8 ideas for the Wolfburg Fellowship for Social Justice in Education
Some ideas to get you thinking about how you could be the next Wolfburg Fellow.
5/5/2021
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Through June 6, applications are now open for the Wolfburg Fellowship for Social Justice in Education. The Fellowship is an exciting opportunity exclusively for Duval County public school teachers to invest in their own professional learning and lead a project in their classroom.
The goal of the Fellowship is to support teachers who want to deepen their knowledge of social justice, diversity and equity in schools alongside their students. Teachers who win the Fellowship will also be able to take part in JPEF’s Teacher Leadership Initiative, which provides cutting-edge professional learning, networking with other teachers, and coaching from teacher leaders.
To that end, JPEF Director of Teacher Leadership Warren Buck put together this list of great ideas you could use in a proposal for this Fellowship. Remember, you must apply by June 6. More information about eligibility is available here.
1. Get better feedback from students and families
There’s an app for that, of course. Kelvin is a simple tool that helps students tell teachers how they’re feeling and what they need in real time – a great way to make social emotional learning a real part of your classroom. The Wolfburg Fellowship could support you to learn about using feedback systems to make your classroom more inclusive, and then pay to help implement the app along with your students. Bringing the app to your classroom would also be a great topic for action research in the classroom, which the Teacher Leadership Initiative can support you to lead. More info: https://kelvin.education/
2. Experience the Equal Justice Initiative museum and memorial
The Equal Justice Initiative has a powerful museum and memorial to victims of racial terror lynching in Montgomery, Alabama. The Fellowship could support a teacher and students to visit the museum and bring back what they learn to their classroom. There’s even a great opportunity to connect students to local efforts to memorialize victims of racial terror lynchings. The Community Remembrance Project at 904ward is hosting local events and raising awareness about local people who were killed in racial terror violence. More info: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/
3. Learn how to build an anti-racist classroom
Project Ujima offers professional workshops and coaching to help you learn about race in the curriculum and building an anti-racist classroom. The Fellowship could support you to take workshops with author and speaker Joseph Edelin, and then have ongoing support through Project Ujima and JPEF. More info: https://project-ujima.com/professional-development
4. Teach the Social Justice Standards
Learning for Justice, formerly Teaching Tolerance, has a number of great professional learning resources to help you teach the Social Justice Standards. Take a self-guided course, watch webinars and develop a comprehensive plan to teach the social justice standards with their Learning Plan Builder. Many of these opportunities are free, which means you can use the Fellowship funds to pay for resources and materials you might need to make this change in your classroom. More info: https://www.learningforjustice.org/learning-plan/using-the-learning-plan-builder
5. Visit the Atlanta Civil Rights Museum
After more than a year in this pandemic, we’re all pining for a little travel. The Atlanta Civil Rights Museum is six hours from Jacksonville – perfect for a two-day trip for a teacher and students. The Fellowship could help cover the cost of travel and tickets. The museum even has special guides for teachers and students. More info: https://www.civilandhumanrights.org/dei-experiences/
6. See restorative justice in a real school setting
Restorative justice is a buzzword in education these days. But it’s easier said than done. Get inspired and bring these practices to your classroom by seeing it in action in a real school setting. More info: http://blackorganizingproject.org/changing-school-culture-5-schools-practicing-restorative-justice/
7. Let students do the work with project-based learning
Project-based learning is essential to successful instruction. Instead of the teacher doing all the talking, it gives students a chance to work with each other and create their own learning experiences. What could be a better fit for teaching social justice? We love this article from Edutopia with a few ideas to get you started. More info: https://www.edutopia.org/article/exploring-social-justice-issues-through-pbl
8. Travel to the African-American History Museum in Washington, D.C.
The wonders of the Smithsonian have been out of reach during the pandemic, but programming for teachers is sure to come back soon! The museums also have a number of great digital resources. The Fellowship could support you to visit the museum and then bring digital resources to your classroom. Design a new lesson based on what you learn!
More info: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/educators/teaching-and-learning
Recent Teachers of the Year have preference in the Wolfburg Fellowship, and this year there will be two fellows chosen, thanks to Liz and Ken Babby, the owner of the Jumbo Shrimp. So your chances of winning this Fellowship are good! If you need any help, please reach out to Warren Buck at warren@jaxpef.org.
What are you waiting for? Learn more and apply now!