SKC President’s Lecture Series welcomes Regina Sievert, M.Ed.

PABLO — The SKC President’s Lecture Series will host Regina Sievert, M.Ed, on Friday, January 18 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arlee/Charlo Theatre located on the SKC Campus.

The lecture title is ‘Windows into Culturally Congruent Instruction’.

Nearly twelve percent or about 17,000 of the students enrolled in Montana’s K-12 schools identify themselves as American Indian. Meanwhile, education in the United States is largely based on a Eurocentric model and less than 3 percent of teachers currently teaching in Montana’s K-12 schools are American Indian. How do these cultural differences between students, teachers, and schools affect student learning? What can be done to effectively bridge this cultural divide? In this talk we will delve into these questions by examining the design and outcomes of an education project, successfully administered through SKC with K-20 schools and tribal community partners across the state, to strengthen science education and cultural congruence in Montana’s K-20 schools.

Regina Sievert is a science educator and K-20 education project manager in the SKC Division of Science. She currently directs three science education projects at SKC and across the state of Montana (the Big Sky Science Partnership, the Research in American Indian Science Education Project, and the Integrating Environmental Education Through the Curriculum Project) as well as the SKC Bachelor of Science in Science Education degree. Her undergraduate work was in wildlife management, zoology and secondary education. She taught science at Two Eagle River School for seven years before coming to work at SKC fifteen years ago. Her graduate work includes a Master’s of Science in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Multicultural Education. She is currently finishing up her dissertation in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Montana, specializing in Science Education Research.

Light refreshments will be served. Please bring your own beverage.