Medfield's Design Your Learning Day 2021

We will ground ourselves in a pedagogical framework that outlines, in a process-oriented way, how we can disrupt compliance-focused teaching and, instead, nurture independent learners who are critically conscious and are empowered to transform their lives, their communities, and society.

All are welcome in this open space for questions and discussion on any topics related to instructional equity and Culturally Responsive Teaching.

Over the past few months we have seen the need to incorporate more BIPOC into our classroom. Come chat with us and see how we are trying to figure out what works! 

This session will showcase the "guidelines" that I use to deepen my own and develop my high school students' "social justice mindset" in a real-world way. You'll leave with practical habits that will enable you to deliberately practice these guidelines on your own or with your students. 

This session is open to all administrators from Medfield (including department chairs) & outside of Medfield. In this session, we will have an open space for questions and discussion on any topics related to instructional equity and Culturally Responsive Teaching.

I asked my classes this year when they first became aware of the concept of race. The overwhelming majority of them said in school when their elementary school teachers did lessons that addressed it specifically - the Native American experience, Martin Luther King Jr, and Rosa Parks. Teachers of all levels clearly have an important role to play in helping kids begin important conversations about race, but we can do a better job at sharing more varied and complex stories across our curriculum. I know we are all working at this, but there is so little time, especially now. I'm hoping to create some time and space, so we can all share materials and best practices and do some digging. I welcome teachers working with any grade level. We'll chat all together and then make some breakout rooms for grade and then subject alike groups to work together.

In the hopes of applying both a local and global lens to the issue of economic inequality, my French IV students examined the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian recipients and the economic impacts of this status change on Boston Families. Using Adobe Post and Spark Video, they created advocacy posters and monologues in French from the perspective of children, parents, and business owners affected by the end of TPS. To prepare for this exhibit work, students canvassed predominately Haitian neighborhoods of Boston to hear their stories.

This year, my AP French students are using FlipGrid to virtually connect with our exchange school, Lycée Saint Marc, in Lyon, France where they are engaging in conversation about the impact of climate change in both cities. Here the emphasis has also been on collective and individual efforts to address global warming. My presentation will focus on the applications and online tools that I incorporate to prepare my students for this work and to get their projects "exhibition ready." Attendees will see samples of student work and gain access to rubrics, project guidelines, and playlists.

Student exhibitions were presented at the EMK Institute in Boston as a part of the 2019 Humanities Workshop. The 2021 Humanities Workshop on Climate Change will be fully virtual.

In 2019, Merriam Webster declared "they" as the word of the year, a recognition of the rise of this term to include nonbinary and transgender youth. Join us for a discussion on strategies to move beyond a safe space to an inclusive, brave space for students across the gender spectrum. 

When students feel valued as individuals, engagement and empowerment are limitless.  Come join us as we share how our school is making “No Place for Hate,” an Anti-Defamation League initiative, a reality. You will learn how a school wide approach to decrease bias and bullying has helped our culture see the people in it beyond the surface.  From kickoff assemblies, inspirational videos, and classroom lessons to creating a student and staff leadership team, we will share our successes, challenges, and goals for the road ahead.  We will discuss the ripple effect in nurturing a culture of adults modeling courage in sharing who they are and the tremendous impact this has made on students.  Take away ideas and possibilities for your school to decrease judgement and increase kindness, as well as gain an understanding for what it takes to become a "No Place for Hate" school.