Session F Workshop Descriptions

SESSION F

DEI: A Practical Approach in the English Classroom: Are you trying to weave DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) into your curriculum? DEI isn't so much something you do, as it is how you do it. Today's session is not, and should not be seen as a one-stop shop. Rather, it is the next part of an ongoing conversation. Join Guilderland teacher Brenna Autrey and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matt Pinchinat as they share traditional and non-traditional ways in which they have worked together to accomplish that task in large and small settings. Participants are encouraged to bring a novel or short story to work with during the workshop. (6-12)

Presenter: Brenna Autrey & Matthew Pinchinat, Guilderland High School

Location: Salon A

Social Justice Research through Project-Based Learning: How can you leverage students' concerns about injustices throughout history and in society today? How can you make research applicable to them while keeping the assessment rigorous and engaging? For this project, students apply their inquiry/research skills and knowledge of key social justice terms to research and present one injustice they are concerned about right now and how one social justice organization is currently working to address that injustice in society. This program will be an overview and how-to guide for implementation. (9-12)

Presenters: Lori Lebel, Ryan Schuette, & Jacob Chandler, Schenectady High School

Location: Salon B

The Importance of Places: These loop writing activities are designed to inspire students to consider what home is and to write critically and creatively about places of importance using Pico Iyer’s TED talk “Where is Home?” And Alberto Rios’ poem “We are of a Tribe.” They will also look at childhood memories to inspire story writing. There are two different prompts with digital copies available. These lessons were designed collaboratively by the English Department at CCHS and in affiliation with the HVWP. (9-12)

Presenters: Jeanne Rose & Erica Liebler, Cornwall High School & The Hudson Valley Writing Project

Location: Salon C

Moving Readers From Compliance to Engagement: In a follow-up to this morning’s keynote, this workshop will focus on moving students away from fake reading and into more authentic, engaged reading.

Presenter: Kelly Gallagher

Location: Salon F

The More You Know--And How to Use It: We know that students who know more do better. We urge them to keep up with the news, to learn about the arts, history, science, politics, economics, law, and philosophy, and to use what they learn in their other classes in their writing. But it's challenging these days when our students’ interests seem so different from our own; they don’t seem to know what we think they should know! This session will provide strategies and materials for teachers to think about and even rethink what it means to know more and how what our students know can help them in their English class and in life. (6-12)

Presenter: Robin Aufses, Lycée Français de New York

Location: Salon G

Critical Dialogues for Preparing Novice Literacy Teachers in the Graduate Classroom-CANCELED

Avatars in the Classroom: Giving a Voice to All Students: According to 2021 study by the National Institute of Mental Health, social anxiety disorder (SAD) affects 1 out of 3 adolescents between 13 and 18 years old. Over 19 million people across America suffer from social anxiety disorder. Despite this data, many educators still make class participation mandatory and link it directly to a student’s grade. Creating an avatar is a valuable exercise in social and emotional learning because it truly allows students to show you how they see themselves. Attendees will leave with their own avatar and ideas that they can implement immediately. (6-12)

Presenter: Lawrence Reiff, Roslyn USFD

Location: Albany/Colonie Rooms

Deep Mapping the Everyday: Thinking and Writing about Lived Places: Homes are material spaces, strewn with objects and linked to stories. They include digital equipment that carry meanings across generations. In some homes, artifacts contribute to the stories and texts that enliven the place. By “home”, we mean spaces and places that span beyond the four walls of a house to include the community (social), surrounding ecology, and even the online spaces where young people choose to identify themselves with being-in. To promote inquiry and critical literacy, we outline possible ways of thinking about home and methods of writing about place. (3-12, College)

Presenters: Thor Gibbins & Suriati Abas, SUNY Oneonta & Leatherstocking Writing Project

Location: Schenectady/Troy Rooms