1533 research outputs found
Sort by
Actualizing Black Spatial Histories Through a Speculative Youth Archiving Project
Full text linkFor today’s youth, learning about one\u27s history and culture is not always a given in the classroom. Many schools are learning spaces void of any cultural or spatial connection, particularly for Black students. This paper details an action-based summer archeology program hosted by the Burke Museum and Seattle Public Schools Liberatory Education Program that explored Black spatial histories through speculative youth archiving. Through key relationships with community organizations, students underwent a three-week program designed to allow students to develop their relationship with Black spatial histories and envision their role in creating and setting history in real-time. Using student interviews, the authors were able to understand both the importance of locating a Black past in speculative youth work and how relationships are imperative to building an archive and skillset toward reclamation of history. Ultimately, this paper seeks to build knowledge toward answering the question: what\u27s the role of youth in building a community archive? Specifically, how does a youth archive shift how we think about speculative YPAR work and the role of youth in community archiving and building out Black spatial histories
An Indigenous Feminist Reading Praxis for Imagining Anti-Colonial Futurities: Honouring the Spirit and Intent of Katherena Vermette’s Writings
No full textWe conceptualize Indigenous literatures as integral tools for supporting teachers on their journeys toward truth and reconciliation. As such, we intentionally offer our work as a pedagogical guide for introducing Indigenous Children’s and Young Adult Literatures (ICYAL) in secondary level English courses, asserting that the delivery of such works must be taught in ways that align with anti-racist praxis, acknowledge varied experiences of racism, sexism, and gender-based violences, and promote liberatory thinking. Indeed, while Indigenous literatures are excellent pedagogical tools to engage conversations about social justice and anti-Indigenous racism, they must be paired with key lessons that dismantle harmful, disrespectful and racist narratives. We consider the pedagogical possibilities highlighted through the relationship between anti-colonial literacies and Indigenous futurities by focusing on a relational analysis of Vermette’s novels The Break (2016), The Strangers (2021) and The Circle (2023). These novels bring to life fictional experiences that may resonate and offer what Dian Million (2009) refers to as a felt sense of familiarity for many Indigenous readers. For non-Indigenous readers, Vermette explained her intention is to promote empathy by sharing experiences through stories. We see this as a call for a relational reading praxis that moves from writing as witness to reading as witness. Vermette’s statement “I realized I could write what I see” (Hanson, 2020, p. 56), demonstrates the power behind giving voice to what she sees in her Winnipeg hometown and Métis community as a way to promote social change
Nurturing Authentic Indigenous Voices in Indigenous Children’s and Young Adult Literature: An Aotearoa New Zealand Case Study
No full textAt the heart of decision-making in children’s literature is the publisher who decides whose stories are told and how (Encisco et al, 2010). There is some research concerning inclusivity practices in the children’s literature that we see in libraries, homes and publishing houses (Caple & Tian, 2022; Daly, Vanderschantz, Mitchell & Blair, 2025; Daly, 2021; Stagg Peterson & Robinson, 2020). There is, however, little work examining how the publishing process can contribute to increased diversity in children’s picturebooks, particularly in relation to Indigenous languages and cultures. International research shows that there is limited cultural and linguistic diversity evident in children’s picturebooks (Ka’ai-Mahuta, 2011; Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, 2022; Wissman, 2019). This lack of diversity has implications for literacy engagement and the perpetuation of social inequality (Caple & Tian, 2022; Adam, 2021; Tschida, Ryan & Ticknor, 2014; Wissman, 2019). Compared to non-Indigenous publishers, there are few Indigenous publishers of children’s literature around the world, and very limited research examining the publishing process in Indigenous contexts. Moreover, there is no empirical research to date exploring Indigenous publishing processes that ensure the representation of Indigenous language, culture and identities in children’s literature (Bradford, 2007; Sheehan-Bright, 2011; Stagg Peterson & Robinson, 2020). In this article we hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of Indigenous Children’s and Young Adult Literature (ICYAL) by sharing details and some preliminary findings of our three-year New Zealand Royal Society, Marsden funded research project. In this research we are exploring the ways in which Indigenous voices are and can be authentically represented in picture books, through a close collaboration with Huia Publishers, a multi-award-winning Indigenous publisher based in Pōneke (Wellington)
Making Connections to the Local: Exploring the Role of Indigenous Literature in Early Childhood Education
No full textIndigenous children\u27s literature is a vital resource for nurturing cultural understandings and appreciation from an early age for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. This paper presents insights gathered from a workshop titled Nurturing Indigenous Childhoods Through Themed Picture Books: Making Connections to the Local, which emerged as a culmination of our collaborative work on a massive open online course (MOOC) centered on Indigenous pedagogy in early childhood education. We curated a list of Indigenous children\u27s books and engaged in discussions on the significance of Indigenous literature in nurturing cultural identity and literacy learning. In doing so, we aspired to create inclusive and culturally responsive learning environments that honour Indigenous perspectives and empower children to navigate the complexities of the world with empathy and understanding. Incorporating Indigenous literature into early learning practices presents unique challenges and considerations that educators must carefully navigate. To address these considerations, we have provided reflective prompts and guiding questions designed to encourage educators\u27 active engagement with their local Indigenous communities. In turn, it is hoped that early childhood educators will feel better supported in engaging with Indigenous children’s literature and in cultivating cultural understanding, empathy, and appreciation among young learners
#38: Sustaining Cultural and Disability Indentities in the Literacy Classroom, K-6
No full textAuthors Laurie Rabinowitz and Amy Tondreau along with Bank Street Graduate School of Education alums Charlotte Maltby, GSE \u2724 and Todd Lavine, GSE \u2722 discuss a cohesive, comprehensive framework for literacy instruction that meets the needs of all learners.https://educate.bankstreet.edu/librarysalons/1037/thumbnail.jp
The Best Children\u27s Books of the Year [2025 edition]
Full text linkIncludes more than 600 titles chosen by the Children’s Book Committee as the best of the best published in 2024. In choosing books for the annual list, committee members consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes.https://educate.bankstreet.edu/cbc_awards/1027/thumbnail.jp
Transforming Futures Through Speculative YPAR: The Garage Story
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions for young people across the U.S., exacerbating feelings of isolation and disconnection. In response, the [Youth] Think Tank—a paid Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) internship—was launched in [city name]. Teens from diverse backgrounds came together to address the issues they and their peers were facing. This article chronicles the journey of the [Youth] Think Tank through each phase of its YPAR project, following the design process step-by-step as the group developed The [Hub]: a youth-designed space that fosters connection, safety, and belonging within the community. Starting from the program\u27s inception, we trace how the teens identified their peers\u27 needs, envisioned an inclusive community space, and translated those ideas into actionable designs. This article also explores the integration of Speculative YPAR, a creative approach that empowered teens to imagine futures unconstrained by current limitations and to envision a space that could serve their community. By blending research, imagination, and practical action, the [Youth] Think Tank redefined community engagement and demonstrated the power of youth-led projects in reshaping post-pandemic futures. This chronological account of the project\u27s design phases offers a unique insight into how young people can transform their communities when given the freedom to lead
What Happened to the Creative in the Creative Curriculum?
No full textThis empirically-grounded commentary questions the basis for New York City Public Schools’ (NYCPS) adoption of the Teaching Strategies products—the Creative Curriculum (CC) and Teaching Strategies GOLD—as the mandated curriculum and assessment systems for early childhood education (ECE) programs administered by the New York City Public Schools. In an analysis shaped by our hybrid positionalities as early childhood educators, parents, policy makers, and researchers, we argue that this decision is a local case of neoliberalism’s simultaneous narrowing of educational quality and a transfer of public funding into private hands under the guise of the free market. Our commentary, which is augmented by examples from our research and practice, begins with an overview of New York City’s (NYC) ECE system, contextualized within national systems issues in ECE. This provides important framing for discussing the evolution of NYC’s ECE curricula and assessment as the city expanded its public preschool programs. We end by considering how U.S. ECE was ensnared by the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM), sounding a call to action for scholars, advocates, and educators to mobilize against a (seemingly) unassailable GERM through organizing and coalition-building.https://educate.bankstreet.edu/sc/1016/thumbnail.jp
Crawl Spaces to Productive Ruptures: A Reflection to Remember Speculative Futures
Full text linkPerhaps the greatest purpose of artistic expression is trying to make sense of the human experience. Art and storytelling construct and transform our realities. They take the noise of seemingly endless stimuli in our physical existence and identify patterns and meanings, and in so doing, wield incredible power. This is the exact reason censorship is a useful tool to the status quo and reactive. The state of Iowa put this tool to use in 2021 with the passage of House File 802, the law restricting so-called “divisive concepts” and the ability to explore systemic oppression in schools (Iowa Legislative Services Agency). The unnecessary restriction of learning categorized as “divisive” impeded critical thinking and disproportionately censored LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors. With scant support or direction from educational authorities and little hope of legal repeal, educators attempted to navigate the hostile environment of questionably banned books, inhumane treatment of students, and severely diminished curricula