AESA Symposium Proposal
PROGRESSIVES ENGAGED IN STRUGGLE SUPPORT (PrESS) NETWORK: SEEKING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
This symposium focuses on the critical need for progressive educators to join together in the struggle to protect and promote public schools/education. Believing that they are one of the last (if not the last) bastion/possibility of democratic thinking/ideals, a fledgling coalition of professors, teachers, students and social workers have created a network of concerned citizens poised to connect with vulnerable constituents in our schools, support each other in our educative work in the community, and to propose more critical possibilities for schooling and education. We call this partnership the Progressives Engaged in Struggle Support (PrESS) Network. On our website (http://pressnetwork.blogspot.com) we claim the PrESS Network is
“a critically-engaged, hopeful, and supportive voice for change. It’s members are dedicated to affirming the basic rights of and creating solutions with children and families who are disenfranchised by an unjust socio-economic structure. This empowering partnership seeks to facilitate system-wide change through respect for social difference, humanistic teaching, service to others, transformative dialog, and an ever-evolving journey toward connectedness.”
The following presentations chronicle the formation of the PrESS Network, discuss the work that we do in and out of the classroom, what we think we have accomplished so far, and what is next for our partnership.
Presentation 1: Formation
This presentation focuses on the formation of the PrESS Network by a group of graduate students in the spring, 2004. These graduate students were part of a cohort in Bellarmine’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program. The second module in this program centers on issues of social difference, social justice, and service-learning. Realizing that this would, perhaps, be the last time these students would ever receive such in-depth information on social difference, progressive pedagogies, etc., they consulted with the professor, Adam Renner, regarding the possibilities of creating a group that could continue the conversations and information-sharing beyond the semester. This paper explores the early days of the PrESS Network: what we thought we were getting into, the struggle to get started, and the importance of coalition-building.
Presentation 2: Support through Stories
This presentation chronicles an integral part of our life in the PrESS Network: supporting the progressive work we do in the classroom and in the community. At each of our meetings, we begin by sharing stories of the issues/struggles we face in our work. Realizing that we are often one of the lone proponents/actors of progressive pedagogies in our classrooms, we frequently find few people with whom to critically discuss issues of social difference and social injustice. Our Network serves as a place to reconnect with others facing the same struggles and who view the issues through a similar critical lens. These stories, though, can also spark inspiration and innovation. Particularly for new teachers in the Network, they have an opportunity to learn from others who are implementing a more progressive approach, providing them with lesson ideas, assessment possibilities, and a whole range of teaching strategies. This paper focuses on some of these stories and the issues we’re facing in our schools and communities.
Presentation 3: Reading Circles and Professional Development
This presentation details another integral part of our life in the PrESS Network: our professional development. Similar to Freire’s (1987) concept of culture circles, we spend a part of each meeting “reading the word and the world.” As reflective practitioners, we find it necessary to continue to stretch ourselves for more nuanced and complex understandings of social difference and social justice. To date, we have shared in the reading of hooks’ (1994) Teaching to Transgress, Freire’s (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and numerous articles from such publications as Rethinking Schools. In fact, a portion of our website is now dedicated to reading material and professional development.
In addition to the reading circles, a portion of our partnership had an opportunity to present at last years AESA conference regarding some of our research into issues of social difference. This served as an opportunity for graduate students (pre- and in-service teachers) in the PrESS Network to discuss some of their work with the wider academic community and to engage in dialog with other like-minded folks. This paper focuses on the importance of stretching ourselves and to continue toward Gramsci’s notion of the organic intellectual.
Presentation 4: Service and Action
Moving from the theoretical to the more practical, this presentation reveals our attempts at engaging with the wider community on transformative projects ultimately aimed at facilitating the system-wide change we call for our in mission statement. Outside of the individual service we provide as educators and social workers, we have attempted to come together on particular projects that focus our efforts on a particular issue. This summer, we have an opportunity to engage in our first such service partnership with a local boys and girls club. This partnership will involve an intensive reading program for the children at the club to help prepare them for return to school at the end of the summer. This paper examines the experience/partnership at the boys and girls club and outlines other work we hope to take up in the future.
Presentation 5: What is next?
This final presentation explores what might be next for our PrESS Network. Along with continuing with our reading circles, professional development and service activity, we also know that we must widen the circle within the network to encompass more community members, particularly parents. With this expansion other possibilities/needs might surface that will provide more definitive direction for our evolving partnership. Additionally, we have plans to investigate the possibility of getting several members of our Network hired in the same public school in order that a more concentrated effort might be made in a single building toward more progressive possibilities. Finally, we are also exploring the feasibility of creating our own anthology of progressive teaching strategies from the front lines of the classroom.
In any event, we look forward to sharing these possibilities with friends and critics at the AESA conference. We also hope to spark interest in the PrESS Network with conference attendees in order that we might also expand our partnership across the country. Given the assault on teachers and public education, this sort of coalition building is critical to the future of the teaching profession and public education as a democratic ideal. We look forward to the affirmation and critical feedback we know we can count on from the AESA community.
This symposium focuses on the critical need for progressive educators to join together in the struggle to protect and promote public schools/education. Believing that they are one of the last (if not the last) bastion/possibility of democratic thinking/ideals, a fledgling coalition of professors, teachers, students and social workers have created a network of concerned citizens poised to connect with vulnerable constituents in our schools, support each other in our educative work in the community, and to propose more critical possibilities for schooling and education. We call this partnership the Progressives Engaged in Struggle Support (PrESS) Network. On our website (http://pressnetwork.blogspot.com) we claim the PrESS Network is
“a critically-engaged, hopeful, and supportive voice for change. It’s members are dedicated to affirming the basic rights of and creating solutions with children and families who are disenfranchised by an unjust socio-economic structure. This empowering partnership seeks to facilitate system-wide change through respect for social difference, humanistic teaching, service to others, transformative dialog, and an ever-evolving journey toward connectedness.”
The following presentations chronicle the formation of the PrESS Network, discuss the work that we do in and out of the classroom, what we think we have accomplished so far, and what is next for our partnership.
Presentation 1: Formation
This presentation focuses on the formation of the PrESS Network by a group of graduate students in the spring, 2004. These graduate students were part of a cohort in Bellarmine’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program. The second module in this program centers on issues of social difference, social justice, and service-learning. Realizing that this would, perhaps, be the last time these students would ever receive such in-depth information on social difference, progressive pedagogies, etc., they consulted with the professor, Adam Renner, regarding the possibilities of creating a group that could continue the conversations and information-sharing beyond the semester. This paper explores the early days of the PrESS Network: what we thought we were getting into, the struggle to get started, and the importance of coalition-building.
Presentation 2: Support through Stories
This presentation chronicles an integral part of our life in the PrESS Network: supporting the progressive work we do in the classroom and in the community. At each of our meetings, we begin by sharing stories of the issues/struggles we face in our work. Realizing that we are often one of the lone proponents/actors of progressive pedagogies in our classrooms, we frequently find few people with whom to critically discuss issues of social difference and social injustice. Our Network serves as a place to reconnect with others facing the same struggles and who view the issues through a similar critical lens. These stories, though, can also spark inspiration and innovation. Particularly for new teachers in the Network, they have an opportunity to learn from others who are implementing a more progressive approach, providing them with lesson ideas, assessment possibilities, and a whole range of teaching strategies. This paper focuses on some of these stories and the issues we’re facing in our schools and communities.
Presentation 3: Reading Circles and Professional Development
This presentation details another integral part of our life in the PrESS Network: our professional development. Similar to Freire’s (1987) concept of culture circles, we spend a part of each meeting “reading the word and the world.” As reflective practitioners, we find it necessary to continue to stretch ourselves for more nuanced and complex understandings of social difference and social justice. To date, we have shared in the reading of hooks’ (1994) Teaching to Transgress, Freire’s (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and numerous articles from such publications as Rethinking Schools. In fact, a portion of our website is now dedicated to reading material and professional development.
In addition to the reading circles, a portion of our partnership had an opportunity to present at last years AESA conference regarding some of our research into issues of social difference. This served as an opportunity for graduate students (pre- and in-service teachers) in the PrESS Network to discuss some of their work with the wider academic community and to engage in dialog with other like-minded folks. This paper focuses on the importance of stretching ourselves and to continue toward Gramsci’s notion of the organic intellectual.
Presentation 4: Service and Action
Moving from the theoretical to the more practical, this presentation reveals our attempts at engaging with the wider community on transformative projects ultimately aimed at facilitating the system-wide change we call for our in mission statement. Outside of the individual service we provide as educators and social workers, we have attempted to come together on particular projects that focus our efforts on a particular issue. This summer, we have an opportunity to engage in our first such service partnership with a local boys and girls club. This partnership will involve an intensive reading program for the children at the club to help prepare them for return to school at the end of the summer. This paper examines the experience/partnership at the boys and girls club and outlines other work we hope to take up in the future.
Presentation 5: What is next?
This final presentation explores what might be next for our PrESS Network. Along with continuing with our reading circles, professional development and service activity, we also know that we must widen the circle within the network to encompass more community members, particularly parents. With this expansion other possibilities/needs might surface that will provide more definitive direction for our evolving partnership. Additionally, we have plans to investigate the possibility of getting several members of our Network hired in the same public school in order that a more concentrated effort might be made in a single building toward more progressive possibilities. Finally, we are also exploring the feasibility of creating our own anthology of progressive teaching strategies from the front lines of the classroom.
In any event, we look forward to sharing these possibilities with friends and critics at the AESA conference. We also hope to spark interest in the PrESS Network with conference attendees in order that we might also expand our partnership across the country. Given the assault on teachers and public education, this sort of coalition building is critical to the future of the teaching profession and public education as a democratic ideal. We look forward to the affirmation and critical feedback we know we can count on from the AESA community.
posted by adam at 12:34 PM
3 Comments:
This is a wonderful proposal which embodies our mission and the strength of character of those of you who founded this group. I am hard put to provide any feedback that is not positive. Well done. I am sure that it will be accepted. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.
This effort to connect progessive educators is something I am proud to part of. Knowing the hearts of PrESS members we are commited to making a difference in the lives of students, their parents, other teachers who notice our contagious passion -- and anyone in the larger community who believes in a critical investment in young lives.
I plan on going however my wife and daughter may go as well. This means that we will probably travel together. Once we are there they will shop and sitesee while I hang around with my PrESS colleagues. Let me know how things are being organized and I will get involved.
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