Janice DeVore Littlebear

Janice DeVore Littlebear tutored K-8 migrant children in their own Anchorage, AK homes for a year before earning her teaching certificate. Next, she taught in Dgheyaytnu (Anchorage): Mt. View, AK, for 16 years, a place designated at the time as the most diverse community in America, where it was normal to have 6-8 languages spoken yearly in her 3-8 grade level classrooms. She earned her National Board Certificate in Early Adolescent Language Arts. After which she traveled throughout Alaska’s rural and urban settings for three years mentoring teachers new to the profession. During the next five years Janice traveled the world helping all teachers with writing instruction, including working with Icelandic speakers using culture to help deliver lessons. From 2012 to 2024, Dr. Littlebear worked with the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project, University of Alaska (UA), infusing culture into all professional development, training, and forums in order to help educators self-assess about their own cultural competency in order to more successfully engage students in learning. Her dissertation, “Teaching through Culture,” explored the methods and strategies used by teachers successful in engaging students through the use of individual cultures. She retired from UA in October 2024, after 30+ years in education in Alaska. Today she consults with educators on the topics of literacy, critical thinking, equity and culture. She makes her home in Billings, MT with her Northern Cheyenne husband of 40+ years.