The Micronesian Context

A group of Guam educators participated in a three-day workshop in July 2018 to gain a deeper knowledge of Micronesia, learn about culturally sustaining teaching strategies and instructional resources specific to Micronesian cultures, expand their professional networks to include other GDOE teachers and educators from the region, reflect on their own professional praxis, and develop culturally sustaining teaching materials and resources including 15 lesson plans.

The professional development workshop, “Culturally Sustaining Education: The Micronesian Context,” was a collaboration between the University of Hawai’i Center for Pacific Islands Studies, Chaminade University Center for Teaching and Learning, Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum and Educational Facility and Guampedia. 

The educators who attended the workshop had diverse backgrounds, with teaching experience ranging from 1 year to 28 years, covering grade levels from early childhood to adult education. The lesson plans created in the workshop reflect the diversity of the participants, addressing subjects such as Social Studies, CHamoru, and Language Arts; topics like migration, cultural practices, oral history, and regional geography; and skills such as literacy, map reading, oral communication, and written communication.

These lesson plans can be adapted for other subjects and grade levels and are models of educational activities that can honor the cultures and people of Micronesia. This body of work is just the beginning as we hope to expand this collection with lesson plans from educators in other islands of Micronesia.

Workshop facilitators and contributors

  • Wilbert Alik, Independent Consultant, Republic of the Marshall Islands
  • Dr. Lola Quan Bautista, University of Hawai’i
  • Delihna Manuel Ehmes, College of Micronesia
  • Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori, Chaminade University
  • Rita Pangelinan Nauta and Shannon Murphy, Guampedia
  • Dominica Tolentino, Guam Museum
  • Dr. James Perez Viernes, University of Hawai’i

Lesson plans

  1. Breadfruit and Open Spaces Writing
  2. Classifying Animals
  3. Compassion and Solidarity
  4. Culture and Me
  5. Diving With Sirena
  6. Gender Roles
  7. Geography of Micronesia
  8. I Am Different
  9. Let’s Talk Story
  10. Oh, Where Can I Be?
  11. Our Place In The World
  12. Personal Narrative Essay
  13. Understanding Culture
  14. Vegetables and Fruits
  15. What Does Migration Mean?

View lesson plans in Issuu.