Inquiry Groups & Book Clubs
Join us for one of our open workshop series. We’ll read together, learn from each other, and embark on educational redesigns, putting what we’re learning to practice.
Up next for spring 2021: MOVING PAST THE ZERO: RE-ENVISIONING HOW WE GRADE
In this inquiry group, we’ll read and discuss the book Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms by Joe Feldman. Feldman is a teacher, principal, director, and researcher who looks critically at standard, accepted grading practices questioning their ability to accurately and equitably assess student knowledge and growth. He offers alternatives that keep students motivated, assess students on course content, and create equity for all students. Please share with fellow teachers who would be interested in an inquiry into grading practices. Open to all grades. Meeting dates: April 13 and 20; May 4 and May 18. Led by Nicole LaGrave.
DEEP DIVE AND TEACHER INQUIRY: (RE) CLAIMING LANGUAGES (completed: see the webinar and curated resources below)
The workshop series will begin with a collaborative, deep dive into Dr. April Baker-Bell’s Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy, Black Language before turning toward reflective action aimed at answering: (1) How does Anti-Black Linguistic racism operate in our own contexts? (2) How is White Linguistic supremacy maintained in our contexts? (3) How might we design learning spaces where students’ full linguistic repertoires are valued as more than a bridge to White Mainstream English? (4) What pedagogical innovations might be reimagined and enacted when we build from the claim that Black Lives and Language matter? Open to all teachers: k-college.
Curated resources from the (Re)Claiming workshop:
Fictional Novels
- Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
- Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- The Match by Colson Whitehead
- More at We Need Diverse Books
Non-Fiction Essays and Essay Collections
- How to Tame a Wild Tongue by Gloria Anzaldua
- On Being a Cripple by Nancy Mairs
- Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora Paperback by Andrew Lam
- Testimonio Female Voice and Feminist Text: Testimonio as a Form of Resistance in Latin America By Kathryn M. Smith
Antiracist Writing Resources/ Policies
- The AntiRacist Writing Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez (Chapter on Peer Review)
- Teaching in Higher Education Podcast Antiracist Writing Assessment Ecologies Asao Inoue
- Students’ Right to Their Own Language Conference on College Composition and Communication
- NCTE’s Policy Statement on Indigenous Peoples and People of Color in English and Language Arts Materials
Assignments and Pedagogical Practices