Fifth Annual
Boston-area Educators for Social Justice Conference
Saturday May 30th, 2015
8:30 - 5:00
Location: The Curley School
493 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Savina Tapia is the Secretary for the Boston Student Advisory Council. She is also a junior at Boston Latin Academy. BSAC is a program partnered through the BPS Office of Engagement and Youth on Board. BSAC is comprised of and facilitated by high school students from across the district.
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Barbara Madeloni, president of the 110,000-member Massachusetts Teachers Association, is a strong advocate for students and educators in the state’s public schools and public higher education system. A former high school English teacher and teacher educator, she is committed to growing an activist union that builds alliances with parents, students and community members to give educators a strong voice in public education.
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Odette Williamson is a parent whose children have attended both district and charter schools in Boston Public Schools over the past decade. An advocate for improving the schools, Odette works to promote constructive dialogue and a focus on equity.
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Conference Schedule
8:30 Registration, Coffee & Welcome 9:00 Opening Performance with La Piñata 9:15 "Families" 9:45 Workshop Session 1 11:00 Workshop Session 2 12:00 Lunch in Cafeteria 12:45 Community Panel Discussion in Auditorium 1:30 "Families" 2:00 Final performance with Genki Spark 2:30-5:00 Youth-led Forum on PARCC |
East Boston Youth Interpreters!
Thanks to Dennis Anaya, Lidia Marin, Kellyn lainez, Eduardo Bahena for their hard work interpreting at the conference this year. |
SESSION 1
9:45am – 10:45am
Centering Youth of Color in the School System ROOM 06
What would racial justice and youth power in the school system look like? How can the school system be responsive to and center young people of color? This workshop will be led by youth leaders from The City School, who will share their perspectives, guidance and solutions for teachers. This workshop will include tools and framework around building youth power and racial justice in your classroom and implementing restorative justice in your schools. Youth facilitators will also share information about current youth organizing in Boston and how teachers can connect to that work.
Marquette Welch, East Boston High School, youth leader with The City School
Douana Offre, Cathedral High School, youth leader with The City School
Korede Oyenuga, Boston Collegiate Charter School, youth leader with The City School
Healing broken communities from racism: Truth and Reconciliation in Maine ROOM 114
How do broken communities heal from prejudice, racism, and other forms of oppression? We will screen a 12-minute documentary about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission currently underway in Maine between the Wabanaki People and the state's child welfare agency over the decades-long practice of removal of Native children from their families for the purpose of forced assimilation. Maine was a province of Massachusetts until 1820. The short documentary contains powerful testimony from adults who were taken from their families as children. After viewing we will begin a conversation about how to teach rich historical content to promote both critical and creative thinking and social emotional competencies, especially in relation to self-awareness and social awareness so more students choose to become upstanders.
By teaching disturbing chapters of our local history we can have meaningful conversations about identity, belonging, marginalization, violation, and loss, and also improve relationships in our classrooms and schools. Ultimately the thoughtful use of social issue films and egalitarian discussion techniques can help cultivate anti-bias awareness and proficiency, embed social emotional learning in content-rich lessons, support restorative practices, and encourage a growing commitment to justice.
Mishy Lesser, Ed.D. Learning Director Upstander Project,
Mr. Adam Mazo Director Upstander Project
Educational Equity – The Purpose and Promise of Dual Language Education ROOM 04
Dual language programs provide access to a rigorous education and have been found to consistently produce better outcomes for everyone involved. In particular, these programs contribute to closing achievement gaps for English Language Learners and other sub-groups of low-income students. The workshop will provide information about different kinds of dual language programs currently in place in Massachusetts, as well as their policy history. Current students from dual language programs in the Boston Metro Area will be invited to provide testimonies about their education. The audience will be engaged in a discussion on the pro’s and con’s of pursuing bilingualism starting in pre-school.
Virginia Diez, MABE Board Member, Karey Brau Curley, MABE Secretary (Massachusetts Association for Bilingual Education)
Less Testing, More Learning ROOM 109
Across the nation, parents, students and teachers are rising up against the overuse and misuse of standardized tests. Tests have corrupted curriculum and instruction, led to unfair decisions such as denial of diploma and closing schools, and contributed to the school to prison pipeline.
This workshop will include brief presentations on problems caused by testing and on the Massachusetts Less Testing, More Learning campaign. The campaign aims to change the laws and regulations that enforce high-stakes testing, supports parents who choose to opt their children out of testing, and organizes action across the state.
Most of the workshop will be a discussion on how to build the campaign and what people can do. We will talk about support for legislation, action to stop the TS Gold kindergarten assessment, the up-coming PARCC vs MCAS decision, and invite ideas on other actions. Legislation includes ending the test-based graduation requirement, allowing parents the right to opt their children out of state and district standardized testing, and overhauling test misuses for accountability such as state takeovers of schools and districts.
Students from YOUNG coalition, Boston teacher Suzie McGlone, Orchard Gardens K-8 School, grade 5, Organizer from Less Testing More Learning
Do you respect me? Acceptance, acknowledgement and support, Navigating the ROOM 110
complex student- teacher relationship
This workshop is geared towards exploring the complicated teacher-student relationship. The symbiotic nature of teacher-student wellbeing is shaped by the relationships students and teachers develop. A student's attitude towards authority or the teachers opinion of the students can be a complex road to navigate. Teachers along with students will be encouraged to break down the walls of separateness to see themselves as true collaborators in shaping the unique future of each individual student. By the end, both teachers and students should have an action plan towards feeling content, connected to a purpose, people & community, peaceful and energized.
Natasha Huggins, Former Boston Public School teacher/Lawrence Academy
Social Justice in ¡ACCIÓN! ROOM 107
This interactive theatre games workshop is geared toward all conference attendees. The community youth theatre troupe ¡ACCIÓN! Community Theater (ACT) will be facilitating drama activities that motivate dialogue about social justice issues. Participants will play games in small groups, with partners, and with the entire group and then discuss diverse topics reflecting on how the activities impact their thoughts and opinions about social justice in our communities. This is a workshop that invites everyone’s voice to the dialogue and encourages students to work with teachers, parents to work with youth, community organizers to work with constituents. These games can be adapted for use in the classroom, workshop, community event, professional development sessions, and more. The workshop is inspired by the Theatre of the Oppressed work of Augusto Boal, Improvisation games developed by Viola Spolin, and Social Justice theatre activities from Michael Rohd’s Hope Is Vital manual. All participants will be able to work at their comfort level and no previous acting or theatre experience is necessary. This is a youth led workshop, but conference participants of all ages are encouraged to join in the fun!!
Brandley Alicea, Hyde Square Task Force/ Margarita Muñiz Academy,
Victor Del Carmen, Hyde Square Task Force/ John D. O'Bryant School,
Christian DeLeon, Hyde Square Task Force/ Brighton High School,
Kelly DeLeon, Hyde Square Task Force/ Snowden International High School,
Rosa Espiritusanto, Hyde Square Task Force/ Snowden International High School,
Mabel Gondres, Hyde Square Task Force/ Boston Latin Academy,
Roberto Martinez, Hyde Square Task Force/ Madison Park Vocational Technical High School,
Jonathan Vo, Hyde Square Task Force/ John D. O'Bryant School
Education Policies: Who makes the decisions, and how can the
voices of parents, students and educators be heard? ROOM 012
Parents, students, teachers and local school districts have lost much of their ability to influence what happens in their own schools as the federal government and private interests have seized more control. Meanwhile, district schools have been left with more mandates and less money to educate children. This workshop will explain this shift in power over the past 20 years. We will talk about opportunities for those most affected by education policy to participate effectively in the decision-making process on both a macro and micro level.
BPS parents and QUEST members Stephanie Bode Ward, Patricia Kinsella Megan Wolf
Youth Lead! on Racial Justice ROOM 014
This workshop will draw upon our youth leaders’ powerful experience working on anti-racism activism in the schools. The workshop will provide opportunity for two teens from Boston Mobilization to share their experiences working within a multiracial group combating racism within their schools. There will also be ample opportunities for participants to be engaged in the workshop
Mariah Redfern, youth leader Boston Mobilization, Milton Academy
Giselle Prado, youth leader, Boston Mobilization, Milton Academy
Believe Don't Blame! ROOM 111
There exists in society a stigma about addressing and confronting dating and domestic violence. Often times it is considered a private issue, to be kept within the confines of one’s own relationship or home. When violence does occur in public, people often do not intervene. This workshop will help participants understand how to support someone who may be experiencing abuse by teaching them how to recognize warning signs of an abusive relationship as well as identify different types of abuse.
Trisha Mah, Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence
Finnish Educational Success: Beyond the classroom ROOM 112
Whereas the excellence of the Finnish and Swedish educational systems are praised because of their P.I.S.A. (Program International for Students Assessment) results, the United States consistently occupies low rankings on this assessment on public education. What is our educational system in the US missing that Finland and other top-performing countries have? How can we implement policies that allow US education to flourish the way schools in nordic countries do? Mr. Habersham-Pabon’s independent research compares the Finnish and American systems of education, while making a compelling case on how our next educational revolution should focus, not only on the working of our schools, but rather within the arenas of cultural awareness and socio-economic equality. Drawing data from the OECD, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, conducting interviews with Finnish teachers, student teachers, principals, parents; and his personal experiences during his 2 years in Finland as a graduate student, Habersham-Pabon’s workshop invites the audience into an holistic evaluation of what makes a “great” system of education great.
Alfredo Rafael Habersham-Pabon, Spanish-Humanities teacher; Boston Public Schools, Margarita Muniz Academy
Media Literacy in the Classroom ROOM 113
How are media affecting kids? How are media a part of education? Join us for a workshop that provides a framework for deconstructing media. We’ll explore the media landscape together through a case study, specifically identifying how it is used to maintain power structures and inequality, and then focus on how it can be used for social justice. We’ll discuss how educators can include media literacy curriculum into their classrooms to engage critical thinking skills and expand knowledge necessary for 21st century leaders. If time allows, participants will create their own counter ad as a culture jamming exercise.
Alexis Ladd, Kadeem Macintosh, Dianna Morton, and Erin Kinney, Wheelock College
SESSION 2
11:00am – 12:00pm
Interactive Performance of Emancipatory Poetry ROOM 109
Workshop facilitators and participants will use dub poetry (poetry performed to drum beat) to speak to/highlight issues of social justice such as racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, etc. Young people and adults of color will perform poetry that tell the stories of their lives and uncover issues they face daily as people whose challenges cause them to live on the borders of society.
The session is aimed to allow the youth participants especially to speak their empowerment and claim the space as the locale of their own liberation. This session will be presented as a cohesive, continuous performance, after which, workshop participants will have the opportunity to share their reactions, experiences and personal reflections pertinent to the issues raised in small group and whole group contexts.
The youth facilitators are middle and high school students who have developed their own performative pieces which will be used as the template for a whole-group creation of a collaborative, in-the-moment quilt-like final product. The goal of the session, therefore, is to construct/create a visual and performative quilt that will encapsulate the varied stories of the participants and how these connect to form a powerful and cohesive counter-narrative
Members of Youth Action Coalition of Amherst and Ware, MA; Carolyn Gardner; Sonji Johnson-Anderson; Brenda Muzeta; Leta Hooper
Envisioning the Schools Our Communities Deserve: What does real
justice and quality look like to you? How do we get there? ROOM 02
This workshop will be a participatory discussion circle in which each person will have an opportunity to share their ideas about what they see as socially just, quality education in terms of any of the following: purpose, learning process, staffing, decision making, relationships, atmosphere & climate, relevant curriculum, assessment, resources, support services, safe transportation, school-community connections, after school activities, etc.
What kind of qualities & capabilities should graduates embody?
What are the key issues of the day that should be part of student learning?
How can we make sure that those most affected lead the movement for transformation in education?
Kimyatta Campbell, parent and activist, Mary Jo Hetzel, educator and activist, CEQE, BEJA,CPS, Carolyn Lomax, parent, activist, City Wide Parent Council, CityLife Bd., Sandra McIntosh, former parent coordinator, activist, CEQE, CPS, BEJA, Najma Nazy'at, Youth Worker, BYOP/Young, Activist, BEJA, etc., BYOP youth activists & leaders
These resource people will be part of the circle as participants to insure a highly interactive process and diversity in terms of race, age, culture & role
Who Owns? Who Labors? Who Profits? aka "Not my T-Shirt!" ROOM 101
Look around you. We are surrounded by things, but where did they come from? and what is their true cost? This workshop aims to investigate the dynamics of production and power and an age old system that can only be sustained through the exploitation of workers and consumers. We will examine the untold story of some of the everyday objects we take for granted. Based on this knowledge we will collectively create designs to create our own t-shirts through a hands on silk screening process. At the end of the day each participant will walk with their own custom designed t-shirt.
Brandon McDowell- IISC, consultant, educator, activist.
Aurora Nunes- SPARK program, teacher, educator, activist.
Shane Deka- thINK founder
Introducing LGBTQ History through Visual Art Displays ROOM 014
Participants will experience a brief introduction to LGBTQ inclusive history content from 1940 - present using visual curriculum from ONE Archives Foundation at USC Libraries. Participants will be given strategies to create a visual display for their school or school district that reveal LGBTQ individuals, events and movements as part of the development of our nation and as a part of our national identity. Following the visual curriculum presentation, presenters will facilitate a discussion about how the inclusion of LGBTQ history and content creates safer and more equitable classrooms and communities.
Debra Fowler - History UnErased, Inc, Miriam Morgenstern - History UnErased, Inc.
Teaching racial justice in early education: stories from classrooms ROOM 114
A panel of veteran early educators come together to share their experiences teaching racial and social justice curriculum in classrooms with children ages 3 to 8. Educators at all stages of their careers should leave the workshop with a stronger sense of their own guiding principles for engaging in this work, along with new tools for practice.
In the context of the Black Lives Matters movement, our goal is to provide educators with strong working curricular models and an opportunity to exchange educational practices for teaching racial justice in early childhood classrooms. There will be a chance to hear from a panel of veteran teachers, ask questions, and meet with grade level colleagues to discuss opportunities and challenges. Educators should leave the workshop with a stronger sense of their own guiding principles for engaging in this work, along with new tools for practice.
Debbe Lee Keenan, Lesley University, Geralyn Bywater-McLaughlin, Mission Hill School, Chris Hoeh, Cambridge Friends School
Identity in the Public Forum: Art in Adult ESOL Education ROOM 111
Creative expression can bring a new dimension to language learning, both at an individual and community level. This workshop will focus on the role of identity in the language learning process and how the integration of different forms of art into adult ESOL instruction can involve students’ multiple identities in their learning in new ways. Case studies will be discussed, focusing on theater and creative writing/blogging, in diverse contexts, such as community centers, a community college, a language school, etc. We will look at the opportunities and challenges inherent in these different approaches, and through exploration of the case studies, discuss some of the practicalities of how to implement these approaches in your class.
Kathleen McGovern, University of Massachusetts Boston, the Immigrant Learning Center, Liz Ging, Roxbury Community College, Jamaica Plain Community Centers Adult Learning Program
Engaging Social Justice Through Family Partnerships ROOM 04
Have you wondered why parents are not engaged in your school or program? Have you considered how your own assumptions might be endangering your partnerships with families and communities? Have you ever wondered about the potential of effective family-school partnerships?
In this workshop, participants will challenge their own beliefs and assumptions around partnerships and engagement with families from a social justice lens. Using a key activity to diagnose their assumptions, participants will challenge current models of “family engagement” that often lead to a deficit mindset of students, families and communities. After this activity, participants will have conversations about these assumptions, and will work collaboratively to create new models of partnership cultivating the talents and assets families and communities bring.
Andrea So, ‘15 Ed.M. Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Malden Asian American Community Coalition, Rafael Zavala, ‘15 Ed.M. Harvard Graduate School of Education
Breath and Movement in the Classroom ROOM 013
Instructors Kate Ventimiglia and Molly Gilbert will guide workshop participants through a series of activities designed to create body and vocal awareness. Teachers in this training session will learn specific techniques to become physically grounded and speak with clarity and dynamism. Participants will also explore movement and breath as a pedagogical tool for improving the quality of instruction. This workshop will break down the basic anatomy of the human voice and body and provide methods to unlock physical and emotional blockages. Teachers will practice projection, articulation, and experience different resonators in the body. Physical alignment, quotidian gestures, and movement through the learning space will all be explored as impactful and integral elements in teaching. Developing physical awareness and honoring the true voices will enable teachers to provide students with the most engaging and comprehensible instruction possible.
Kate Ventimiglia, Emerson College, Theatre Education Graduate Program, Molly Gilbert, Emerson College, Theatre Education Graduate Program.
Creating Change in Our Communities through Youth Participatory ROOM 113
Action Research (YPAR)
We are proposing a workshop that will feature artistic presentations of research conducted by students who engaged in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) in a public, arts-based high school in Boston. In addition, the classroom teachers and a university researcher will share their stories of implementing this type of pedagogy. The teachers and researcher will bring 10-15 students to present their research, which will also contain an artistic element (e.g., spoken word, skit, dance). Student research topics this year include police brutality, sexual harassment, standardized testing, college affordability, and justice for undocumented immigrant students and parents, for LGBTQ students, and for teen parents. The session will be highly interactive, including Q&A sessions with both the students and the teachers/researcher. Our young people engaged in the work of taking collective action to create change in their communities, which we think is audacious, hopeful work. We hope that their research and their artistry will inspire youth, teachers, and researchers in attendance.
Peter George, Kiara Caceda, Camila Rodriguez, Nicomedes Flores, Elavia Reid (Boston Arts Academy Students), Alicia Thomas (Umass Boston Graduate student, teaching at Boston Arts Academy), Dara Bayer (Boston Arts Academy), Christopher Buttimer (Harvard Graduate School of Education), Aimee Van Wagenen (Umass Boston Graduate student, teaching at Boston Arts Academy)
Deaf Gain, Biodiversity, Language, and Culture: ROOM 112
Adding Visual Perspective to Your Multicultural Toolkit
Chances are you have attended at least one Professional Development event that addressed "the needs of students with hearing loss." Most likely, it was taught by an audiologist or speech language pathologist. An increasingly embraced perspective is the premise of Deaf Gain as opposed to Hearing Loss. Come and learn about this concept that is gaining momentum.
As educators, we are becoming more familiar with phrases like, "neuro-typical" "hetero-normative" and different types of privilege and we are learning to realize that there is not simply one way to live or educate youth.
History books document majority groups marginalizing minority groups, disempowering them intentionally or unintentionally through paternalistic veils of wanting to help, but not seeking their input as to what real help would be. Deaf people have been marginalized for years because their way of communicating differs from those in decision-making positions. We propose that it is the the responsibility of socially conscious citizens to work with and in support of traditionally disempowered people. Using American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf students and people could equally participate and influence decisions that affect them. Join us and learn about Deaf Gain as opposed to Hearing Loss.
Michelle Eisan-Smith, Ph.D. Jennifer Greenfield, MSW, M.S.Ed, Anna Davis, M.Ed., CI/CT, Ed:K-12, Katherine Angoff M.Ed., Randee Pascall-Speights Horace Mann School for the Deaf
Unfinished Business: Race and Class Literacy for Public Education ROOM 01
The Boston Busing/Desegregation Project (BBDP) will use stories of and about students and teachers in public education to frame a discussion about race and class literacy and its importance to transforming public education. Participants will share their own stories and experiences in schools. We will use these stories and a tool developed by BBDP to understand how gaps in education are reproduced and to deepen our analysis of ongoing issues of racism and classism, its impact and as part of a process of change.
Paula Elliot, EdD. & La Dawn Strickland, Steering Committee, Boston Busing/Desegregation Project
Exploring Undocumented Youth Issues through Image Theater ROOM 09
Drawing on Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed methodology, this workshop engages participants in an image theater activity in order to reflect on undocumented issues facing youth in Boston Public Schools.
Rocío Sánchez Ares, Boston College
Yalda Kaveh & Justin Prescott-Ihenetu, Student Immigrant Movement
No Such Thing as a Positive Stereotype: Dismantling the Model Minority Myth ROOM 107
How does the model minority myth affect the way educators think about Asian American students? In this interactive workshop, we examine the roots of the myth, study how statistical manipulation often creates divisions amongst communities of color, discuss the rarely heard issues Asian American students face today, and explore how this toxic myth causes division within the Asian American community as well.
Katie Li--Massachusetts Asian-American Educators Association
9:45am – 10:45am
Centering Youth of Color in the School System ROOM 06
What would racial justice and youth power in the school system look like? How can the school system be responsive to and center young people of color? This workshop will be led by youth leaders from The City School, who will share their perspectives, guidance and solutions for teachers. This workshop will include tools and framework around building youth power and racial justice in your classroom and implementing restorative justice in your schools. Youth facilitators will also share information about current youth organizing in Boston and how teachers can connect to that work.
Marquette Welch, East Boston High School, youth leader with The City School
Douana Offre, Cathedral High School, youth leader with The City School
Korede Oyenuga, Boston Collegiate Charter School, youth leader with The City School
Healing broken communities from racism: Truth and Reconciliation in Maine ROOM 114
How do broken communities heal from prejudice, racism, and other forms of oppression? We will screen a 12-minute documentary about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission currently underway in Maine between the Wabanaki People and the state's child welfare agency over the decades-long practice of removal of Native children from their families for the purpose of forced assimilation. Maine was a province of Massachusetts until 1820. The short documentary contains powerful testimony from adults who were taken from their families as children. After viewing we will begin a conversation about how to teach rich historical content to promote both critical and creative thinking and social emotional competencies, especially in relation to self-awareness and social awareness so more students choose to become upstanders.
By teaching disturbing chapters of our local history we can have meaningful conversations about identity, belonging, marginalization, violation, and loss, and also improve relationships in our classrooms and schools. Ultimately the thoughtful use of social issue films and egalitarian discussion techniques can help cultivate anti-bias awareness and proficiency, embed social emotional learning in content-rich lessons, support restorative practices, and encourage a growing commitment to justice.
Mishy Lesser, Ed.D. Learning Director Upstander Project,
Mr. Adam Mazo Director Upstander Project
Educational Equity – The Purpose and Promise of Dual Language Education ROOM 04
Dual language programs provide access to a rigorous education and have been found to consistently produce better outcomes for everyone involved. In particular, these programs contribute to closing achievement gaps for English Language Learners and other sub-groups of low-income students. The workshop will provide information about different kinds of dual language programs currently in place in Massachusetts, as well as their policy history. Current students from dual language programs in the Boston Metro Area will be invited to provide testimonies about their education. The audience will be engaged in a discussion on the pro’s and con’s of pursuing bilingualism starting in pre-school.
Virginia Diez, MABE Board Member, Karey Brau Curley, MABE Secretary (Massachusetts Association for Bilingual Education)
Less Testing, More Learning ROOM 109
Across the nation, parents, students and teachers are rising up against the overuse and misuse of standardized tests. Tests have corrupted curriculum and instruction, led to unfair decisions such as denial of diploma and closing schools, and contributed to the school to prison pipeline.
This workshop will include brief presentations on problems caused by testing and on the Massachusetts Less Testing, More Learning campaign. The campaign aims to change the laws and regulations that enforce high-stakes testing, supports parents who choose to opt their children out of testing, and organizes action across the state.
Most of the workshop will be a discussion on how to build the campaign and what people can do. We will talk about support for legislation, action to stop the TS Gold kindergarten assessment, the up-coming PARCC vs MCAS decision, and invite ideas on other actions. Legislation includes ending the test-based graduation requirement, allowing parents the right to opt their children out of state and district standardized testing, and overhauling test misuses for accountability such as state takeovers of schools and districts.
Students from YOUNG coalition, Boston teacher Suzie McGlone, Orchard Gardens K-8 School, grade 5, Organizer from Less Testing More Learning
Do you respect me? Acceptance, acknowledgement and support, Navigating the ROOM 110
complex student- teacher relationship
This workshop is geared towards exploring the complicated teacher-student relationship. The symbiotic nature of teacher-student wellbeing is shaped by the relationships students and teachers develop. A student's attitude towards authority or the teachers opinion of the students can be a complex road to navigate. Teachers along with students will be encouraged to break down the walls of separateness to see themselves as true collaborators in shaping the unique future of each individual student. By the end, both teachers and students should have an action plan towards feeling content, connected to a purpose, people & community, peaceful and energized.
Natasha Huggins, Former Boston Public School teacher/Lawrence Academy
Social Justice in ¡ACCIÓN! ROOM 107
This interactive theatre games workshop is geared toward all conference attendees. The community youth theatre troupe ¡ACCIÓN! Community Theater (ACT) will be facilitating drama activities that motivate dialogue about social justice issues. Participants will play games in small groups, with partners, and with the entire group and then discuss diverse topics reflecting on how the activities impact their thoughts and opinions about social justice in our communities. This is a workshop that invites everyone’s voice to the dialogue and encourages students to work with teachers, parents to work with youth, community organizers to work with constituents. These games can be adapted for use in the classroom, workshop, community event, professional development sessions, and more. The workshop is inspired by the Theatre of the Oppressed work of Augusto Boal, Improvisation games developed by Viola Spolin, and Social Justice theatre activities from Michael Rohd’s Hope Is Vital manual. All participants will be able to work at their comfort level and no previous acting or theatre experience is necessary. This is a youth led workshop, but conference participants of all ages are encouraged to join in the fun!!
Brandley Alicea, Hyde Square Task Force/ Margarita Muñiz Academy,
Victor Del Carmen, Hyde Square Task Force/ John D. O'Bryant School,
Christian DeLeon, Hyde Square Task Force/ Brighton High School,
Kelly DeLeon, Hyde Square Task Force/ Snowden International High School,
Rosa Espiritusanto, Hyde Square Task Force/ Snowden International High School,
Mabel Gondres, Hyde Square Task Force/ Boston Latin Academy,
Roberto Martinez, Hyde Square Task Force/ Madison Park Vocational Technical High School,
Jonathan Vo, Hyde Square Task Force/ John D. O'Bryant School
Education Policies: Who makes the decisions, and how can the
voices of parents, students and educators be heard? ROOM 012
Parents, students, teachers and local school districts have lost much of their ability to influence what happens in their own schools as the federal government and private interests have seized more control. Meanwhile, district schools have been left with more mandates and less money to educate children. This workshop will explain this shift in power over the past 20 years. We will talk about opportunities for those most affected by education policy to participate effectively in the decision-making process on both a macro and micro level.
BPS parents and QUEST members Stephanie Bode Ward, Patricia Kinsella Megan Wolf
Youth Lead! on Racial Justice ROOM 014
This workshop will draw upon our youth leaders’ powerful experience working on anti-racism activism in the schools. The workshop will provide opportunity for two teens from Boston Mobilization to share their experiences working within a multiracial group combating racism within their schools. There will also be ample opportunities for participants to be engaged in the workshop
Mariah Redfern, youth leader Boston Mobilization, Milton Academy
Giselle Prado, youth leader, Boston Mobilization, Milton Academy
Believe Don't Blame! ROOM 111
There exists in society a stigma about addressing and confronting dating and domestic violence. Often times it is considered a private issue, to be kept within the confines of one’s own relationship or home. When violence does occur in public, people often do not intervene. This workshop will help participants understand how to support someone who may be experiencing abuse by teaching them how to recognize warning signs of an abusive relationship as well as identify different types of abuse.
Trisha Mah, Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence
Finnish Educational Success: Beyond the classroom ROOM 112
Whereas the excellence of the Finnish and Swedish educational systems are praised because of their P.I.S.A. (Program International for Students Assessment) results, the United States consistently occupies low rankings on this assessment on public education. What is our educational system in the US missing that Finland and other top-performing countries have? How can we implement policies that allow US education to flourish the way schools in nordic countries do? Mr. Habersham-Pabon’s independent research compares the Finnish and American systems of education, while making a compelling case on how our next educational revolution should focus, not only on the working of our schools, but rather within the arenas of cultural awareness and socio-economic equality. Drawing data from the OECD, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, conducting interviews with Finnish teachers, student teachers, principals, parents; and his personal experiences during his 2 years in Finland as a graduate student, Habersham-Pabon’s workshop invites the audience into an holistic evaluation of what makes a “great” system of education great.
Alfredo Rafael Habersham-Pabon, Spanish-Humanities teacher; Boston Public Schools, Margarita Muniz Academy
Media Literacy in the Classroom ROOM 113
How are media affecting kids? How are media a part of education? Join us for a workshop that provides a framework for deconstructing media. We’ll explore the media landscape together through a case study, specifically identifying how it is used to maintain power structures and inequality, and then focus on how it can be used for social justice. We’ll discuss how educators can include media literacy curriculum into their classrooms to engage critical thinking skills and expand knowledge necessary for 21st century leaders. If time allows, participants will create their own counter ad as a culture jamming exercise.
Alexis Ladd, Kadeem Macintosh, Dianna Morton, and Erin Kinney, Wheelock College
SESSION 2
11:00am – 12:00pm
Interactive Performance of Emancipatory Poetry ROOM 109
Workshop facilitators and participants will use dub poetry (poetry performed to drum beat) to speak to/highlight issues of social justice such as racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, etc. Young people and adults of color will perform poetry that tell the stories of their lives and uncover issues they face daily as people whose challenges cause them to live on the borders of society.
The session is aimed to allow the youth participants especially to speak their empowerment and claim the space as the locale of their own liberation. This session will be presented as a cohesive, continuous performance, after which, workshop participants will have the opportunity to share their reactions, experiences and personal reflections pertinent to the issues raised in small group and whole group contexts.
The youth facilitators are middle and high school students who have developed their own performative pieces which will be used as the template for a whole-group creation of a collaborative, in-the-moment quilt-like final product. The goal of the session, therefore, is to construct/create a visual and performative quilt that will encapsulate the varied stories of the participants and how these connect to form a powerful and cohesive counter-narrative
Members of Youth Action Coalition of Amherst and Ware, MA; Carolyn Gardner; Sonji Johnson-Anderson; Brenda Muzeta; Leta Hooper
Envisioning the Schools Our Communities Deserve: What does real
justice and quality look like to you? How do we get there? ROOM 02
This workshop will be a participatory discussion circle in which each person will have an opportunity to share their ideas about what they see as socially just, quality education in terms of any of the following: purpose, learning process, staffing, decision making, relationships, atmosphere & climate, relevant curriculum, assessment, resources, support services, safe transportation, school-community connections, after school activities, etc.
What kind of qualities & capabilities should graduates embody?
What are the key issues of the day that should be part of student learning?
How can we make sure that those most affected lead the movement for transformation in education?
Kimyatta Campbell, parent and activist, Mary Jo Hetzel, educator and activist, CEQE, BEJA,CPS, Carolyn Lomax, parent, activist, City Wide Parent Council, CityLife Bd., Sandra McIntosh, former parent coordinator, activist, CEQE, CPS, BEJA, Najma Nazy'at, Youth Worker, BYOP/Young, Activist, BEJA, etc., BYOP youth activists & leaders
These resource people will be part of the circle as participants to insure a highly interactive process and diversity in terms of race, age, culture & role
Who Owns? Who Labors? Who Profits? aka "Not my T-Shirt!" ROOM 101
Look around you. We are surrounded by things, but where did they come from? and what is their true cost? This workshop aims to investigate the dynamics of production and power and an age old system that can only be sustained through the exploitation of workers and consumers. We will examine the untold story of some of the everyday objects we take for granted. Based on this knowledge we will collectively create designs to create our own t-shirts through a hands on silk screening process. At the end of the day each participant will walk with their own custom designed t-shirt.
Brandon McDowell- IISC, consultant, educator, activist.
Aurora Nunes- SPARK program, teacher, educator, activist.
Shane Deka- thINK founder
Introducing LGBTQ History through Visual Art Displays ROOM 014
Participants will experience a brief introduction to LGBTQ inclusive history content from 1940 - present using visual curriculum from ONE Archives Foundation at USC Libraries. Participants will be given strategies to create a visual display for their school or school district that reveal LGBTQ individuals, events and movements as part of the development of our nation and as a part of our national identity. Following the visual curriculum presentation, presenters will facilitate a discussion about how the inclusion of LGBTQ history and content creates safer and more equitable classrooms and communities.
Debra Fowler - History UnErased, Inc, Miriam Morgenstern - History UnErased, Inc.
Teaching racial justice in early education: stories from classrooms ROOM 114
A panel of veteran early educators come together to share their experiences teaching racial and social justice curriculum in classrooms with children ages 3 to 8. Educators at all stages of their careers should leave the workshop with a stronger sense of their own guiding principles for engaging in this work, along with new tools for practice.
In the context of the Black Lives Matters movement, our goal is to provide educators with strong working curricular models and an opportunity to exchange educational practices for teaching racial justice in early childhood classrooms. There will be a chance to hear from a panel of veteran teachers, ask questions, and meet with grade level colleagues to discuss opportunities and challenges. Educators should leave the workshop with a stronger sense of their own guiding principles for engaging in this work, along with new tools for practice.
Debbe Lee Keenan, Lesley University, Geralyn Bywater-McLaughlin, Mission Hill School, Chris Hoeh, Cambridge Friends School
Identity in the Public Forum: Art in Adult ESOL Education ROOM 111
Creative expression can bring a new dimension to language learning, both at an individual and community level. This workshop will focus on the role of identity in the language learning process and how the integration of different forms of art into adult ESOL instruction can involve students’ multiple identities in their learning in new ways. Case studies will be discussed, focusing on theater and creative writing/blogging, in diverse contexts, such as community centers, a community college, a language school, etc. We will look at the opportunities and challenges inherent in these different approaches, and through exploration of the case studies, discuss some of the practicalities of how to implement these approaches in your class.
Kathleen McGovern, University of Massachusetts Boston, the Immigrant Learning Center, Liz Ging, Roxbury Community College, Jamaica Plain Community Centers Adult Learning Program
Engaging Social Justice Through Family Partnerships ROOM 04
Have you wondered why parents are not engaged in your school or program? Have you considered how your own assumptions might be endangering your partnerships with families and communities? Have you ever wondered about the potential of effective family-school partnerships?
In this workshop, participants will challenge their own beliefs and assumptions around partnerships and engagement with families from a social justice lens. Using a key activity to diagnose their assumptions, participants will challenge current models of “family engagement” that often lead to a deficit mindset of students, families and communities. After this activity, participants will have conversations about these assumptions, and will work collaboratively to create new models of partnership cultivating the talents and assets families and communities bring.
Andrea So, ‘15 Ed.M. Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Malden Asian American Community Coalition, Rafael Zavala, ‘15 Ed.M. Harvard Graduate School of Education
Breath and Movement in the Classroom ROOM 013
Instructors Kate Ventimiglia and Molly Gilbert will guide workshop participants through a series of activities designed to create body and vocal awareness. Teachers in this training session will learn specific techniques to become physically grounded and speak with clarity and dynamism. Participants will also explore movement and breath as a pedagogical tool for improving the quality of instruction. This workshop will break down the basic anatomy of the human voice and body and provide methods to unlock physical and emotional blockages. Teachers will practice projection, articulation, and experience different resonators in the body. Physical alignment, quotidian gestures, and movement through the learning space will all be explored as impactful and integral elements in teaching. Developing physical awareness and honoring the true voices will enable teachers to provide students with the most engaging and comprehensible instruction possible.
Kate Ventimiglia, Emerson College, Theatre Education Graduate Program, Molly Gilbert, Emerson College, Theatre Education Graduate Program.
Creating Change in Our Communities through Youth Participatory ROOM 113
Action Research (YPAR)
We are proposing a workshop that will feature artistic presentations of research conducted by students who engaged in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) in a public, arts-based high school in Boston. In addition, the classroom teachers and a university researcher will share their stories of implementing this type of pedagogy. The teachers and researcher will bring 10-15 students to present their research, which will also contain an artistic element (e.g., spoken word, skit, dance). Student research topics this year include police brutality, sexual harassment, standardized testing, college affordability, and justice for undocumented immigrant students and parents, for LGBTQ students, and for teen parents. The session will be highly interactive, including Q&A sessions with both the students and the teachers/researcher. Our young people engaged in the work of taking collective action to create change in their communities, which we think is audacious, hopeful work. We hope that their research and their artistry will inspire youth, teachers, and researchers in attendance.
Peter George, Kiara Caceda, Camila Rodriguez, Nicomedes Flores, Elavia Reid (Boston Arts Academy Students), Alicia Thomas (Umass Boston Graduate student, teaching at Boston Arts Academy), Dara Bayer (Boston Arts Academy), Christopher Buttimer (Harvard Graduate School of Education), Aimee Van Wagenen (Umass Boston Graduate student, teaching at Boston Arts Academy)
Deaf Gain, Biodiversity, Language, and Culture: ROOM 112
Adding Visual Perspective to Your Multicultural Toolkit
Chances are you have attended at least one Professional Development event that addressed "the needs of students with hearing loss." Most likely, it was taught by an audiologist or speech language pathologist. An increasingly embraced perspective is the premise of Deaf Gain as opposed to Hearing Loss. Come and learn about this concept that is gaining momentum.
As educators, we are becoming more familiar with phrases like, "neuro-typical" "hetero-normative" and different types of privilege and we are learning to realize that there is not simply one way to live or educate youth.
History books document majority groups marginalizing minority groups, disempowering them intentionally or unintentionally through paternalistic veils of wanting to help, but not seeking their input as to what real help would be. Deaf people have been marginalized for years because their way of communicating differs from those in decision-making positions. We propose that it is the the responsibility of socially conscious citizens to work with and in support of traditionally disempowered people. Using American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf students and people could equally participate and influence decisions that affect them. Join us and learn about Deaf Gain as opposed to Hearing Loss.
Michelle Eisan-Smith, Ph.D. Jennifer Greenfield, MSW, M.S.Ed, Anna Davis, M.Ed., CI/CT, Ed:K-12, Katherine Angoff M.Ed., Randee Pascall-Speights Horace Mann School for the Deaf
Unfinished Business: Race and Class Literacy for Public Education ROOM 01
The Boston Busing/Desegregation Project (BBDP) will use stories of and about students and teachers in public education to frame a discussion about race and class literacy and its importance to transforming public education. Participants will share their own stories and experiences in schools. We will use these stories and a tool developed by BBDP to understand how gaps in education are reproduced and to deepen our analysis of ongoing issues of racism and classism, its impact and as part of a process of change.
Paula Elliot, EdD. & La Dawn Strickland, Steering Committee, Boston Busing/Desegregation Project
Exploring Undocumented Youth Issues through Image Theater ROOM 09
Drawing on Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed methodology, this workshop engages participants in an image theater activity in order to reflect on undocumented issues facing youth in Boston Public Schools.
Rocío Sánchez Ares, Boston College
Yalda Kaveh & Justin Prescott-Ihenetu, Student Immigrant Movement
No Such Thing as a Positive Stereotype: Dismantling the Model Minority Myth ROOM 107
How does the model minority myth affect the way educators think about Asian American students? In this interactive workshop, we examine the roots of the myth, study how statistical manipulation often creates divisions amongst communities of color, discuss the rarely heard issues Asian American students face today, and explore how this toxic myth causes division within the Asian American community as well.
Katie Li--Massachusetts Asian-American Educators Association