For ALL Kids: Dismantling Inequitable Instructional Practices

In far too many schools, equity is tied to “niceness” or “kindness” or “multicultural dinners” where we “celebrate diversity”. These things are great, AND it is important to note that these things alone are NOT equity. In this session we will examine the current movement toward equity by examining the systemic oppression that it is designed to eradicate.

We will build an intimate understanding of school as one of the many collections systems that has historically underserved and misrepresented the lives of poor children, children with disabilities, LGBTQ+ children, and children of the global majority -- even when those children are not present in our classrooms. This will be a session about doing the active, not just the sentimental, work of building more equitable school communities.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will…

1. Understand systems of oppression and how those systems are present in schools;
2. Consider barriers to equity in their own school communities;
3. Outline specific plans for their individual and collective work moving forward.

Essential Questions

• What is equity in the context of the teaching and learning work that we do every day?
• What are the barriers to equity that exist in our current work?
• What does it mean to do equitable work in the unique context of our schools?

Never Too Young to Think: Social Literacy for Our Youngest Learners

In so many school spaces, we struggle with how to talk to our youngest learners about the things that are emerging in our communities. Discussing differences and difficult histories can feel tricky. But not discussing these things gives kids a false sense of the world and who they are in it.

In this session we will consider methodologies, approaches and resources that allow us to talk to children in honest, developmentally appropriate ways about the world they are growing into. This workshop is about doing the work beyond merely expecting that kids will be the “leaders of tomorrow”. This is about giving them a framework for how they — in their play and among their friends — can be the leaders they were born to be today.

Learning Outcome

Participants will learn how to design honest, justice-oriented learning experiences with children.

Essential Question

How do we teach our youngest students about class, gender, race, and other nuanced topics?