Educators make peace, social justice at annual OISE event
September 26, 2011
Special to OISE
More than 150 teachers, educators, and students gathered together on Saturday, September 24, for the Educating for Peace and Justice: Action for Safe and Equitable Classrooms, Schools and Communities conference at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto.
A major goal of this annual day-long event is to help teachers bring ideas about equity and social justice into their classroom in meaningful ways. Attendees gained strategies and tools from 75 presenters in 47 workshops on diverse topics ranging from language conventions that demonstrate equity, to engaging in social justice education through dramatic improvisation and poetry; creating inclusive environment for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Students, challenging homophobia ; and sensitizing students to oppression and resisting bullying.
Dr. Jason Kunin, a teacher in the Toronto District School Board, coordinated ReTeaching Around Remembrance Day: Challenging War and Imperialism in Schools, a workshop that used case studies to focus on the practical challenges and opportunities teachers encounter when trying to teach critically about Canada’s imperial/military culture past and present. He described his own talk at the workshop as “Looking at Remembrance Day as a site of imperial politics that is both local and global, that are embedded not only in curriculum but in schools themselves,,” and asked attendees to “look at Remembrance Day and challenge this narrative.” Recent OISE alumna, Sheena Resplandor, now working as a project officer at The Harmony Movement, explained that her workshop focused on providing new teachers with the tools to develop a critical lens when understanding equity and inclusion in schools. She aimed to go beyond language and discourse and encourage teachers to apply a critical lens in their every day practice.
Participants expressed their approval of the day's events through various media, but all with the same sense of excitement. Recent B.Ed. graduate Amanda Chiu, pausing briefly between workshops, commented, “This is content that stems beyond the classrooms...these are strategies that are helpful in the real world.” Teacher candidate Nicole Marie, tweeted, “What an amazing, inspiring day at OISE’s Educating for Peace and Justice...awesome resources, ideas and people!”
Jeanne Watson, OISE’s new associate dean of programs, welcomed participants to the conference, and Kathy Bickmore, and conference chair Jill Goodreau, provided the opening remarks.
View photos taken at the 2011 Educating for Peace and Justice Photo Gallery
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