Making Genius, Centering Joy
Making Genius, Centering Joy was a six week, blended learning course for educators developing culturally responsive, maker-centered curriculum.
Background:
Traditional models of teaching are often rooted in systems of inequity that plague schooling and learning outcomes. These models – rooted in racism, carceral logic, and white supremacy – prioritize compliance, assimilation, and academic knowledge acquisition that neglects the rich histories and past experience of learners from traditionally marginalized communities, particularly those that are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
In this six week virtual course, we explored how maker-centered learning can be a tool to disrupt traditional models of teaching and learning. Through a focus on making that prioritizes process and connection, we can create a cultural shift in education that centers rehumanizing, anti-racist, and culturally relevant practices.
Learning Goals:
Develop a pedagogical understanding of culturally responsive teaching and maker-centered learning through the lens of Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s HILL model in Cultivating Genius
Integrate maker-centered learning into your practice by co-creating concrete tools, strategies and adapting lesson plans that you can implement in your learning spaces.
Connect with other educators to explore, challenge, and learn together while deepening our collective understandings of liberation and making.
Attend to our own genius, joy, healing, and connection!
My role:
I designed and wrote the entire 6-week curriculum which included a series of six asynchronous self-paced learning modules and four synchronous two-hour workshops.
I facilitated each of the workshops with an international cohort of twenty-two educators where we created culturally responsive, anti-racist maker-centered learning curricula. Educators planned and presented varying projects they would implement with youth in a variety of in-school and out-of-school environments.
In addition, I managed all logistics, communications, registration, and promotional outreach for the course.
Example of a Culturally Responsive Art & Making Lesson Plan
Educators participated in hands-on, maker projects throughout the course. One example was an art/making lesson plan analyzing Bisa' Butler’s storytelling process. We used this activity to experience Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s culturally responsive HILL model of: Identity, Skills, Intellect, Criticality, and Joy.
This lesson was also inspired by the Tinkering Studio’s Making Faces activity.
