Teachers, creativity and social justice
I’ve been thinking a lot about teachers lately…how much I miss being inside of, and how deeply I care for the work taking place in, the classroom each and every day. I simultaneously stand in awe, respect, and envy of those of you who are with our students, day in and day out. You are all heroes in your own right.
Aaron & I started Mind Power Collective with a vision of connecting educators and bringing who we are as people to our profession. All our originality, creativity, passion, ingenuity, intellectual determination and fierce dedication sometimes gets lost in the grind and shuffle of the school’s structured chaos.
Currently, I am brainstorming a thesis/possible dissertation topic around how the intersection of creativity and the arts with developing authentic teacher relationships can promote pedagogic self-actualization in order to achieve greater social justice and equity in our school systems, particularly as these relate to policy and assessment of teacher and student will, skill, knowledge and capacity. A mouthful? Yes…but perhaps this blog can help unpack these ideas as a place of reflection, for resources and we hope, interesting dialogue.
I look forward to you joining in….
Hi Jayeesha,
I have some thoughts about creativity and the arts supporting teacher rejuvenation, and I’d love to talk further with you about this. I just finished my first year of teaching, and I attribute my great year to the power of an arts-based “spiritual” practice I have called InterPlay. It’s an Oakland-based creative/improvisational form that combines movement, storytelling, and vocal play together…impossible to understand until you experience it. But I swear it saved my life this year!
And, I was just at a national workshop on InterPlay and found out about a number of teachers who also practice InterPlay; next summer I’m hoping to bring several of us together to talk about a) how can a practice like InterPlay be used intentionally to support teacher wellbeing (both individual and in community with each other), and b) how can improvisational practices like InterPlay be used in the classroom to support student wellbeing.
I don’t know where in South Asia you are from, but you might also be interested to know that we are planning our first InterPlay gathering in India in 2008! Mumbai, to be exact.
Gretchen Wegner - June 19, 2007 at 9:50 pm |
Thank you for creating this blog. As an educator who has worked in public schools for the past 7 years, I know first hand how important rejuvenation, creativity and inspiration are to being a vibrant and supportive teacher. I love the quote you have by bell hooks on one of the pages. Anyway. . .looking forward to working with you/supporting your group in the future. paz!
dzy
Daria - March 7, 2008 at 1:44 pm |
Spread the word about our Fair Trade Curriculum!
Colette - March 31, 2009 at 10:58 am |
Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Cocoa Curriculum (9 lesson plans + Activity Book)
-Grades(s) K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects(s) Language Arts, Health & Nutrition, Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies
-Objective
This unit will expose students to various aspects of Fair Trade chocolate production and consumption.
Additionally, it exposes students to the ways our consumer choices affect people around the
world. It is intended to be more of an introduction than an in-depth study. Even so, students will
meet certain learning goals by completing the unit. At the end of the unit, students should:
Be aware that Fair Trade exists
Demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of Fair Trade certified products
Demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of Fair Trade certified products
Be able to identify Fair Trade certified products
Be able to participate in advocacy for Fair Trade
Colette - March 31, 2009 at 11:00 am |
This is primarily a social studies unit (economics, civics, geography, current events) that integrates
language arts, but it also includes art, math, and life science. The unit was written broadly for
students in grades 2-5, but is also be suitable for younger and older students. Little or no background
knowledge of the topic is required. It is possible that students in lower grades will need
some additional support and students in higher grades will need some enrichment.
Colette - March 31, 2009 at 11:01 am |
The unit is available for free download at http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/. It is designed to be supported by the Global Exchange Fair Trade Chocolate Book associated
with the unit (available at http://www.globalexchange.org/cocoa).
REGISTER with Global Exchange by sending an email to fairtrade@globalexchange.org with information such as when you’ll be teaching the curriculum, the name of the school, # of students, phone number and address and we’ll enter you into our prize drawings to WIN FAIR TRADE GIFTS!
Colette - March 31, 2009 at 11:04 am |