democratic Classroom Leadership SUMMER INSTITUTE
“What did you say to my faculty!? They have talked about how ‘life changing’ their five days with you were. THANK YOU! What you have done is truly amazing and I am appreciative of your willingness to invest in us. I am extremely grateful for our partnership. This is culturally responsive teaching!”
Marcus A. Campbell, Ed.D., Superintendent / Principal, Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION (download brochure)
This interactive workshop engages educators to explore hands-on restorative strategies to build democratic classrooms for all learners. By de-centering whiteness and addressing white supremacy culture and by shifting from a “power-over” to a “power-with” framework, educators learn to co-create a learning community with their students where all can find a place of belonging. Educators learn to operationalize culturally responsive teaching resulting in students taking ownership of their learning in unprecedented ways: ELL students acquire language and content with greater facility; all students build 21st Century skills–collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Workshop participants learn a strength-based pedagogy that recognizes agency in all kinds of students, creating a space for them to become engaged leaders in the classroom and beyond.
WHO
K-12 educators & administrators and college level educators of all content areas.
CLOCK HOURS
21 clock hours with option for up to 15 additional clock hours in further asynchronous work (per your district policies)
COST & PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Individual: $975 / Early Bird Rate: $925 (by April 15, 2023)
Group Rate: $925 (3+ from same institution)
Included in price:
Parking
Light Continental Breakfast & Lunch
Up to 35 Free Clock Hours
For scholarships, please email Anne at info@FullCircleLeadership.org to make a scholarship request or ask your administrator to email Anne with the amount/number of people that school can afford. Include full names of all teachers applying. We’ll email you a confidential coupon code for your online registration to issue the scholarship.
TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFO
please email Anne: info@fullcircleleadership.org
LEAD FACILITATORS
Chris Fontana, MA, is a parent, an anti-oppression educator, and Founder & Executive Director of Full Circle Leadership Center. He has facilitated professional development workshops for over 2,300 educators and leaders and has taught 5,000 youth over 34 years in both classroom and experiential education.
Ganae McAlpin, MA, is a parent, Director of Equity, former History teacher, and facilitator for the second-year induction program at Evanston Township High School. Ganae is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Curriculum from DePaul University.
Co-Facilitators may include Poonam Patel, mary dalton MA, Abdel Shakur, Corrie Cockrell MA, Steven Speight MA, and BreAnna Jones depending on the session.
Full bios & photos for all facilitators and co-facilitators here.
“After twenty-three years in the classroom, it was great to have my mind blown.”
– Teacher, Garfield H.S.
FOLLOW-UP
democratic Classroom Leadership Learning Community option available which includes up to 35 clock hours of additional learning opportunities from Full Circle Leadership Center.
TAKE-AWAYS
Structures for a Culture of Equity and Culturally-Responsive Practices
Address and discuss issues of identity, race, equity and inclusion so we can more effectively address our own biases (internalized superiority and/or oppression), resulting in students showing up as more whole human beings with their identities intact. And, raise awareness of how students can become active change agents for equity in and outside of the classroom.
Understanding behavior from Anti-Oppression Lens
Learn to understand the student’s beliefs behind the behavior in their striving to find a place of belonging. Learn the four mistaken goals of behavior and how you can turn negative behaviors (“confrontational”, “annoying”, “withdrawn”) into positive opportunities for leadership.
Class Jobs/Roles
Share ownership of and responsibility for the class, teaching and community with students. Build a sense of belonging and purpose for each person.
Class Agreements & Collective Accountability
Create a process in which students collaborate to build curriculum and assessment norms, class-room environment and shared ownership of upholding those agreements with “loving accountability” for their community—moving the teacher from management and “control” to leadership and influence. Move beyond reward & punishment; learn to use restorative practices including natural & logical consequences, encouragement; i.e.: methodologies based on mutual respect (“power with” not “power over”).
Class Meetings/Restorative Circles
Establish a weekly circle to work out all “behavioral”, classroom climate issues (i.e.: opportunities for human growth and connection), to build authentic relationships (student : student and student : educator) and to become a unified team.
Community Building on the Positive
Create a powerful team in which all students are integral to the whole; use Theatre of the Oppressed to build group integrity, cooperation, collaboration and empathy. Enable true student leadership to emerge in classroom community. Learn how to build on the positive while downplaying mistakes and the negative. Learn how to invest in relationships and receive invaluable academic and social-emotional returns on your investment.
Culture of Critical & Systems Thinking Essential for Interdependent Cooperation
Facilitate community learning (a stake in the commons) in which students learn and practice leadership skills to address critical 21st century global issues.
Dual Language & ELL Immersion Strategies
Enable students to gain optimum comfort with languages by weaving community and content and integrating curriculum from students’ cultures and lived experiences.
