Givens Education Conference
November 11 &12, 2011
Crowne Plaza Hotel
3 Appletree Square
Bloomington, MN 55425
2011 Givens Education Conference Video
The Givens Foundation for African American Literature hosted its 5th Biennial Education Conference "Reach and Teach Through African American Literature and Culture" on November 11th and 12th, 2011.
The conference featured keynote speakers Bernice Johnson Reagon and Dr. Geneva Gay. More than 250 teachers, principals, administrators and parents gathered to gain the tools to increase student's academic achievement through culturally inclusive curricula and instruction. Educators learned how to help African American children achieve their academic potential by reaching them with African American culture and teaching them through African American literature.
The opening session and banquet featured keynote speaker. Bernice Johnson Reagon. Reagon has been a major cultural voice for freedom and justice for more than 45 years; singing, teaching- speaking out against racism and organized inequities of all kinds. Perhaps no individual today better illustrates the transformative power of instruction of traditional African American music and cultural history than Dr. Reagon. She is a recipient of the Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities along with the Leeway National Award for Women in the Arts.
Saturday's Luncheon featured speaker Dr. Geneva Gay. Dr. Gay is nationally and internationally known for her scholarship in multicultural
education, particularly as it relates to curriculum design, staff development,
classroom instruction, and intersections of culture, race, ethnicity, teaching,
and learning. Dr. Gay is Professor of Education at the University of Washington-Seattle where she
teaches multicultural education and general curriculum theory.
T. Mychael Rambo, local educator, actor, vocalist and speaker, served as the conference master motivator!
Workshops Included:
| Workshop Title | Workshop Presenter |
|---|---|
| African American Males and Academic Achievement in a Predominantly White System | Dr. Stanley Brown facilitating a panel of discussants |
| African American Students: Coping and Skills to Overcome Barriers | Dr. Iris Cornelius |
| Black Spirituality, Student Development and African American Literature: Connect or Disconnect | Dr. Rosilyn Carroll |
| Building Character through African American Literature/Culture | Kimberly Jones |
| Shifting Paradigms, Shifting Practice: Engaging Teachers in Professional and Personal Learning Journeys toward Cultural Proficiency | James Burroughs & Vanessa Abanu |
| Helping Parents and Teachers Identify Giftedness in African American Students | Dr. Delores Henderson & Mae Schunk |
| To Know Me, is to Love Me: Building Self-Esteem Among African American Girls through Literature | Robin Hickman |
| How to Use African American Literature to Enhance Instruction and Learning | Beverly Cottman |
| Engaging Students through African American Literature and Writing | Karla Nweje, Louis Porter and Students |
| Using the Givens Collection of African American Literature in 3-12 Grade Classrooms | Shannon Gibney & Cecily Marcus |
| Integration of Language Arts and Social Studies Using African American Literature | Sharon Peters-Harden |
| A Personal Case of Culturally Responsive Teaching Praxis | Dr. Geneva Gay |
| Storytelling Is a Teaching Tool for Literacy Development | Beverly Cottman |
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Conference Themes from the Past:
2003 Tell All the Children: Teaching and Learning with African American Literature
2005 Show All the Children: Teaching and Learning with Illustrated African American Literature
2007 Remind All the Children: Teaching and Learning Using Historical Narrative
2009 Cultivating Literary Minds Using African American Literature
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Don't miss out on the next conference! Email Eartha Bell, Assistant Director, at eartha@givens.org to include your name on our mailing list.