Social Justice in Education- From Awareness to Action, Parks & Tiption, Spring 2024

Course Number:	EDU 5515 C01
Instructor:	Tamara Parks & Porchea Tiption
Location:	Online
Dates and Times:	January 17 - April 17, 2024. Online meetings from 5:30-7:00 pm on: January 17th, February 21st, March 20th, April 17th
Credits:	3 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	$1,195

Course Description

Social Justice in Education- From Awareness to Action is designed to grow awareness and skills for those planning to be a part of systemic change towards justice and equity in education. We will explore key questions through a series of discussions, audible books and readings from texts. This course will be co-facilitated by a cross-racial team. Racial affinity groups will be used depending on the needs and composition of our class.

Audience: This course is designed for anyone interested in education- students, educators, community members and leaders.

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

The growth of awareness and skills for those planning to be a part of systemic change towards justice, equity and anti-racism in education.
Understanding of self and one's own privileges as it relates to engagement with social justice.
Exploration of the application of social justice and realities of engagement with systems overwhelmingly benefiting from white privilege.

Course Objectives:

Objective 1: What are community agreements for this course? How can we explore our own identity in relation to white supremacy? What does it mean to have moral courage as it relates to social justice in education?
Objective 2: What is the difference between performative equity versus actual structural change? What is the difference between an ally and co-conspirator? What are examples of this from our own experiences?
Objective 3: How can this learning community support each other and practice collectivism? Each group will lead a 10 minute discussion to get feedback about proposed social justice action plans.
Objective 4: How does resistance inhibit abolitionist movements? How has this happened in the past? What are examples from the readings? How can we support each other in this work? What are effective strategies for change in communities with traditional values where there are few people of the Global Majority, and those who form the community overwhelmingly benefit from white privilege?

NOTE: This course can be taken independently or as part of a 4-course sequence that leads to 12-credit certificate in Teaching the Whole Child (TTWC).

This 4-course sequence, informed, supported, and credited through Vermont State University (VTSU), is geared towards K-12 teachers and administrators wanting to gain further understanding of teaching “one student at a time” at all educational levels, based on the belief that the best learning takes place in small communities that integrate academic and applied learning, promote collaborative work, and encourage a culture of life-long learning. Through the whole-child approach to learning, children are immersed in learning environments intended to foster a sense of community and encourage interpersonal skills, problem solving, goal setting, creativity, autonomy, and self-accountability.

These courses can be taken “sequentially” toward earning the 12-credit certificate, individually as electives for a concentration in TTWC within the Master of Science in Educational Research (with advisor permission), or individually, through the VTSU Center for Schools, for personal growth. Each course will earn three (3) VTSU graduate credits.

Course Offerings

Spring 2024 Social Justice in Education - from Awareness to Action

Summer 2024 Teaching Students with Disabilities in the 21^st Century

Fall 2024 Fundamentals of Teaching the Whole Child

Spring 2025 Developing Whole Child Schools

Instructors

Instructor biographies will be added soon.

Required Texts

Required Texts are not included in the course tuition.

Book: We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love

Book: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

For additional course information

Tamara Eklof-Parks

(802) 922-6816

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325