middle school classroom students listening to teacher

Centering Your Students: How to Sustain Inclusion and Equity as an Educator

As communities in the Midwest become more diverse, teachers must educate students who are fundamentally different than themselves. This means going beyond honoring diversity for sake of difference, and thus addressing the significance of social, economic, cultural, and linguistic factors that require specialized teaching strategies and services in K-12 schools or other educational settings.

Agenda

You're Invited 

You’re invited to “Centering Your Students: How to Sustain Inclusion and Equity as an Educator,” a workshop where you will learn to be a responsive educator, while considering new strategies to create an inclusive classroom and sustain equity in the school or community.

Designed as a professional development workshop open to all K-16 school professionals, this one-day, hybrid in-person/virtual event will challenge educators to learn about the larger conditions that shape student learning. This workshop is designed for educators willing to be critical of their personal practices and ideologies that influence their pedagogy as well as to develop strategies for culturally relevant, responsive or sustaining pedagogy.

Attendees will hear from scholars at the University of Kansas and local educators from rural and urban schools that are centering students in new and dynamic ways. They will be introduced to emerging research and work with other educators to consider how pedagogy and curriculum can adequately address educational inequalities and social justice.

Please join us on Friday, July 22, 2022 from 9:00-4:00 p.m. in Frank Bangs Memorial Classroom (4066 Wescoe) at 1445 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045. In-person space is limited to 36 people, which is first-come-first-served. However, due to ongoing health concerns, this workshop will also be live-streamed via Zoom, and virtual attendees will be fully included in all activities. Using the registration form, indicate a preference to attend in-person or virtually.

Free, All-inclusive

This is a free workshop made possible by Title VI National Resource Center grant funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Refreshments, snacks, a complimentary breakfast, and lunch will be provided by the University of Kansas Area Studies Centers.

Continuing Education Credit/Points/Hours or KU Graduate Credit

The KU Area Studies Centers are partnering with the KU Global Education Academy (GEA) to offer accredited professional development, with options to earn “stackable microcredits” toward graduate credit at the University of Kansas in the School of Education and Human Sciences. The “Centering Your Students” workshop, and others like it, are hosted on the GEA’s online platform where educators can: access interviews, lectures, and presentations; learn from global leading theorists, innovators, and practitioners; and network and collaborate with peers from around the world. This workshop can count toward three different options for credit:

For those who seek to learn but are not interested in credit, the workshop is available as a Global Micro-Credential Experience (GMCE), which is the equivalent of six professional development hours/points. Note, an GMCE is not stackable toward KU credit but may be recognized by some school districts for professional development points. The GEA online platform will allow attendees to access a record of their participation at any time. This option is free and available to all participants.

For those who seek to earn graduate credit, the workshop is available as a Global Micro-Credential Pro (GMC-Pro), in which attendees may earn up to two micro-credits. Each option includes meaningful assignments, such as reflection writing, critical analysis of research, creation of a lesson plan or other materials that are useful to an educator. These assignments are evaluated. Three stackable GMC-Pros allow individuals to earn one hour of graduate credit at University of Kansas. Each GMC-Pro costs $130.00 (KU tuition and fees), and progress is recorded in the GEA online platform. Using the registration form, indicate a preference to earn graduate credit.

For those who seek to earn credit, but currently lack the financial means, assistance may be available by Title VI National Resource Center grant funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Awards will be issued after the workshop and after the awardees' participation in the entire workshop, including all additional assignments, is evaluated by the workshop coordinators. Awardees must provide tax identification information (IRS W-9 form) before the award can be issued. Using the registration form, indicate a preference to be considered for financial assistance.