Check out NYCoRE’s 2016 ItAGs!

 

It’s that time of year…

…time to register for one of this year’s amazing ItAGs! 

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Check out the lineup of topics and register today!

1. STEM Education: Unpacking the Hidden Curriculum

We will be unpacking the Eurocentric lens, which dominates the teaching and learning of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. We will examine how this hidden curriculum impacts our students and our relationship to the discipline as social justice educators. This ItAG will use articles, guest speakers, and other resources to deepen our analysis, strengthen our pedagogy and create a more just STEM classroom. We welcome all teaching levels, from pre-kindergarten to higher education, and all disciplines to join us as we explore these issues.

Facilitators: Amber Bennett teaches all subjects in a 4th-5th grade public Montessori classroom in the South Bronx. Prior to that, she taught MS/HS biology and general science for 7 years in NYC and Tanzania. LaToya Strong is a science educator and doctoral student in the Urban Education program at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She previously taught science in public schools in both the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Location: CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue (Manhattan), 5th Floor, Rm. 5409 (Bring ID)

Dates: Thursdays, 6-8 pm. Kick off on 1/29; sessions following on 2/4, 2/11, 2/25, 3/3, 3/10, & 3/17

2. Not Just a Suspension Alternative: Tracing the Cultural and Philosophical Roots of Restorative Justice

Schools implementing restorative justice practices often don’t have a great deal of context for the various traditions and movements from which where these practices come. This group will examine a different text each week, tracing the history and philosophy of RJ in order to ground participants in the theory and particular contexts behind the often challenging practices schools are trying out. Facilitators will use discussion protocols that participants can bring back to their individual schools to continue the conversation. Through focusing on the political and cultural roots of restorative justice, we hope to deepen and ground our understanding of our own practice in schools as well as city-wide and national advocacy for RJ in schools.

Facilitators: Tyler Brewster and Taeko Onishi are both members of Teachers Unite (teachersunite.net). Tyler has worked for the past nine years in NYC public schools as a middle & high school math teacher, a Dean of Student Discipline and a UFT Chapter Leader in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She is currently a Community Coordinator, with a specific focus on Restorative Practices, at the James Baldwin School, a transfer high school in Chelsea. Taeko is a native New Yorker. During her decades working in education she has taught mathematics, science, education and philosophy, with learners from kindergarten through graduate school, been an administrator and coach, and is a co-founder of Lyons Community School in East Williamsburg, where she joyously still works.

Location: James Baldwin School. 351 W. 18th St., A/C/E/1/2/3/L to 14th St. (Manhattan)

Dates: Tuesdays, 6-8pm. Kick off on 1/29; sessions following 2/2, 2/9, 2/23, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15

3. Time to Act: Reflecting, Unpacking, and Confronting Racism Through Theatre

How does racism manifest in our educational and pedagogical practices? What are ways we can unpack race and racism in our personal, professional and organizational participation? This ItAG for teachers will explore institutionalized, interpersonal and internalized racism using applied theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques. No prior theatre experience or anti-racism training is necessary. * Please note, this ItAG will be part of a larger research project that documents how applied theater and theater of the oppressed techniques can be used with teachers to facilitate conversations about and around Race and Racism.

Facilitators: Marissa Metelica is a queer, white radical theater artist and social justice educator committed to centralizing commonly marginalized histories. Brisa Areli Muñoz is a theatre director and educator who is devoted to making spaces more accessible, inclusive and just for the purposes of social change. Dedunu Suraweera is a social worker, teaching artist, & community organizer. She continually explores the power of theatre for transformative action.

Location: CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue (Manhattan), Room and Floor TBD (Bring ID)

Dates: Mondays, 6:45-8:45pm. Kick off 1/29; sessions following 2/1, 2/8, 2/22, 2/29, 3/7 & 3/14

4. Storytelling to Heal Ourselves and Educate our Youth

As people of color, it is important to share our stories, document our experiences, and preserve our own histories. In this itag, we will explore the purpose and power of storytelling as well as engage in storytelling as a way to heal and move ourselves and others to action. We will also discuss how storytelling can be used as an instructional practice.

**Please note: This ITaG is open to those who identify as educators of color.

Facilitators: Laura Kaneko is in her 3rd year as a 4th grade teacher at a Spanish-English dual language school in East New York. She has been involved with NYCoRE since 2011. Ashia Troiano has worked as a high school Social Studies teacher. She is currently a freelance writer and editor.

Location: CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue (Manhattan), Room and Floor TBD (Bring ID)

Dates: Thursdays from 5:30-7:30; Kick off on 1/29; sessions following on 2/4, 2/11, 2/25, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17

5. Critical Educational Leadership

Working within a school community entails collaboration with educators, students, their families, the surrounding community, and, on a broader level, policymakers and various policies. Working within a school community as a school leader requires that this collaboration be combined with decision-making, leadership, and innovation, usually on the spot. As critical school leaders, social justice shapes our vision and influences our daily work. How do we sustain a learning environment of social justice and revolutionary education while working within a broader context of neoliberal school reform? What steps do we take each day to ensure that young people and adults alike are active participants in their own learning and growth? As a community of inquirers, we will navigate the landscape of educational leadership with the goal of braiding the personal with the professional in our practice. This ItAG is open specifically to school leaders and those interested in school leadership.

Facilitators: Rachel Seher is part of the leadership team at City-As-School. She seeks to promote just, humane and democratic school communities through shared inquiry, collaborative decision making, and a focus on youth and adult development. David R. Rosas, a native New Yorker, works in education to foster critical consciousness and self-determination with young people.

Location: City-As-School, 16 Clarkson St. (Manhattan)

Dates: Tuesdays from 5:45-7:45; Kick off on 1/29; sessions following on 2/2, 2/9, 2/23, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15.

Registration: Register at our Eventbrite page here! The registration fee is $30. Multiple teachers from the same school/organization can register together for the same ItAG for a reduced rate of $25 each. This will cover the cost of materials and support NYCoRE’s ongoing work.

ItAG Kick-off is Friday January 29th from 6-8 pm.

Registration CLOSES Wednesday, Jan. 27th!

Spread the word!

RSVP for NYCoRE’s December Meeting

 

Courtesy of Teachers for Social Justice (Chicago)

Hey NYCoRE!

ItAG season is almost here! ItAGs–Inquiry to Action Groups– are educator-activist led study groups around relevant educational justice and social justice issues. The line up for this year is ON POINT. We won’t start registration and outreach until late December, but you can get a SNEAK PEEK at this month’s member meeting.

For this month’s political education, you’ll hear about all the ItAGs and then breakout into sessions with the facilitators to get a taste of the ItAGs you’re most interested in.

ItAGs are an awesome way for new folks to get connected to a community of social justice-minded folks. See what some participants have said about their ItAG experience:

“Each week I would bring back to my school sections of our readings from my ItAG. By sharing resources with my colleagues I have found a new network in my school that I would not have found otherwise. Now there are a group of about 5-6 teachers in my school that want to participate in future ItAGs and that now are meeting to discuss our own practice.”

“The ItAG changed the way that I see myself as a part of a larger group/community of teachers who are working toward social change. I see my role as being one of bringing this mindset to other teachers as well, not to stand alone as an island in my beliefs and convictions.”

“Honestly, the ItAG reminded me that I was not alone. To simply be in a space of all educators of color working with students of color and sharing active classroom techniques, self-care, struggles with internalizing and discussion, was incredibly alleviating for me. I only wish I had more time with everyone! I learned something new from each of them, especially the ways in which different people were navigating organizational politics.”

Please remember to RSVP to give us an accurate head count for food as well as bring reusable food containers and utensils. Let’s try to be radical in all aspects of our lives!

Date:
Friday, December 18, 2015

Time:
5:30 to 8:00 PM

NYU Pless Hall 3rd Floor Lounge
82 Washington Square East
New York, NY

There will be no NYCoRE 101 for this meeting. If you are new to NYCoRE, please check out our member guide by clicking here.

Please Bring ID and RSVP below to give us a head count for food, and to notify security.

NYCoRE
http://www.nycore.org

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