Exploring Identity through Literature

Do you remember the first time you saw yourself represented in a piece of writing? How did that representation make you feel? Happy, sad, seen, embarrassed, incomplete — or maybe something else? As educators, we each bring our own unique experiences and histories into classrooms and makerspaces — and so do our students.

Many things can shape our identities over time. Your identity isn’t just who you are, it’s also shaped by how others see you, who you want to be in the future, your hobbies and interests, your family history, and where you live and grow up.

In this workshop, we will explore the many layered meanings and origins of our identities, practice some self-reflection, and plan/prototype some different ways to get to know youth learners through textual lineages, and reading and writing.

Who is this workshop for?

• Teachers/educators specializing in English Language Arts,
• Educators working with English-language Learners,
• Writing tutors,
• Youth librarians,
• Anyone who loves to read or is learning to love reading

Our approach: Our workshops aim to immerse educators in the experience of learners. No lecturing here — you can expect to be engaged in hands-on, minds-on activities and interactive discussions for the full duration of the workshop. We’ll support you as you reflect on your practice as an educator, learn and collaborate with other participants, and stretch your teaching in new directions.

Pre-session work: We will be connecting our reflections in this workshop to Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad. You don’t need to read the book to attend! In addition to this 2 hr workshop, there will be 30 minutes of pre-session work which will be emailed to you after you sign up.

Interested in diving more deeply into this framework? Join our Cultivating Genius Book Club discussion on June 25 to discuss this book more. RSVP here makeredbookclub.eventbrite.com.