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2nd
Annual International Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice
FRIDAY, JULY 23
Opening
Plenary Session
(Newport Beach)
9:30-10:15
Kevin K. Kumashiro, Conference Organizer and Director of the Center
for Anti-Oppressive Education, will open the 2nd Annual International
Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice. Following Dr. Kumashiro's
remarks will be a screening of the new educational video, Class Dismissed.
"Class
Dismissed: Examining High School History Textbooks "
Class Dismissed provides a critical look
at how U.S. history is taught in high school, at the textbook industry,
standardized testing, the lack of race and class analysis in textbooks,
and the teacher’s role in introducing a range of perspectives into
the classroom. Featuring interviews with authors, New York public high
school students and teachers, and textbook industry insiders. 28 min.
Produced by Paper Tiger Television.
Breakout
Session #1
10:30-12:00
PAPER PRESENTATIONS:
Emancipatory Pedagogies and Policies: Perspectives from New Zealand
(Marina del Rey)
From Word to World in
Pre-Service Teacher Education
Students at Auckland College of Education are able to opt for a module,
based on writings of Paulo Freire, that prepares them for teaching
in low-SES, urban, and rural schools. The author reflects on her experiences
teaching this module and helping her student teachers better understand
their realities and subjectivities and the emancipatory potential
of their pedagogies. (Vicki M. Carpenter, Auckland College of
Education, New Zealand)
Learning to Labour
and Question: Learning Union at School
The
opportunity for union education under the Employment Relations
Act has provided an opportunity for more meaningful citizenship
education. This paper highlights the need for educators to
engage with students' real-life experiences of working and
help them to understand their employment rights and gain confidence
in their collective skills. (Jose Jesson, Auckland College
of Education, New Zealand)
Empowering Pathways
for Mäori: Emancipatory?
After
many years of struggle, Mäori resistance
initiatives in education have led to greater opportunities for
autonomy and self-determination. The author, an indigenous teacher
educator, reflects on the development of a Huarahi Mäori
(indigenous) pathway
through the Auckland College of Education Bachelor of Education
(Tchg) program. (Colleen McMurchy-Pilkington, Auckland College
of Education, New Zealand)
WORKSHOP:
By Any Means Necessary: Integrating a Proper Resistance to Oppression
into the Public School Curriculum--Whether Bush Likes It or Not
(Monterey)
Social justice must
be supported and re-enforced within schools and communities, despite
the political and professional barriers that are put in place by
the administration and other oppressive forces. This workshop explains
how educators who teach in predominantly African American and Latino
elementary schools can do just that. (Sekani Moyenda, Rosa Parks
Elementary School, and Teachers for Social Justice)
ROUNDTABLE
DISCUSSION: If You Show Me Your TPA, I'll Show You Mine (Santa
Barbara)
The Teaching
Performance Assessments (TPAs) are being addressed in many
different ways in teacher preparation programs throughout
the state of California. This session provides participants
an opportunity to discuss what their departments are doing
and learn how others are meeting Standard 19. (Ann Schulte,
California State University, Chico, organizer)
VIDEO SCREENING:
Videos for Challenging Homophobia (Newport Beach)
"Apples
and Oranges"
Apples
and Oranges teaches children about the negative effects
of certain words and bullying behavior. Woven into the
stories are animated shorts and film clips of class discussions.
18 min, with study guide. For grades 4-8. Produced by
the National Film Board of Canada.
"In
Other Words"
In
Other Words explores the homophobic language heard
both in and out of schools--the words themselves, their
origins, how young people feel about them, and how to
overcome the hurt and anger they cause. 27min, with study
guide. For grades 9 and up. Produced by the National Film
Board of Canada.
"Sticks
& Stones"
Sticks
& Stones profiles gay, lesbian, and transgender youth
in Hawai‘i’s schools today, revealing the pain
and hardship that they endured as students. It is hoped
that through greater understanding, educators will then
be motivated to make their classrooms and campuses safe
places for all students. 11 min, with study guide. For educators.
Produced by Catalyst Productions.
Workshop
for Activism (Marina del Rey)
12:15-1:15
Publishing for
the Popular Press
This workshop introduces
participants to the process of publishing op-eds, commentaries,
and letters to the editor for newspapers. Participants review
tips and guidelines, contrast with academic publishing, review
sample essays, and brainstorm leads. Presented by Kevin Kumashiro,
Center for Anti-Oppressive Education.
Video
Screening (Newport Beach)
12:15-1:15
"Beyond Brown:
Pursuing the Promise"
Beyond Brown provides
an historical overview of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision on
Brown v Board of Education, making links to schools today and the
persistence of segregation, inequity, and an achievement gap. Filled
with interviews of prominent educational leaders and profiles of students
in urban schools, this video documentary premiered on PBS in May 2004.
60min. Produced by Firelight Media, Inc.
Breakout
Session #2
1:30-3:00
WORKSHOP: Preparing Educators
to Embrace the Quest for Educational Equity and Social Justice for African
Immigrant Students and Communities (Marina del Rey)
Black African immigrant students are
at especially high risk for academic and social difficulties because
of racism and xenophobia. Drawing on research and personal experiences,
this workshop will explore ways in which educators can impact the
quest for educational equity and social justice for Black African
immigrants in U.S. schools and society. (Elavie Ndura, University
of Nevada, Reno)
WORKSHOP: The Daily Choices
and Hard Calls of Relational Leadership for Student Success (Monterey)
Interrupting the historic inequities
that continue to undermine the health and welfare of communities
requires changing existing relationships between parents and families,
students, and teachers. Participants in this workshop will explore
case studies and engage in dialogue about the challenges and benefits
of relational leadership. (Mark Miller, Emery Secondary School;
Mark Salinas, Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools; Tony Smith,
Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools)
WORKSHOP: Student
Slurs, Teacher Silence (Santa Barbara)
This workshop sensitizes participants
to homophobic slurs, teacher silence that often follows, and
the harm caused to all students. It begins with an original
monologue performed by the presenter; continues with reflection,
self-evaluation, and statistics; and ends with many strategies
to help combat homophobia and heterosexism. (Sheridan Gold,
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, North Bay, California)
PANEL DISCUSSION:
How Do We Get a Multiracial Teaching Force?: Is It a Problem
of Recruitment or a Problem of Barriers? (Santa Clara)
In the
U.S., approximately 40% of the public school students
but only 10% of the teachers are Latino, African American,
Asian American, and Native American. What creates this
situation and what can be done about it? In this workshop,
we will encourage a solution-oriented dialogue from participants,
and offer our own systemic and individual solutions. (Roberta
Ahlquist, San Jose State University; Enid Pickett, SSU
North Bay International Studies Project; and others)
WORKSHOP: Eyes
on the Fries: Young Workers in the Service Economy (Newport
Beach)
This workshop examines the
service economy through the experiences of young workers,
and will use popular education methods to demystify economics
and increase awareness. Participants will view a 20-minute
video on the changing economy, its impact on young people,
and actions to win justice on the job and in the community.
Ideal for teachers interested in economics and labor education.
(Sara Flocks and Sonya Mehta, Young Workers United)
Breakout
Session #3
3:15-4:45
PAPER PRESENTATIONS:
Innovations in the Design of Teacher-Education Programs (Marina
del Rey)
World Educational
Links (WEL): Teaching toward a Global Community
This paper describes a
one-year pilot program providing a master's degree plus elementary
or secondary teacher certification. Its mission is to prepare
teachers for a diverse world, competent to confront and reconstruct
practices and policies in the public school system and to advance
self-transformation and systemic change toward equity and social
justice. (Deborah Black, Keene State College; Judith Reed,
Keene State College)
Teacher Education
as Persuasive Work
This paper describes how redesigning our teacher-education
program to work toward social justice required giving up grand
narratives (development psychology, social constructivism, the
provincial curriculum). We focused on reconstructing subjectivities
through community-based field experiences, themed cross-disciplinary
content courses, and viewing teacher education as persuasive
practice. (Meredith Cherland, University of Regina, Canada)
Grassroots Organizing
for Equity in Education: Important Lessons for Teacher Education
Drawing on a case study of fifty-two
individuals working in inner-city schools and communities, this
paper will present preliminary findings of a study that explores
the ways in which the methods and strategies used by grassroots
organizations dedicated to ensuring equity and social justice
in public school education can inform and influence the work
of teacher educators. (Sonia
James-Wilson, University of Rochester)
Service Learning
and Teacher Education: Learning In, From, and For the Field
This paper foregrounds one component
of a service-learning project piloted in a teacher-education
program in South Africa as part of a national research project.
It argues that the "real world" experience of service-learning
promotes the emergence of teacher-education students as active
social agents in society. (Nadine
Petersen, Rand Afrikaans University, South Africa)
PANEL DISCUSSION: Recruiting
and Retaining Diverse Teachers for Diverse Students Who Often Forget
They are Brilliant (Monterey)
This session features a panel
of teachers describing the challenges and successes of working
with the diverse population of students in "special education"
as well as other underprepared students. What is appealing and
what makes the work impossible? What are some strategies for maintaining
our sanity in a dysfunctional system? There will be ample time
for sharing and brainstorming among the participants. (Judi
Hirsch, Oakland Unified School District, Organizers)
WORKSHOP: Addressing
Student-Held Beliefs Concerning Diversity: Lesson Ideas from
a Rural College's Educational Studies Program (Santa Barbara)
This workshop examines how
one rural college addresses student-held beliefs concerning
diversity in their eduational studies program. Through the
use of lessons that integrate case study, group dialogue,
and self-reflective process, prospective teachers define the
role of self and its affect on the processes of education.
(Suzanne Katz, Ripon College)
WORKSHOP: Addressing
Hate Crimes and Intolerance: Resources for Educators and Communities
(Newport Beach)
This workshop will (1) promote
a dialogue between educators and civil-rights advocates on
collective and divergent responses to hate crimes and intolerance,
especially against Asian Pacific Americans, and (2) share
resources and strategies to help teachers and students better
address hate crimes and intolerance. (Ben de Guzman, National
Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium)
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