Workshops

Tracy Hirata-Edds works with Miami Tribe's language revitalization efforts through the Myaamia Center by supporting language-focused activities, including language learning/teaching methodology and assessment design. She obtained her Ph.D. in Child Language from University of Kansas, master's degree from Oklahoma State University in Teaching English as a Second Language, and bachelor's degree in Mathematics Education from Colorado State University.  Tracy previously taught ESL courses and provided teacher training at the University of Kansas’ Applied English Center for 15 years and at Emporia State University’s Intensive English Program for 10 years. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer and Fulbright Scholar in Nepal. She partners with Native communities to enhance opportunities for culture/language maintenance and revitalization, curriculum and assessment design, teacher training, lesson and materials development, and children’s first and second language acquisition. Additionally, Tracy supports revitalization efforts through publications, workshops, research, and teacher trainings in various contexts, including with Oklahoma Breath of Life and CoLang.

Jarrid Baldwin (ciinkwia) is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and was raised in Montana and Indiana. He grew up learning and speaking Myaamiaataweenki ‘the Myaamia language’ alongside his three siblings and has participated in community gatherings, summer youth camps and cultural activities his entire life. Jarrid graduated from Miami University in 2013 with a BA in Linguistic and Cultural Anthropology. While at Miami, he participated in the Myaamia Heritage Award Program, Native American Student Association (NASA), and studied abroad in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nicaragua. After earning his degree, he spent the next five years working for the Miami Tribe’s Cultural Resource Office developing language materials and conducting outreach programs. Jarrid’s work as a language instructor developed into an interest in second language education. In 2018 he was accepted into the Second Languages Studies graduate program at the University of Hawai’i Mānoa. During his studies at UH Jarrid began developing the Neepwaankiita Certificate Program (NCP), a teacher training program designed to increase language proficiency among Myaamia program teachers. The NCP will be implemented in the fall of 2021. After graduating with an MA from UH in 2020, Jarrid accepted a new tribally supported position as the Myaamia Language Coordinator in the College of Education, Health and Society at Miami University. In his current capacity, and as an affiliate of the Myaamia Center, Jarrid’s primary professional objective is to increase Myaamia language learning opportunities, strengthen the presence of language in community programs, and train new language instructors. In addition to his language work, Jarrid has a strong interest in Myaamia storytelling and Stomp Dancing.

Susan Penfield is retired from the University of Arizona (UofA) and is currently a faculty affiliate at UM. She received a Ph.D. in Linguistic Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1980. She has many years of research experience working with indigenous languages and extensive involvement in the field of language documentation and revitalization. Among her activities, she has been an instructor at American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) and the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute (CILLDI), program director of the NSF Documenting Endangered Language (DEL) program, a panelist at SOAS, and a board member for several organizations, including the Alliance for Linguistic Diversity, the Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity, and the Rosamond and Edward Spicer Foundation. She was awarded a Smithsonian Fellowship for Native American Programs in 2012. She taught at CoLang 2008, 2010, and 2014. She is the co-director of CoLang 2022.