The Education of the Whole Student

12/15/20, 10:00-11:30am

This talk will explore a revision to STEM teaching that seeks to help students cultivate meaning and purpose in addition to increasing intellectual prowess. This approach requires a rethink of what we consider requisite expertise for being a practitioner. How might exploring these skills in the context of an introductory stem course lead to increased success for matriculating students?

Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Rhode Island and John N. Gardner Institute Fellow. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education and Society (SEAS) research program, where he blends research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices, and programming in the cultivation of equity in the classroom.

Centering Liberation in the Classroom: Intersectional and Decolonizing Reflections on our Pedagogical Praxis

12/15/20, 1:30-3:00pm

This presentation will explore common issues that arise when engaging in queer/feminist/anti-oppressive/liberation pedagogy to foster multicultural competencies and inclusion. What is the impact of teaching this curriculum on educators, and what is the role of systemic support in creating affirming and nurturing environments for this process to take place? This presentation will draw from literature as well as from the experience of the author as a queer, genderqueer, Puerto Rican counselor educator.

María R. Scharrón-del Río, Ph.D., is an Associate Dean of the School of Education, Professor, and former Program Coordinator of the School Counseling Graduate Program at Brooklyn College (CUNY). Their research, scholarship, and advocacy focuses on ethnic and cultural minority psychology and education, including liberation pedagogy, intersectionality, disparities, multicultural competencies, LGBTQ issues, gender variance, spirituality, and well-being.

We Make the Road by Walking: Collective Art Activist Pedagogy

12/16/20, 1:30-3:00pm

The words of Myles Horton,"we make the road by walking," vividly capture the pedagogical philosophy that informs Professor Desai's recent work on art, activism, and critical pedagogy in higher education. In this talk, she will interrogate her journey in social justice art + education that has led her to question and rethink what social justice means and who we practice it for in the classroom. This presentation will explore the notion of collective pedagogy and the challenges and possibilities it offers those of us interested in transformative pedagogy.

Dipti Desai is a Professor of Art and Art Education and Director of the Graduate Art + Education Programs at New York University, USA. As a scholar, artist-educator and activist, her research interests include contemporary art as a critical pedagogical site, artistic activism, and critical race theory in art and education.