2020 Better Together

In this session, Chantei will share lessons learned and best practices loved from teaching a Pre-K Inclusion class in the Spring and new rising Kindergarten students in the Summer, both remotely. Attendees will also receive a resource that organizes the many aspects of the remote learning day.
Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nxb1bdtG1fqky2wHXKH0AtrclQTjMP2pC1I2tlPiF5w/edit?usp=sharing

In this session I will take you through my hero currucium. Where students learn about people that look like them that changed history. While creating amazing artistic representations and writing powerful essays.

Building diverse, inclusive, and equitable collections is on all of our minds. For collections that deeply reflect all identities and experiences, you must think beyond “who” is represented and begin to think “how” they are represented. The Diverse BookFinder, a research database that helps you evaluate your picture book collection, uses nine categories that build a framework for evaluating the “how” that can be easily applied across all collections, not just picture books. Join me to learn about the Diverse BookFinder, understand the nine categories of representation, and how to use the free and interactive Collection Analysis Tool for your picture book collection.

Link to Slides Presentation


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Many educators find themselves daunted by the challenges of facilitating anti-bias and anti-racist (ABAR) work, even if they recognize its value. Although checklists will never supplement the ongoing learning and self-reflection that are requisite to our understanding of ABAR work, it can offer educators an important framework to examine and improve their teaching methods along these lines. In this session, high school English teacher Takeru Nagayoshi (MA 2020 Teacher of the Year) shares his “Did-I Checklist” for interrogating lessons, activities, and curricula through an ABAR lens. He explores how to leverage this tool to spot-check blindspots in both our mindset and pedagogy, and demonstrates its application through an example from his AP Literature class.

tinyurl.com/bettertogether2020nagayoshi

My approach to anti-racist teaching is couched in consistent self-reflection and student-centered approaches. I aim to create and sustain experiences that have students feel my class is being done for them and not to them. I use strategies that create student choice, intentionally build teamwork, and incorporate art to reach my aims.

In this session, Laura will discuss books she has read aloud with students from the Global Read Aloud and Project LIT lists, and explain how to use them to address the 10 Questions for Young Changemakers from the Democratic Knowledge Project. The 10 Questions are a perfect complement to an anti-racist curriculum and the goal of empowering students. Presentation: https://bit.ly/GardnerMC

As a white educator, I believe it is important for white teachers and leaders to develop antiracist practices and policies that ensure meaningful and sustainable change for our students, our colleagues, and our schools. In this session we will call each other in, not call each other out. We will examine tools to help us have safe, open, and honest conversations about the equity work we can do in our classrooms. I will share resources I use and lessons I have created. One goal is that participants will feel empowered with new tools, strategies, and ideas.

Presentation

During our time together, we will explore the interconnectedness of elective classes and student groups in core curriculum. Elective classes and student groups influence core classes and how students are able to think, reflect, create, and build deeper meaning in their core classes. Participants will engage in thought provoking conversations on how to build more robust electives and student groups at their school.