Author: Chase Iaconelli

Date: 6/20/24

Learning That Facilitates Awareness, Inclusion, Activism & Change

Across the expansive and ever-changing landscape of contemporary education, there is a growing embrace of teaching methods and practices rooted in progressivism’s enlightened principles. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s ‘Learning for Justice’ has led the charge in such teaching modalities by crafting classroom resources and teacher professional development. The aim of the site and the initiative is not only to dismantle the effects of white supremacy within Southern education but also to bolster awareness around intersectionality and the advancement of human rights for all people. Steeped within the Learning for Justice initiative is a multi-dimensional approach that works with educators to best orient themselves around culture and climate, curriculum and instruction, leadership, family, and community engagement. The initiative deploys tools that include articles, guides, lessons, films, webinars, and comprehensive frameworks for teachers to structure their content.

It seems warranted to investigate one of these tools to see what value they serve for teachers and students in order to better understand the anatomy of learning for Justice.

Collage of Concerns: Do Something K-12

One tool that seems to pronounce itself when navigating through the website is the Collage of Concerns: Do Something learning plan. In this activity, the teacher will have their students create a collage incorporating pictures that express the issues surrounding social Justice and diversity. The theme or direction of the project will be related to the content the students have been learning, such as the central text or characters of a book. The project will take place over a week. The value of the lesson will be to develop literary skills and effectiveness in communication; their engagement with the contents of the lesson’s book will allow the students better to understand the issue of social Justice and diversity while also allowing them to express their ideas and feelings on the matter.
First, the teacher will instruct the students to hunt for newspapers, magazines, and catalogs to share their recycled images with other classmates and define the direction of their collage. Then, the students will draft a template consisting of visual checklists consistent with the rubric provided by the teacher. The “Do Something Planning Guide” will be their map as they move through the project’s objectives. The teacher will add instruction throughout the week so that the students clearly understand the expectations of the rubric and assignment. For the sake of clarity, let’s say that the book being reviewed is about a girl who belongs to the LGBTQ+ community and faces hardship and hatred as she strives to become a professional tennis player; the students will brainstorm talking points relevant to the story and begin to combine their images so to express a chosen theme about her story effectively. Students can draw their illustrations and be encouraged to find words associated with social Justice, anti-bias, or LGTBQ+ pride. Once students develop a coherent direction for the project, they can begin the creative process of collaging.

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The teacher will instruct the students to write captions that are descriptive of what their theme is and what the overall concern of the collage might be, relating to the protagonist’s journey in the book. Once the collage is finished, the students, who had been assigned or allowed to pick their own groups, will present their finished product to the class. The Do Something learning plan should be posted in a hallway or visible space, and family member, other classes, grades and members of the school are not just encouraged but invited to come and see their work. This fosters a strong sense of community, academic praise and awareness to the topic of LGBTQ+ issues. Onlookers can leave sticky notes and comments on the collage to further promote community participation, dialogue and awareness on the given theme or topic of the project.

The week after the projects are submitted and presented, the teacher will engage in a reflective discussion about the process of creating a collage, the central themes of the text, and the deeper considerations and impact that such issues have on the community and the class as a whole. Students should feel confident in the book’s central purpose and be encouraged to develop uplifting solutions to their concerns relating to the complexities of social and cultural issues within the lesson.

The Learning for Justice website contains lesson plans and guides for teachers to reach their students in new and exciting ways while fostering a basic understanding of diversity, inclusion, Social Justice, and progressive perspectives. The Southern Poverty Law Center understands that these types of lessons can be seen as controversial and at times ill-placed within the classroom, but their goal in offering these types of tools is to change the conversation around taboo and uncomfortable topics by increasing awareness, education, and engagement for the future generations of teachers and students. Rest assured, the Learning for Justice initiative is a comprehensive and well-thought-out resource designed to equip educators with the necessary tools to navigate these complex issues in the classroom.

“Using the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.” -National Geographic’s Mission Statement

National Geographic is one of the most well-known science based outlets in the world. It is best known for its environmental contributions and animal based media on their TV channel, magazine, and website. National Geographic has access to some of the best environmental experts in the world and leverages that to inspire educators and youth globally and to help more people learn about, care for, and protect our planet. Using an online style “classroom” they are able to spread the word of the National Geographic Explorers, which are a group of experts who investigate, test hypotheses, innovate, stretch their creativity, and push the boundaries of traditional thinking in ways that fundamentally change our world. They also invest 100% of their donations into their Explorers and global programs. A great example of one of these Explorers is Dr. Jane Goodall, an primatologist, anthropologist, and one of the worlds best Chimpanzee specialists, shown in the picture below.

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An Inspirational Story that shows how there are no limits to communication across the globe.

The Story Same, Same but Different, by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, is such an excellent example of welcoming diversity and showing that communication has no limits in our world today.

Elliot from America is pen pals with Kailash in India. The two become good friends, even if they’re across the globe from each other. They talk to each other about their daily lives, how different each of them are from each other, and what each of their cultures, schools, and families are like. Its an excellent example to represent how different everyone is across the world, and is a great read for students who need to understand this concept.

I would recommend this to teachers, or would assign this to my own students one day, to help them understand how diverse the world is. Being from different places in the world doesn’t limit you to being friends with someone. And being in different cultures doesn’t prevent you from knowing someone else. This is a great reading concept for any student who hasn’t expanded much out of their culture or lifestyle, and young readers who are maybe in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade may benefit from this book greatly.

Helping students learn about others that live differently than themselves can help create an environment that accepts everyone, not only in a classroom, but in whole schools and even towns. It will help create a better future for not only students, but the communities they live in as well.

Written by Michael Reynolds

Sources:

Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. (2015). Same, same but different. Weston Woods.‌

Discovery is normally known for their shows about animals around the world like Shark Week or the Puppy Bowl, but did you know that they also have virtual field trips that are extremely useful to teachers and students around the world?

These “field trips” are usually 20-30 minute videos that go in depth and give very useful information about a specific topic that usually pertains to something going on in the world today. It also makes it fun for kids to watch because they will show lots of different scenes and images that pair with the topic and even have parts where they show the audience how something works and break it down for them. Keeping the topics modern and up to date is very important so students can properly learn and understand what is going on in the world today.

Overall, Discovery really hit the mark with the virtual field trips by making them filled with useful information and all while making it fun and intriguing for students around the world. It is a great idea and hopefully more channels like Discovery can use this idea and make something as helpful to teachers and students as the virtual field trips are.

Sources:

www.discoveryeducation.com/community/virtual-field-trips

Easy Access

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http://www.childrenslibrary.org/

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The International Digitial Library is a resource that allows children worldwide to access library books. On the website, you can look for books by the language you prefer, color, list, format, genre, characters, and true vs make-believe stories. Having various research tools helps you find the perfect book for you. The resource is over twenty years old and has touched the lives of fifteen million people who have spent over a million minutes reading. Unfortunately, the founders who helped the program stay alive without funds have moved on, leaving the website and the books to be used by certain people.

https://www.martinpublicseating.com/blog/the-importance-of-a-school-library-for-students

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When it comes to the ethics of educational collaboration, and the ambition required to have a meaningful impact on students, one should look no further than the Qatar Foundation. In the Middle East, education can be a rather subversive service, with many countries limiting access to quality education for political and cultural reasons. But in Qatar, bustling industries and investments are being made to increase access to education. Education City, as it’s known in the region, is a large and expansive landscape filled with campus buildings, research centers, student housing and multi -disciplined facilities. This is all made possible by the Qatar’s growing partnerships with leading international universities. In the spirit of education collaboration, renowned universities such as Georgetown, Northwestern, and Texas A&M have all set up satellite campuses in Education City.

Pictures of Education City and its sprawling landscape of state-of-the-art academic facilities.

The Qatar Foundation is a strong example of what can be accomplished for students when institutions embrace the spirit of international collaboration in the name of advancing quality education. Hamad Bin Khalifa University, established by the Qatar Foundation, is at the foundation of this collaboration, as the communication, innovation and relationships of its international partners has enabled groundbreaking research programs. Funding and oversight of these pursuits come from a broad range of supporters, who notice the ambition and drive of the Qatar Foundation, and champion their goals of comprehensive education. Interdisciplinary programs such as the Academic Bridge Program, an initiative that brings students from schools around the world to collectively work on projects in their given discipline, is another example of their robust collaborative spirit.

What the Qatar Foundation understands, and why they are so successful, is that collaboration is an imperative element of growth. In order to achieve goals and overcome obstacles, bodies of higher education must rely on each other for improvement, adaptability, course corrections and community engagement. The international aspect of their collaboration also speaks to the amicable nature of foreign relations, as it relates to the matters of education. From hosting conferences, funding expos, and research projects, to their general message of promoting lifelong learning for all students, this foundation truly embodies a collaborative and forward-thinking institution of higher education. The Qatar Foundation is establishing a dynamic and innovative educational ecosystem by fostering a community of collaboration. This ecosystem, which surely serves as an example to the rest of the education community, will guide students to confront the complex challenges that will be faced in the 21st century.

Article by Level Up Village. Blog Written by Nick Bianchi

There are many amazing benefits to Global Collaboration that can be thought of in the classroom, but there are a few that stand out in particular. They are Inquiry-based learning, appreciation of diversity, students becoming dealers, and empathy.

Inquiry-based learning:

“Children are naturally curious about the world around them. They have vivid imaginations, and they use their curiosity to explore and learn about themselves and that world. Inquiry-based learning triggers this curiosity as it leads children to ask questions about things that interest them.”

Jaros-White, G. (2023, July 10). Four amazing benefits of global collaboration. Level up Village. https://levelupvillage.com/four-amazing-benefits-of-global-collaboration/

Appreciation of diversity:

“When virtual exchanges begin, students naturally notice and acknowledge the differences between them and their global partners, and throughout the exchanges, they develop their appreciation of diversity. Interestingly, though, they are even more excited when they find similarities with their global partners.”

Jaros-White, G. (2023, July 10). Four amazing benefits of global collaboration. Level up Village. https://levelupvillage.com/four-amazing-benefits-of-global-collaboration/

Students becoming teachers:

“Virtual exchanges, especially those based on language, allow students to become teachers and show their expertise to other kids. In LUV Languages & Cultures courses, students exchange videos, alternating between their first and target languages. This is a great opportunity for them to teach their peers new words, phrases, or interesting idioms.”

Jaros-White, G. (2023, July 10). Four amazing benefits of global collaboration. Level up Village. https://levelupvillage.com/four-amazing-benefits-of-global-collaboration/

Empathy:

“When a class of 4th graders at Newfane Elementary School in New York State participated in a project with students in Kenya, they got to learn firsthand about their peers’ lives and the challenges they faced. The experience sparked their curiosity but also encouraged them to get engaged in helping their Kenyan peers. When they found out that a local organization was raising funds to build the first library in that area, they wanted to help. They organized a fundraising event to contribute to the effort.”

Jaros-White, G. (2023, July 10). Four amazing benefits of global collaboration. Level up Village. https://levelupvillage.com/four-amazing-benefits-of-global-collaboration/

As you can see, all of these different benefits of global collaboration are extremely helpful to the young minds around the world. They each contribute in students discovering new things about themselves, the things around them, and even the people around them.

Sources:

Jaros-White, G. (2023, July 10). Four amazing benefits of global collaboration. Level up Village. https://levelupvillage.com/four-amazing-benefits-of-global-collaboration/

https://levelupvillage.com/four-amazing-benefits-of-global-collaboration/