2024 Professional Development Grant Awards
The Institute for Heritage Education (IHE) is proud to announce the winners of our 2024 Professional Development Grants. We funded six projects that will serve heritage educators and learners with a broad range of topics and materials in six states.
Arizona Project Archaeology will present a pre-conference professional development workshop at the 2024 National Rural STEM Summit. The goal is to connect with STEM educators in underserved southern Arizona rural communities, using Project Archaeology curricula including a new investigation of a Tohono O’odham shelter. The workshop will emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of archaeology, making archaeology an engaging and productive way to teach social studies, history, science, and citizenship.
The Molly Brown House Museum will present a Teacher Professional Development Institute centered on using primary sources and place-based learning to learn about and celebrate the cultural heritage of Denver and the West. The Museum demonstrates how our built environment is a vehicle to investigate history and connect with the stories of those who came before to explore the multi-faceted history, landscape, and cultural contributions of men and women from diverse backgrounds.
Florida Atlantic University will host Mr. Pedro Zepeda, an expert canoe artisan and a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, to demonstrate his ecological and artistic knowledge of traditional watercraft construction, utilization, and navigation at Jupiter Inlet Outstanding Natural Area. The goals are to improve educator understanding of Native American watercraft and traditional ecological knowledge at this significant archaeological and historic site and support the amplification of Indigenous perspectives and voices at cultural heritage sites in coastal Southeast Florida.
In Indiana, educators will investigate the archaeology of a Roman Villa using a Project Archaeology curriculum at Purdue University. The short-term goal is to get local participation (6th grade through HS teachers) in Project Archaeology curricular materials. The workshop will provide a springboard for launching an Indiana Project Archaeology state program.
The fourth annual InHerit: Indigenous Heritage Passed to Present Summer Teacher Institute will be held at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. The goal is to provide teachers with access to culturally responsive curriculum materials, access to experiential and object-based learning, and the opportunity to engage with American Indian educators and researchers. The content of the curriculum focuses on Native experiences in the Carolinas between 1491-1830, a period that North Carolina teachers want to cover and need the tools and resources to do so.
Fort Totten State Historic Site in North Dakota served as a Native American Boarding School run by the federal government between 1891 and 1939. “History and Healing: From Assimilation to Reclamation at Fort Totten Boarding School” will tell the history of the boarding school era and help educators understand how tribal nations are working to revive their communities and culture that boarding schools tried to strip away. Members of the Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake Nations who were impacted by the boarding schools will share their stories. Native American scholars and experts will address how the nations are reviving their vibrant cultures.
We heartily thank all our donors for making these grants possible and a big shout out to Metcalf Archaeological Consultants for funding the entire Fort Totten Boarding School award.
Congratulations to our awardees!
Thank you for your work and best of luck with your heritage education endeavors.
