Native American Studies

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The Department of Native American Studies was established to provide and advance quality education for and about American Indians of Montana, the region, and the nation. In fulfilling this mission, the Department is committed to meet the changing needs of Montana's Indian tribes and all Montana citizens through excellence in teaching, research, and service. In its academic program, the department provides concentrated study through an undergraduate minor, the first online graduate certificate in Native American Studies offered, and a Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies. Students in any major can also gain a multicultural perspective through NAS offerings in the University's core curriculum. The Department, through its research and other creative efforts, actively pursues interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of Native American Studies.

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Teaching science through native Crow culture : a placed-based experience
(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2013) Plain Bull, Dorcella; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.
This project was conducted to determine the affects of a culturally responsible placed-based experience for Native American elementary students. The students were exposed to two place-based experiences with the central theme of the traditional Crow uses of buffalo. The place-based experiences included a Tribal Elder guest speaker and a field trip to a battlefield museum and buffalo jump. The results indicated that both student and parents gained a greater appreciation for native Crow culture as a result of the place-based experiences.
How does the use of science notebooks as formative assessment increase students' conceptual understandings in science?
(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Hughes, Jessica Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.
In this study, kindergarten students used science notebooks as formative assessment to deepen their understanding of science concepts. The class participated in four science units, two were taught as curriculum suggested and two were taught using science notebooks, with pre and post-tests to show growth. The result of this study showed positive effective use of formative assessments, such as journaling, helped students form strong conceptual ideas about science content.
Culturally responsive formative assessment
(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Stevens, Lisa Russell; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.
The purpose of this study was to measure teachers' comfort levels, and understanding of cultural responsiveness, formative assessment, and inquiry-based science and math instruction in a kindergarten through fifth grade school with a 100% population of Native American students. A group of five teachers accepted the invitation to explore culturally responsive formative instruction in math and science. Survey information, teacher observations, interviews, and a checklist of formative assessment methods used by teachers, were used to gather baseline data. The data was than used to determine levels of implementation of CRFA by teachers.
Increasing interest in science and science careers through partnerships with science professionals
(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Lake, Charla Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.
This action research-based classroom project was set into place to answer the question, "Do partnerships between science professionals and students increase opinion of learning, science in school, going to college, and students' interest in pursuing science related careers?" After six science professionals were invited to come into our classroom with a presentation of their choice, a positive increase in learning and interest related to science were confirmed by the results.
Including parents in classroom science nights
(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Lozar, Hilary Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.
The purpose of this study was to engage parents within the classroom in order to minimize any discomfort parents feel when at or communicating with the school and staff. In order to do this, parents were invited to attend monthly classroom science nights with their families. Each night, a science expert presented to the families and followed the presentation up with some sort of hands-on learning experience. Parents as well as children were encouraged to participate in this treatment, and the resulting environment was informal. As more parents began to participate and word began to spread, I was approached by far more parents than ever before in my career, asking about the next science night. Parents seemed quite at ease when talking to me, and several still seek me out even after the treatment to say hello at school functions. I was able to determine that science nights do help contribute to parent comfort at school by comparing responses to several attitude survey questions from before the treatment to responses after. Most parents changed their answers to the survey item, "The school and staff are easy to talk to and knowledgeable regarding science," from neutral or agree on the pre-treatment survey to agree and strongly agree on the post-treatment survey. The key words in this survey item are "easy to talk to." If I have become easier to talk to as a teacher, the purpose of this study has been fulfilled.
Picture it : visual-spatial teaching to improve science learning
(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Brokaw, Jodi Lyn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.
All students do not learn by the same means, but rather, each student has their own way of learning. They may incorporate more than one learning style to best suit their needs, but prefer one style instead of another. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether integrating a visual-spatial teaching style would improve student test scores in the classroom and if they would retain the new content. Visual-spatial activities were incorporated into the lessons on a daily basis to support the learning of vocabulary. The research also allowed for the identification of students who preferred this learning style rather than other styles of learning. Assessments and student interviews were used to determine whether this style of learning was effective in the classroom. A comparison of the data showed an increase in test scores from the pre-test to the post-tests. Student interviews reported that they preferred learning with the visual-spatial strategies.

Native American Studies

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