SESSION descriptions

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Keynote Address | 9:05 am - 9:55 am
Democracy is a Verb: Engaging Students in Participatory Civic Education

Presented by Jill Bass, Chief Education Officer, Mikva Challenge

Mikva Challenge provides schools and school districts with strategies and tools to engage young people in high quality, student-centered, project-based learning about the democratic process. Founded in 1998, Mikva Challenge began as a small pilot program with an all-volunteer staff in four Chicago schools; now 23 years later, Mikva has grown to serve over 17 states, 3200 teachers, and more than 135k students annually. Over two decades, Mikva has developed an education model based on the principles that: 1) youth voice matters, and 2) youth are experts on the issues that affect them; and 3) our communities and schools are stronger when youth leaders are involved in all aspects of civic life.

Jill Bass, the Chief Education Officer at the Mikva Challenge taught in Chicago and New York City public schools for 13 years and was a Mikva teacher for much of that time. She has a Masters in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago and has been a professional developer, curriculum writer, educational consultant, and instructional coach. At Mikva, Jill is part of the national team, overseeing partner sites, curriculum development, and teacher professional learning.

Session 1 Workshops | 10:00 am - 10:55 am
Amplifying Youth Voice through Project Soapbox
Looking for a simple way to harness the power of youth voice to improve civic engagement and students' communication skills? Mikva's Project Soapbox is a powerful way to engage students in all grades in finding their civic voice and expressing their opinions to peers and the community. Project Soapbox is being used in over 15 states and has had great results. This workshop will introduce the curriculum and the process and require participants to also get on their Soapbox. Presenter: Jill Bass, Mikva Challenge.

Implementing the Middle School Civics Mandate

In July, 2021 Governor Murphy signed the Laura Wooten Law mandating that all NJ districts teach a civics course in middle school beginning in September, 2022. The New Jersey Center for Civic Education was directed to provide curriculum resources and professional development for teachers. This workshop will address the requirements of the legislation and suggested resources for implementing a high quality middle school civics course. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions relevant to their district needs. Presenters: Arlene Gardner, President, Board of Directors and Robert O’Dell, Executive Director, New Jersey Center for Civic Education.

Creating Global Citizens with SDG’s and Flipgrid

Augment student voice with the wildly popular Flipgrid digital communication platform while encouraging youth engagement in the resolution of international issues. Teachers can promote global competence and citizenship in their curriculum by introducing Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Students can think of themselves as Global Citizens as they collaborate with classrooms around the world to balance economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Presenter: Michelle Wendt, SRI&ETTC.

Session 2 Workshops | 11:00 am - 11:55 am
Developing Critical Consciousness in the Social Studies Classroom

During this session, you will learn about activating critical consciousness in your students through impactful instructional approaches and powerful, relevant content. Now more than ever, students want to be empowered to recognize social justice issues in their communities so they can affect meaningful, lasting change in the world. You will leave this session with tools and resources that you can immediately bring into your planning and lessons! Presenter: Ashley Hart, Curricular Solution Architect at Newsela.

Implementing the Middle School Civics Mandate

In July, 2021 Governor Murphy signed the Laura Wooten Law mandating that all NJ districts teach a civics course in middle school beginning in September, 2022. The New Jersey Center for Civic Education was directed to provide curriculum resources and professional development for teachers. This workshop will address the requirements of the legislation and suggested resources for implementing a high quality middle school civics course. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions relevant to their district needs. Presenters: Arlene Gardner, President, Board of Directors and Robert O’Dell, Executive Director, New Jersey Center for Civic Education.

Using Google’s Applied Digital Skills for Social Studies

Applied Digital Skills is a free online, video-based curriculum created by our friends at Google. The lessons prepare you and upper elementary, middle and high school students to take on the digital challenges that we confront in today's world. The lessons are project-based, authentic and utilize real tools. Many of the exercises involve relevant situations in integrating technology and social issues. Topics include: Evaluating the Credibility of Online Resources, Technology’s Role in Current Events and Exploring Topics in Women’s History. This is a perfect and easy way to integrate tech into your classroom even if you are not a technology expert. Google supplies all the technical explanations in short and relevant video lessons. Presenter: Phil Polsinelli, SRI&ETTC.

Session 3 Workshops | 12:00 pm - 12:55 pm

Resources of the New Jersey Commission on the Holocaust

This workshop will provide an overview of the K-12 resources of the NJ Commission on the Holocaust including curriculum materials, professional development for teachers, and presentations and events for students. Presented by the Executive Director of the Commission, a former high school history teacher, participants will be able to learn many of the ways to incorporate the research and lessons of the Holocaust into today’s classroom. Presenter: Doug Cervi, Executive Director, NJ Commission on the Holocaust.

Artificial Intelligence in the Social Studies Classroom

Artificial intelligence is no longer a subject for futuristic sci-fi movies. It is part of our daily life and we experience it almost every time we use our smartphones. In this session we will look at AI and how it applies specifically to Social Studies. We will focus on two specific perspectives for this: First we will look at using Artificial Intelligence to access data and understand how the machine “learns” that data. Then we will explore ethical issues and biases that come with this emerging technology. Presenter: Phil Polsinelli, SRI&ETTC.

Global Citizenship, Activism, and Civic Engagement in the Classroom for 5th – 12^th grade educators: Using role models from the past to make a better future.
This workshop will introduce classroom activities that utilize historical figures and events to find relevance and meaning in the themes of today’s social studies curriculum and lessons.

Presenters: Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez and Gail Rosenthal, Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, Stockton University