Wabanaki education credential created by UMaine instructor reaches new milestone

Less than two years after they launched, more than 1,000 learners — many of whom have become PK-12 educators — have now completed a self-directed University of Maine System (UMS) course about the history of the Wabanaki Nations in Maine and earned the corresponding Dawnland digital credential. 

The Dawnland credential was created by John Bear Mitchell, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation who serves as a lecturer and outreach and student development coordinator for UMaine’s Wabanaki Center and the System’s Native American Waiver and educational program coordinator. His goal was to better prepare the state’s educators to teach Wabanaki Studies, as has been required by Maine law since 2001. That law was sponsored by then Rep. Donna Loring, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, UMaine alumna and now member of the UMS Board of Trustees. 

To earn the Dawnland credential, learners must demonstrate their own knowledge and ability to communicate to others about Indigenous movement and ways of life during the Ice Age and prior to the arrival of European settlers, early interactions with European settlers and current political and cultural issues facing the citizens of the Wabanaki Nations. That content is covered and assessed in four online modules, which typically take about 10 hours total to complete.

All teacher education students at UMaine and the University of Maine at Augusta now earn the Dawnland credential before starting their student teaching.

“It’s great to see there is so much interest in this credential. My hope, for those who take it, is for them to teach about the tribes that lived on this land before and since Maine became a state from our perspective,” said Mitchell. “To learn about us and to teach about us makes all of Maine a better place to live. By taking away misunderstandings and misrepresented ideology, we can create a true sense of place.”

In addition to the Dawnland credential, all UMaine educator preparation students take a specific three-credit course in the teaching of Wabanaki studies, also developed by Mitchell. The course provides them with lesson plans and supplementary materials to take into their own classrooms. Other UMS universities require content-relevant courses for pre-service teachers, like Native American Cultures or Wabanaki Studies. 

Read the full story on the UMS website. 

Contact: Samantha Warren, 207-632-0389, samantha.warren@maine.edu