooms to motivate better writing as students experience storytelling techniques, literary devices and effective communication. All of this takes place while they are exploring their own narratives and family values. Dovie has represented the U.S. as the featured storyteller throughout the world. 

In 2015, she was honored as the storyteller-writer in residence at the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture at the University of Manitoba in Canada. Dovie has used her storytelling to advise the UCLA Film School on narrative in modern film, NASA on indigenous views of technology, the Smithsonian Associates’ Scholars Program and the premier TEDx Leadership Conference. Her role as a traditional cultural artist and educator has been honored by the National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE: Circle of Excellence Award and the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers’ Traditional Storyteller Award.

Links Mentioned: 

• Register for Arts Express
• Dovie Thomason’s Website
• More stories by Dovie on the Utah Division of Arts and Museums YouTube Channel
  • “Turtle Learns to Fly”
  • “Dog’s Tails”
  • “Bear Child”

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By the end of the NACI PD course teachers will be able to

• Honor and analyze their own culture and Native American cultures by creating a [artistic artifact] that explores culture and identity;
• Empathize with Native American Tribes in Utah by reflecting and synthesizing what they learned while exploring interactive timelines that represent the past and present context of each socially and politically distinct tribe
• Select accurate and authentic resources by practicing strategies for identifying culturally responsible resources
• Articulate their own principles/framework for culturally responsive teaching that elucidates the connections they have made between their own culture, their student’s cultures, their teaching practice, and the NACI model through a written reflection, artistic work, or video presentation.

Each course will be moderated by a facilitator from the BYU ARTS Partnership Leadership Team. You are given one year to complete the course.

The course is available for teachers publically beginning June 7th, 2022. You can register for the course on MIDAS for USBE or relicensure credit or email artspartnership@byu.edu for more details. 

Heather Francis and Brenda Beyal speak with two artists from the Turtle Island Art Collective, Crystal Begay and Alan Groves. Crystal is an artist who specializes in Plains Indian-style moccasins. Alan is a teacher and artist who works with quilt work and beadwork. The Turtle Island Art Collective’s mission is to empower Indigenous artists, showcase Indigenous artists, and inspire Indigenous youth.

How Did the Turtle Island Art Collective Come to Be?

In a suburban or urban area, it can be difficult for native children to learn about their traditional culture and develop an identity as an Indigenous person. Art is a non-threatening way that they can learn about their traditions and cultures.

There are two parts to the Collective’s Mission Statement: One is to provide a space for Indigenous, specifically Native-American, artists in the digital realm. The second is to try to empower native kids and connect them with artists who have similar stories.

“It is hard growing up in an urban area where you are removed from your cultural heritage,” Crystal said. “Children do not see it every day. They don’t learn it in school. They’re not learning the language in school. Through the creation, sharing and learning about Native American art, they are better able to live their cultural heritage. The Turtle Island Art Collective is a vehicle for this exposure and empowerment.”

How Art Helps to Connect to Our Culture

Alan describes how difficult it can be to grow up where there are not many other Indigenous people. He was drawn to art. His first love was graffiti art. “It had meaning. They were saying something,” he said.

As he began having his own children, he and his wife talked about what they want for their children and they came to the conclusion that art is the way they could help them connect to their people and to their culture. “That’s my draw to Native American art. There is a story behind the colors you use and the patterns you use and the images you use. There is a definite story there.”

Offerings and Reciprocity

How does reciprocity occur between Native American artists or between artists and those who enjoy and learn from their art? Is it possible to exchange artistically in a way that is mutually beneficial to both parties? Can artists truly reciprocate by responding to a positive action with another positive action?

There is a lot of effort, love, and pain that goes into the creation of Native American art. Supporting artists can be a way to reciprocate – supporting financially and, in return, obtaining a piece of culture and art. But, a question comes to mind, “What is appropriate to pay Native American artists?”

Alan acknowledged that some create art and are desirous and able to make a living from it and that the decision to do so is up to each individual artist. Because of the time and care that goes into creating these works, Alan generally chooses to gift his art, after he gets to know somebody, at least to some extent. “And that’s been one of the blessings of actually doing it through digital means is that people can message me from around the country and share their story with me,” he said. The reciprocity comes from the learning about each other and creating from those stories.  

Trading can also be a meaningful and rewarding way to experience reciprocity. One artist may trade work for the work of another artist. One artist may trade natural goods to be used in art for the works of another artist. Lives and stories are shared.

When Alan first started creating two years ago, somebody traded him a box of porcupine quills that were already dyed. “A big giant box had thousands and thousands of quills in it. But they're all mixed up. There's thirteen colors, and they're all mixed up. And so I'm sitting there at my table sorting quills. And my daughter just sits down next to me. She's in high school. She just sat down next to me and she's like, ‘Do you need some help?’ And I'm like, ‘Sure.’” 

He recalled that his daughter sorted the whole box, taking her the entire summer, “We would just sit down and I would start making stuff and she would start sorting stuff. And then when we got done, we had all these bags full of quills. And then we got done and I said, ‘Okay, what do you want?’ And she said, ‘I want one of these medallions you've been making.’ Well, that was two years ago and so I finished it yesterday and I gave it to her today and she was so excited. But the idea is this idea of offerings, that when somebody does something for you, that you can't do for yourself, then you provide them with an offering. And it can be big and it can be small.”

Native-Inspired vs The Inspired Native

It has been a widely accepted idea to be inspired by Native art. We have seen beaded garments at Walmart, geometric designs inspired by Native symbols on pottery and homes, mass-produced dream-catchers, figurines, and t-shirts with pan-tribal representation of Native culture. But, times have shifted. Crystal said, “I think it’s important for Native artists to have a voice.” Now, we are inspired ourselves. We don’t just need representation in media or consumer products, we need space to represent ourselves the way we want to be represented. 

There was a time when the United States tried to take the Native American culture away through legislation during the period of allotment and assimilation. This period of Native American relations in the United States was a huge failure. Following this failure came the period of self-determination beginning in the 1970s. At this time, representation of any Native American idea, person, or tradition—authentic or not—in American life may have been applauded. 

But again, times have been changing, according to Alan. Now, we are realizing it is important to not just represent the culture, but to represent it in accurate and authentic ways—the way native individuals and distinct tribal groups would like to be represented. “It’s not enough to be a mascot of a team,” he said. Alan said he wants to share what it means to be him through his art. “The story I’m telling is my story now,” he said.

Communal Success

Even those of us who are non-Native can feel connected to and inspired by Native art. Communal success comes when artists and those who support the artists are working together so that the art benefits all of our lives, whether we are Native artists or not.

According to Alan, this success comes when you find your right way to give to your community. This goes beyond purchasing a t-shirt with a Native American print on it: “You’re just taking the art without taking the lessons to go with it,” he said. When teaching art to students, the teaching is more about just the art: it is about the stories and lessons that live with the art. It is about the interaction that comes with the process of creating art. Communal success can occur when artists are engaging in positive ways with Native communities. 

Supporting the Turtle Island Art Collective can also help create this communal success. As native and non-native children get more exposure to Native art,  this success and connection will carry over to them and their stories.

Resources

• Turtle Island Art Collective Website https://turtleislandartcollective.square.site/
• Turtle Island Art Collective Instagram https://www.instagram.com/turtle_island_art_collective/?hl=en
• Turtle Island Art Collective Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TurtleIslandArtCollective/
• Alan Groves Instagram @al_groves https://www.instagram.com/al_groves/
• Crystal BegayeInstagram @creativenativeboutique https://www.instagram.com/creativenativeboutique/

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Story is a theme in the lesson plans that have been developed about the hoop dance.  The hoop dance is a way of storytelling. As students learn about the dance, they will be learning about stories and that words are not the only means to telling stories. Each Hoop Dance comes from a different background, different history and, often, a different family.

According to Jamie, one story that has been told through the dance is about an eaglet that is born and then the eaglet is discovering the world. In the dance, students will see the nest and that the eaglet is discovering its wings and then discovering nature. It illustrates, through movement and shapes, how the eagle grows and develops to adulthood. Each hoop that is added illustrates the eagle growing.

Kelina describes how many Hoop Dances show ways to take care of the earth and our gratitude for nature and the earth. The shapes that hoop dancers make represent flowers, animals, and the spiritual aspects of the earth. Dancers pay tribute to the spirits of the beautiful world. In Kelina’s experiences with her family members and hoop dancing, they always finish with two worlds – one that we live in now and one that is the spiritual world.

The hoop dance is a healing dance for those who are dancing and for those who are watching. Even though it has changed over time, the healing aspect of the dance remains constant. Each story is unique – they are passed down from generation to generation. There is a connection to history, to lineage.

BYU ARTS Partnership’s Collaboration on Hoop Dance Lesson Plans – Learning about Native Culture

Kelina described the great conversations that have come about as lessons have been planned surrounding the hoop dance. These conversations help educators know how to teach hoop. One of Kelina’s favorite things is the way to talk about the circle, the hoop in general, the sacredness of it and how kids can see the visuals with hoop. Hoop is using the body to tell stories. Kids can create with different shapes through learning about the dance and being exposed to the history of the dance.

Emily tells about how, over the course of a year, one lesson plan has been published and others are in development. Possibly the most important question that has come out of this process is about the appropriateness for children to learn to hoop dance.

The hoop dance has been performed by many tribal nations across North America. It is a sacred dance and it is meant to be shared by different native cultures. Generally, Native Americans should be the only ones to participate in hoop dance.

If My Students Can’t Learn Hoop Dance, What Am I Going to Teach Them?

Because it is not appropriate for non-Native Americans to participate in the actual hoop dance because of its sacredness, educators might wonder what they can do to teach about the dance.

The dance does not have to be a participatory experience in order for the students to learn. Being an observer is a great learning experience. Within the approved lesson plans, learners participate in the interactive lessons.

As educators, we know the importance of kinesthetic and play learning. The four Hoop Dance lesson plans span four artforms and encourage movement, shape, thinking, storytelling, and dance.

Resources

Native American Lesson Plans - www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

Native American Curriculum Initiative Blog Posts - https://byuartspartnershipblog.org/category/native-american/

BYU Living Legends - https://pam.byu.edu/ensembles/living-legends/

Living Legends Hoop Dance Film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQBJcWGHJro

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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade-level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

Five Native American Tribal Groups in Utah

First, the hosts define what it means to be a “tribe.’ There are five tribal groups in Utah; within those tribal groups are eight sovereign nations. Cally shares a pneumonic device: “SUNG-P” that helps her remember the names of the five tribes: Shoshone, Ute, Navajo, Goshute and Paiute. The Navajo and Shoshone want to be called Nations; the others—Goshute, Ute, and Paiute—want to be called Tribes. These three groups have two sovereign nations each, which makes eight sovereign nations total in Utah when added to the Navajo and the Shoshone.

What is a Sovereign Nation?
Heather, Cally, Stephanie, and Brenda discuss the various meanings and layers of a sovereign nation. To Brenda, sovereignty is having the ability to self-govern, much like states self- govern themselves. While the definition of sovereignty denotes a nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government, Stephanie reminds us that sovereignty existed long before colonizers came to North America. Over time, the definition of sovereignty has evolved due to changing laws and attitudes. 

Why Sovereignty Matters to Indigenous People

574 sovereign nations exist in the United States, eight of which are in Utah. However,over 200 more tribes are seeking federal recognition through a long and elaborate process. Sovereignty is important because it provides access to resources and funds, but most importantly, it provides opportunity for reclamation and recognition. 

The Utah Flag bears an outdated representation of the tribes of Utah. When it was created in the 19th century, Utah was home to six tribes,represented by an eagle with six arrows in its beak. Now, since the Bannock Tribe has been relocated to Idaho, there are only five tribes. Heather hopes the flag will offer a more accurate representation of Utah’s native tribes when officials completed its redesign..

The hosts explain that the money Native Americans receive towards healthcare and scholarships is treaty money. This money was given by the federal government as a compromised remuneration in exchange for Native land, and was probably under-negotiated at the outset. A current Supreme Court ruling allows for abrogation of Native treaties, or the modification of treaties over time without the consent of the relevant indigenous group: every single Native American treaty has been changed over time, often without the consent of Native Americans. To summarize: previously negotiated funding is not a gift; it comes at a price. 

Land Acknowledgements: What is a land acknowledgement? How do I make one?

Another way listeners can move toward reciprocity and restitution is by practicing the act of land acknowledgement. Understanding that the definition of Native land is complex and includes three sometimes distinct types (tribal, reservation, and ancestral), land acknowledgement is the awareness and appreciation of the ancestral lands of a group of people who were caretakers much further back than our ancestors were. Brenda shares an example of a land acknowledgement in this episode and in this blog post.

As part of a land acknowledgement, offer a pledge to be a thoughtful steward by sharing specific ways that my family will help care for the land: pick up trash, or donate to a program that helps spread awareness about environmental consciousness, contributing to a scholarship fund for people whose ancestors were once on this land.

In an effort to create awareness, activate empathy, and learn the beautiful principles that the Native people have to teach us about caring for our land, the BYU ARTS Partnership regularly offers land acknowledgements at conferences and professional development meetings.can. Brenda and Cally remind listeners that although mistakes and injustices have been made in the past, we live in a time when we can make a difference. We don’t have to look back and feel shame, but rather we can propagate a spirit of unity that propels us forward towards reciprocity and restitution. We can help Native people reclaim their history and heritage now by communicating, validating, and honoring their feelings and stories.  

Learn about tribal land, reservation land, and ancestral land.

Native land includes tribal land, reservation land, and ancestral land. Sometimes these things are the same, and sometimes they’re not. Tribal lands include lands that tribes bought back from the federal government. Reservation land is federal land set aside for tribal use and legal jurisdiction through the recognition of the federal government. Ancestral land includes land on which native peoples used to live; these lands are often difficult to reclaim due to the forcible removal of native peoples from their ancestral land in the 1800’s. For example, some tribes’ ancestral lands are in the SouthEast, but their current tribal lands are in an entirely different location. Those tribes have lost their ancestral land, which often had fluid borders. 

Find more information on this topic at our blog post titled “Utah Native Nations Fact Sheet: Five Tribes Eight Nations”.

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.

Chris Roberts, Provo City School District Arts Coordinator and Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Integration Coach, became involved in the Native American Curriculum Initiative when he and Brenda Beyal connected while teaching together in Nebo School District. Brenda and Chris’s “creative discontent” with teaching the same way everyone else did inspired them to do something more for children. They asked: “What is best for the students in our classrooms?” and “What will help them to become global citizens?” Together, they developed a multi-age program for students based on the arts and environmental education. 

Native American Content at Arts Express Summer Conference for Elementary Teachers

Shared ideas about culturally-responsive teaching—specifically around Native American content—shaped Brenda’s and Chris’ presentation ideas at the Arts Express Summer Conference for elementary educators. Their presentation responded specifically to teachers’ questions about how to teach indigenous content appropriately and how to create culturally-responsive classrooms. Teachers developed new confidence and an “opening to a door that they were previously nervous about entering, especially when it comes to culturally-responsive pedagogy.”

Helping Elementary Teachers Create Culturally-Responsive Classrooms

All teachers are doing the best they can with the information and knowledge they possess. When Chris sees a teacher struggling to teach with cultural sensitivity, he asks questions such as, “How did you get the idea for your lesson plan?” or “How do you think a Paiute in your classroom would have reacted to your lesson?” These questions prompt empathy, which is a learning journey that supports understanding and sensitivity.

Teachers must be careful and intentional about the stories they share and the language they use. Chris shares a story about students’ replicated masks of the False Face Society, a healing society from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois people). These masks are meant to represent evil spirits trapped inside of a sick person’s body and members of this society wear them while dancing to scare the evil spirits away. However, because the False Face Society is a very spiritual and sacred healing practice, it is culturally insensitive for teachers to ask their students to create the false face masks themselves.

Brenda continues by sharing how the term “_kiva_” has been used for a long time to represent a central space within a school. However, a “_kiva_” is a spiritual place that the Hopi and Pueblo people use for their sacred ceremonies and their councils. Brenda has met many teachers willing to become allies with the Pueblo and Hopi people to reclaim their voice by letting go of language that is culturally inappropriate and insensitive. She acknowledges that it can be difficult to approach an administrator or a team member to initiate change and understanding, but reminds teachers that being in a place of learning, the environment must allow for learning and changing to continue, especially when “no” is the answer. 

Mistakes Are a Part of Developing Culturally-Responsive Pedagogy

Goodwill, or accepting that others make mistakes, is a NACI guiding principle.  Brenda reminds listeners that from our mistakes, we learn, fix what we can, and move forward. Chris shares a story of a mistake: towards the end of his teaching career, he taught the Bear Dance, which is a special ceremonial dance that represents the awakening of a hibernating bear. He recognizes now that not asking anyone and not contacting the tribe to see if it was culturally appropriate to teach this content was a mistake: now, he knows that this dance is not one that the Ute tribe teaches to those outside their culture. 

As Chris’s story demonstrates, Native American pedagogy sees mistakes as opportunities for learning:the hope of the NACI team is that if someone makes a mistake, that we also recognize their learning, and encourage forward momentum.. The Native American Curriculum initiative will continue to provide context, background information, and accessible culturally-responsive resources to help teachers cultivate an atmosphere of inclusion in their classrooms.

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As the NACI team worked with tribal representatives and other partners across the state, seven principles emerged as a code of conduct and philosophy for how the team and partners engage in the NACI initiative.

1. Embrace Partnership & Reciprocity
The first principle is to embrace partnership and reciprocity. Cally, Brenda, and Heather reflect on an experience with the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Patty Timbimboo Madsen contacted the NACI team, looking for someone that could film the nations annual commemoration ceremony of the Bear River Massacre—the largest single slaughter of Native American lives in American history. Heather reflects on the sacredness of the event and the privilege of helping this tribe reclaim their story. Reciprocity—the act of offering something without expectation of receiving anything back—always leads to receiving more than you give.
 

2. Know Your Own Culture
Knowing your own culture is the second principle: everyone participates in a multifaceted culture with many layers. Taking time to learn and embody our own culture enables confidence and deep listening when learning about other cultures. Developing awareness around the traditions and values of your family’s culture makes it easier to be curious about other groups and how they explore and live those same aspects in different ways.
 

3. Ask with Genuine Intent, Listen Attentively

Asking with genuine intent and listening attentively is the third guiding principle. At the onset of the initiative, the NACI team asked native people, “What would you like the children of Utah to know about your tribe?” Listening with genuine intent and letting go of preconceived answers enabled the team to receive their authentic answer.
 

4. Accepting ‘No’ Gracefully
The fourth principle is accepting the ‘no’ gracefully. Often the NACI team asked questions, hoping for a certain answer but quickly learned that they were in the wrong. Disingenuous conversations or manipulating a ‘yes’ out of someone are not really consent: it’s not a true offering and it’s not a real partnership. Accepting the ‘no’ completely and gracefully empowers both the giver and receiver, opening the door for more meaningful opportunities and conversations.

5. Allow the Time Needed for Authentic Growth

The fifth guiding principle is to allow the time needed for authentic growth. At the outset of her work, Brenda assumed meeting all the tribes in a conference room and asking questions would provide all the content they needed. Three years later, the team still works to build authentic relationships. Trust, understanding, and a willingness to share takes time— there can be no deadlines.
 

6. Importance of Original Sources

Principle number six is the importance of original sources. Using multiple voices and broad perspectives helps the NACI team make sure they are bringing forward accurate and authentic sources in history into the present moment. Seeking authentic voices actively helps establish relationships, balance perspectives, and enrich lesson plans. 

7. Assume Goodwill, Learn from Mistakes

The last principle is to assume goodwill and learn from mistakes. NACI team members gently inform each other of new information so they can learn to do better. Mistake-making is an inevitable aspect of learning for everyone involved: partners, tribal members, and other collaborators are all experiencing a process of trial and error: growing together requires respect and grace from all sides. 

Weaving a Tapestry of Understanding and Collaboration

Bringing the seven guiding principles together into a coherent whole, Brenda shares a memory of her mother, a Diné, Navajo weaver, setting up her loom. The part of the loom holding the vertical threads is called the warp. The warp provides foundational support to the intricate designs created by the weft threads, just as the guiding principles of the Native American Curriculum Initiative act as the warp of the tapestry that their team is weaving. Every part of the NACI, whether it’s working with artists, tribal nations, or partners like UEN or USBE, is woven through these guiding principles that help amplify native voices. Cally hopes the guiding principles will help others move forward, weaving a tapestry of understanding and reciprocal relationships in cultural situations.

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Brenda Beyal, a Navajo Diné educator, formally introduces herself in Navajo by establishing her relationships with those who are listening and letting them know that her roots run deep in history and ancestry. Brenda grew up on the Navajo reservation, graduated from high school in a small town, and received a Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University. She taught at Reese Elementary school for 34 years and now works with the BYU ARTS Partnership.

What is the Native American Curriculum Initiative?

At Reese Elementary, she worked with a team that created a multi-age section of the school, which they called mahopa: a Lakota word meaning interconnectedness. Early on, she and her team realized that it is essential for children to learn using all of their senses. Being outdoors and making art are primary ways to learn through sensory input. After her retirement, Brenda connected with Cally Flox and the BYU ARTS Partnership, and she currently serves as the program director for the Native American Curriculum Initiative, helping connect all children with authentic Native content through the arts.

Amplifying the Native Voice to Help Teachers Create Culturally-Responsive Classrooms

Brenda’s passion is “looking for ways to help teachers understand the importance of an equitable education” by building relationships, having conversations, and laying the groundwork for changing attitudes and deepening perspectives. She has "a great interest—if not a deep sense of urgency—that we bring the native voice into the classroom; that we allow for reclamation; and that we make the ground fertile, for kids to feel confident and be able to express themselves honestly and authentically because of the honest and authentic curriculum that reaches them, their inner person.”

One goal of the BYU ARTS Partnership is to amplify teacher voices. When Brenda found bias in some of the ARTS Partnership’s lesson plans, Cally gave her a platform to build her leadership skills, let her voice be heard, and help amplify her message. Brenda’s mission to create culturally-responsive classrooms resonated with many teachers who were concerned and scared of using culturally-sensitive material in their classrooms. Understanding how important this topic is to educators across the state, Cally Flox and Jean Tokuda Irwin funded a project to uncover and research the questions many teachers were asking.

Brenda proposed questions that teachers could ask themselves to develop a more culturally-responsive pedagogy, including “Am I reinforcing stereotypes?” Or, “Am I homogenizing culture?. These relevant and timeless questions created a foundation for the Native American Curriculum Initiative.

Differences in tribal norms, reactions, and preferences prevented Cally and Brenda from offering specific or standard answers about what could or could not be taught in classrooms: various tribes responded very differently to the same question. The formative questions for initiating conversations became: “What do you want the children to know about you and about your tribe?” and “What do you want me to know about you to help me be your teacher?”

Native American Themed Arts-integrated Lesson Plans

Chris Roberts helped Brenda and her team develop a plan to support culturally-responsive classrooms by recognizing a lack of appropriate lesson plans available to teachers. Creating a tribal seal of approval for lesson plans officially certifies that the lesson material is approved by the original source. Team members Emiliy Soderborg and Rachel Gonthier collaborate with state-wide partners and tribal representatives to continue answering the question, “What do you want Utah children to know about your tribe?” Brenda was always shocked at Cally’s willingness to invest so much time and money on this project. Brenda was hesitant to spend many hours on culturally appropriate Native curriculum materials and wondered if this was an important enough issue to justify spending BYU’s money and “white people’s” time.

To this, Cally responds: “Each one of us, as we find our voice, will continue to question: do I have something of value? Or do I not? Brenda had her personal journey of when or does her personal voice matter or not…Her question, ‘Is this voice worthy of white people's money?’ The simple answer is: our entire society will be blessed and will benefit from increasing our understanding of each other, and from creating a society where there is more love, more understanding, more acceptance, more listening. It isn't a white people or a brown people issue. It's a humanity issue.” 

Promoting Native Teaching Artists for Elementary Education Classrooms

True partnership exists when each member of the partnership gains or offers equal fruits. The Native American Curriculum Initiative provides a strong foundation for other recent creative projects that naturally evolve from the desire to amplify native voices. Promoting Native artists on a section of the Utah teaching artist roster allows teachers and community programs across the state access to authentic Native experiences and cultural presentations. The ARTS Partnership also connects teachers, students, and other individuals to Native culture and art forms through relationships with artists like Jamie Kamala Wood and BYU Living Legends, Lorraine Mariano, Michelle Reyes, and Connor Chee. 

Native American Collaboration with BYU ARTS Partnership

When we engage in a partnership, “We don't get to decide how it benefits each partner. What we know is that each partner's voice gets to be heard, so that their needs are being met.” For non-Native community members, this means the need to develop deeper understanding in order to stop making mistakes is as great as the need of Native Americans to be heard and have a voice. 

According to Cally, the story of the birth of NACI demonstrates that all voices matter, individual needs evolve, and each person’s opportunities, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges bring value to a partnership. A true partnership is where members are acknowledged, heard, and valued: true partnership goes beyond just having a seat at the table.

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Don’t forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts, and more. Search by grade level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

First, an example of a teacher studying their own practice of self-care. A seasoned teacher at the end of her career is discovering burnout. She turns to self-study to determine how a practice of self-care can help her handle the stress of life and a teaching career with greater resilience. She worked with a critical friend to attempt leaving work at school, reconnect with friends, and spend quality time with family on the weekends. She journaled and reflected and discovered that she definitely needs more time to take care of herself, but she also needs to balance that with a need to be prepared each day. Preparation also reduces stress at school. 

In our second story Heather describes a teacher who tested out mind-mapping and visual art strategies in their classroom during their action research project. The teacher in this example felt they had spent so many professional development hours on literacy that they had completely neglected social studies, science, and the arts in their classroom. They hypothesized that they could touch on all these subject through mind-mapping and that this strategy might even cut down on planning and preparation required too. This research led him to validating and encouraging results.

The third part of this episode is a recording of a teacher describing their self-study research that they conducted as their master's thesis in graduate school. Tina McCulloch, graduate of the Arts Integration Endorsement program, was recorded presenting her story to a classroom of teachers during the program in 2019. She describes the context of her classroom, the problems she was facing and how she found solutions in arts education  to address those problems. Her description of her study is a great example of how to use critical friends and utilize self-reflection for greater understanding of your practice.

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Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts. Search by grade-level, art form or subject area at 

www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

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When it comes to action research you have a lot of choices, you can study a behavior, an intervention, an attitude, an instructional tool, your environment or you can study yourself. When you are studying yourself as the main subject of your action research you are conducting a self-study project. If you're studying anything else, it's action research from another vantage point, and not self-study. 

Self-study might sound like a selfish form of research but it is far from it. Yes, it is self-centered, but is not for wholly selfish purposes. The purpose of self-study is to uncover your teaching practice so you can be a better teacher for your students in the future. It's the unveiling of your teaching attitudes, choices, practices and behaviors that helps you to advocate for what you are doing well and realize where improvement can still be made. 

Whether you are doing action research on an intervention or environment or self-study research where you, the teacher, are the subject of inquiry, you can use a critical friend to help you along your journey. A critical friend is a friend who works in tandem with you as you thinking critically and constructively on the evidence of your teaching practice and student responses or student work. A critical friend helps us see elements of our experience we cannot see because of our own goals or tunnel vision. They can also encourage us and support us when we feel discouraged or disappointed in the results we see from ourselves or our students performance in the classroom. Critical friendships are based on trust and understanding, they can take time to develop but they are certainly worth it.

This episode doesn't state that action research or self-study is better than the other, although Heather is certainly biased towards self-study research. But knowing the differences between the two can help teachers determine the best course of action for their personal research experiences.

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Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts. Search by grade-level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

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Heather Francis, co-host, and Heidi Dimmick, a 3rd-grade teacher discuss the value of action research for teachers improving their practice of arts integration in the classroom. This episode is for any teacher interested in systemic inquiry and reflective practice as a method of professional learning and advocacy within the field of education and arts education.

This episode demystifies the term "research" and describes how practicing teachers can and already do fit action research into their professional practice and how tweaking a few of the intentional data collection and analysis strategies can lead to large dividends in professional learning. Heather is definitely team research, but she's paid to do research, Heidi, the guest on this episode is a practicing teacher who understands the effort involved and also the value and benefit of that effort. 

If you're interested in improving your practice as a teacher and bringing the arts into your classroom, consider a self study or action research project to help uncover the best practices for you and your students. Find a critical friend, someone who has high expectations of your performance, who believes in you and will encourage you along your path of improvement. A critical friend is a colleague throughout the action research process who can help you find your blindspots, reflect from a new perspective, and try new ideas or strategies you may not have discovered on your own.

Teachers are doing action research all the time, or at least parts of it, as they collect and analyze data in an effort to improve their practice and student learning in the classroom. There are certain things already for the state of Utah that are required like Dibels tests at the beginning of the year for reading. We take a mid year assessment and look at the score, and then and end of year assessment, and then we see how what we are doing for fluency is working. Or what needs to change to improve fluency. This naturally happens. Sometimes teachers are doing action research without actual realizing they are doing action research. 

Links Mentioned:

• BYU ARTS Partnership Arts Integration Endorsement Program
• Action Research: Three approaches

Follow Us:

• BYU ARTS Partnership Newsletter
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Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts. Search by grade-level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons.

To read about/book Cally's workshops: http://callyflox.com/workshops/

Although teacher stress and burnout from COVID-19 spurred the creation of this workshop series, these are timeless ideas.

During this podcast, Cally guides listeners through mindful, artful practices. Whether you are walking, driving, or listening from home you can participate physically or by using your imagination. Listeners can apply the breathing and movement practices and activities in different places or situations.

See more details about Cally's workshop series "Learning to Thrive, Not Just Survive" on Eventbrite.

Cally references Jeff Nestor's book "Breathe" as part of her workshop and presentation. 

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Don't forget to peruse the bank of lesson plans produced by the BYU ARTS Partnership Arts in dance, drama, music, visual arts, media arts. Search by grade-level, art form or subject area at www.education.byu.edu/arts/lessons

Bi-monthly Workshops with Cally Flox, Thursday evenings at 7 pm MST. Click the link below to register on Eventbrite.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/resilience-for-teachers-learning-to-thrive-instead-of-survive-tickets-129780431765?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing