A two-part workshop via Zoom for K-12 public school teachers in CT led by Nataliya Braginsky, Social Studies and English Teacher at Metropolitan Business Academy (High School), New Haven, via Zoom. Limited enrollment; $100 honorarium for participating teachers.
Monday, August 10, 1-3pm
Friday, August 14, 1-3 pm
Apply here: applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and applicants will be notified by August 6.
DESCRIPTION:
This two-part workshop is designed for K-12 teachers in CT public schools, especially in Social Studies and English/Literature, who are interested in integrating local histories of place, community, social movements, and culture into their curricula and pedagogy. In the first workshop on Monday (8/11), educators will gain a deeper understanding of what place based learning is and the power that it holds. The facilitator will share several examples of place based learning — namely a student-developed map of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx New Haven history and radical audio walking tours of two New Haven neighborhoods, narrated by students — offering specific information and instruction about creation and implementation. The Monday workshop will also focus on how to facilitate place based learning while teaching remotely.
In the three days following the workshop, participants will be asked to develop an outline for a curricular unit, a specific lesson (or two), a place-based project, or a new pedagogical practice that can be incorporated into their teaching, and will present them to the group on Friday for feedback and revision. In this way, the two workshops will support teachers in building upon the place based learning they may already be utilizing in their classrooms, as well as developing new anti-racist projects and pedagogical practices.
WHY PLACE-BASED PEDAGOGY? The land on which our schools sit and the cities we call home hold deep histories, which both predate the formation of the United States and lay its foundation. Supporting students in unearthing these histories can be a powerful step in the direction of liberatory education as it reveals vital truths about this country, which are too often left out of the curricula: that white supremacy has been embedded in all U.S. institutions since this country's inception, and that Indigenous, Black American, Asian American, and Latinx people have not only resisted that white supremacy, they have played a critical role in building and transforming the nation.
ABOUT NATALIYA BRAGINSKY
Nataliya Braginsky is a high school social studies teacher who has been working in schools since 2007. For the past seven years, Nataliya has worked at Metropolitan in New Haven, where she teaches African American and Latinx History, Journalism, and Contemporary Law, in addition to co-advising the Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and Youth Justice Panel.