In Defense of Childhood: Keeping Active Inquiry-based Learning Alive

This conference will feature educators and schools that are keeping active, inquiry-oriented learning and democratic classrooms alive in the midst of our challenging times. It will celebrate the work of Lillian Weber - creator of the City College Workshop Center for Open Education (in 1972) - who brought this kind of teaching to the public schools; Deborah Meier, founder of New York City’s public Central Park East Elementary School (now celebrating its 50th anniversary); and all the innovative New York City public schools that they inspired.

Workshops will include:

· Parent/caregivers workshop: Families currently in learner-centered schools share how their classrooms support their ideas and their work

· Alums of learner-centered schools share how their experiences in these schools have impacted their lives

· Touchstone Center for Children: Igniting children’s imaginations in the classroom

· Founders and leaders of learner-centered schools share how to create, nurture, and sustain equitable and democratic learning communities

· Using storytelling in the classroom

· Empowering Diverse Learners Through the Arts: From early childhood through high school

· Resisting Mandated Scripted Curricula: Examples of how teachers can navigate district-mandated, scripted curricula to still honor and be responsive to children’s voices

· High Quality Early Learning: Sustaining child-centered teaching in challenging times

· Documenting and Storytelling with Video: Teaching children to use video to tell their stories

· Becoming an Early Childhood Teacher: Reflections and dialogue

· Worktime at Central Park East 2

· Children’s Relationship with Nature: How do children relate to nature and how do their interactions help them in the classroom?

· Inquiry with Eleanor Duckworth: Using mirrors workshop

· City Technology: Doing democracy - Giving kids voice and choice

· Community Music Workshop

· Strategies for Being Responsive and Affirming to Learners’ Cultures and Languages: Translanguaging through play in the kindergarten

· Supporting and Protecting Immigrants: Using literature to discuss issues about immigration

· Transitioning a Regents based High School to an Inquiry-Based School Model

· Video screening: “We All Know Why We’re Here” – a visit to a 1978 second/third grade class at Central Park East Elementary School.

· How Can We Protect Our Pedagogy and School Communities During the Challenging Times Ahead?

Participation is invited from:

Classroom teachers, school leaders, parents/families, students in educator preparation programs, teacher educators, education policy makers and writers, NYC schools personnel, alumni of and children currently in learner-centered schools

6 CTLE credits offered

Boxed lunches will be provided.

Host or Publisher School of Education, The City College of New York