UCI School of Education to host second Teaching for Justice conference centered on AAPI experiences
|
Irvine, Calif., April 12, 2023 — UCI School of Education’s Center for Educational Partnerships and Teacher Academy is hosting a two-day Teaching for Justice conference intended for all K-12 educators and community members interested in integrating the principles of Asian American and Pacific Islander studies into their professional work. The conference will be held virtually on Friday, April 28, and in person on Saturday, April 29, at the UCI Student Center. The theme for the 2023 event is “Bridging Communities for AAPI Belonging and Well-Being.” The conference is in partnership with the UCI Humanities Center; the Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism and Belonging; and the UCI Libraries’ Southeast Asian Archive. |
|
“Now, more than ever, educators want to be in community with one another to learn from and with each other about how to support belonging and well-being among their students. Our focus on AAPI students’ and AAPI Studies is a unique opportunity to for us to be in dialogue about how all teachers can center ethnic studies in the K-12 classroom,” said Nicole F. Gilbertson, director of the UCI School of Education’s Teacher Academy.
More than 50 confirmed researchers and educators are scheduled to lead panels, workshops and presentations – many of whom are nationally recognized AAPI authorities, such as Stephanie Cariaga, Cathery Yeh and UCI’s Judy Tzu-Chun Wu – along with local educational experts and youth leaders.
With the 2022 inaugural conference serving as a foundation, the second year of Teaching for Justice aims to nurture meaningful opportunities for participants to learn how to improve and implement social justice-oriented AAPI studies instruction. Organizers will endeavor to encourage Asian American and Pacific Islander belonging and well-being by highlighting pedagogy, research, practice, community-based initiatives and programs focused on AAPI experiences to help people take better care of each other.
The conference is structured around three goals: deepening content knowledge, supporting classroom implementation and advancing advocacy.
Guiding questions include:
The racial reckoning sweeping the nation, the COVID-19-related xenophobia and violence aimed at Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Black and Indigenous populations and people of color have accelerated the urgency and necessity of ethnic studies in schools.
Last year, the UCI School of Education launched the Teaching for Justice conference in recognition that for social justice to be integrated and sustained in public education, local partnerships must be built that empower and prepare teachers to implement Asian American studies in the classroom.
“Educators who attended our conference last year overwhelmingly shared that they felt seen and represented. Our goal for this year is to foster that sense of belonging so when teachers return to the classroom they know they are part of the Teaching for Justice community that will support them in the implementation of pedagogy and content that enhances AAPI students’ thriving,” Gilbertson said.
To learn more or register for the conference, visit the Teaching for Justice conference website.
More than 50 confirmed researchers and educators are scheduled to lead panels, workshops and presentations – many of whom are nationally recognized AAPI authorities, such as Stephanie Cariaga, Cathery Yeh and UCI’s Judy Tzu-Chun Wu – along with local educational experts and youth leaders.
With the 2022 inaugural conference serving as a foundation, the second year of Teaching for Justice aims to nurture meaningful opportunities for participants to learn how to improve and implement social justice-oriented AAPI studies instruction. Organizers will endeavor to encourage Asian American and Pacific Islander belonging and well-being by highlighting pedagogy, research, practice, community-based initiatives and programs focused on AAPI experiences to help people take better care of each other.
The conference is structured around three goals: deepening content knowledge, supporting classroom implementation and advancing advocacy.
Guiding questions include:
- How has belonging manifested in the AAPI population in the past and how does it do so today? How does it impact well-being?
- How can we cultivate communities in which AAPI individuals belong and thrive?
The racial reckoning sweeping the nation, the COVID-19-related xenophobia and violence aimed at Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Black and Indigenous populations and people of color have accelerated the urgency and necessity of ethnic studies in schools.
Last year, the UCI School of Education launched the Teaching for Justice conference in recognition that for social justice to be integrated and sustained in public education, local partnerships must be built that empower and prepare teachers to implement Asian American studies in the classroom.
“Educators who attended our conference last year overwhelmingly shared that they felt seen and represented. Our goal for this year is to foster that sense of belonging so when teachers return to the classroom they know they are part of the Teaching for Justice community that will support them in the implementation of pedagogy and content that enhances AAPI students’ thriving,” Gilbertson said.
To learn more or register for the conference, visit the Teaching for Justice conference website.
