Plenary Speakers
Developing Possibilities in a Superdiverse World
Dr. Fernanda Coelho Liberali
Cowin Auditorium
9:10 - 9:50 AM
The world has taken a turn to a more conservative perspective in recent years. New forms of centralized, controlled and technocratic dialogues are spreading a “one truth only” perspective (cf., Santos, 2008) throughout societies across the world. There is a real challenge for new educational designs to set new patterns for more emancipating, more revolutionary, more transformative ways of educating (van der Veen, Dobber, & Van Oers, 2017). Freire (1968) suggests a culture of de-silencing and understanding which generates potential for transformation. In this culture of dialogue, people take charge of seeking the “emersion of conscience, which results in critical insertion in reality” (Freire 1968, p. 80). In this problematizing approach to life, the practice of freedom and dialogue needs to emerge. This talk is based on the discussions of a research group engaged with reality transformation as the essential aspect of research life. I will address the relationship of globalization, super diversity, and multilingualism and teacher education in the present Brazilian context. First, I will set the context created by globalization and super diversity (Blommaert 2010; Vertovec 2007) that has created an interest in the area of multilingualism (Martin-Jones, Blackledge and Creese 2012) and multiculturalism (Candau, 2016; Santos, 2008). I will go on to describe an extramural-research project, Digit-M-Ed Brasil, and the central role of play in the creation of an imaginary possibility for recreating realities. Finally, I will argue in favor of the development of critical collaborative contexts for teacher education using “Creative Chains” (Liberali 2009). The creative chain of activities can be understood as a network in which diverse groups and activities are intentionally connected. The Creative Chain involves all participants collectively creating how their realities could be constructed, analyzed, evaluated, criticized, reconstructed, practiced, and reformulated in agentive ways.
About the Speaker
Dr. Fernanda Coelho Liberali, PhD, is a teacher educator, researcher and professor at the Pontifical Catholic University, São Paulo, Program of Postgraduate Studies in Applied Linguistics and Language Studies and in Education: Education of Educators. She holds a degree in Languages from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, a master's and a doctorate degree in Applied Linguistics and Language Studies from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, and two postdoctoral degrees from the University of Helsinki and from the Berlin Freie Universität. She is currently involved with a new post-doctoral study in the area of play/performance and agency at Rutgers University. She is one of the leaders of the Research Group/ CNPq / PUC-SP for "Language in Activity in the School Context" and the general coordinator of the national extension and research project DIGIT-M-ED Hyperconnecting Brazil.
The School Counselor’s Role in Promoting Youth Voice: Hip Hop and Spoken Word Therapy
Dr. Ian Levy
Cowin Auditorium
12:20 - 1:00 PM
This presentation discusses the use of culturally responsive counseling services in schools theoretically and practically, specifically with english language learners. Innovative approaches counseling must not only honor diversity, but need to build upon the inherent strengths and individual differences of diverse populations. In the context of counseling with urban youth and english language learners, acknowledging hip hop culture as youth culture is paramount. Hip hop has been historically used within urban communities to use their own language(s) as a platform to speak back against systemic issues, and share untold stories. This presentation will review hip hop culture to inform the development of interventions and the school counseling process more broadly. Specifically, attendees will be provided a detailed overview of Hip Hop and Spoken Word Therapy (HHSWT) as a theory to engage youth in the expression of emotions in their own language as well an exploration of a pilot study which explores the development, implementation, and evaluation of HHSWT in schools.
About the Speaker
Dr. Ian Levy is a professor of school counseling at the University of Massachusetts Boston, New York City native, and former High School counselor in the South Bronx. Ian’s research interests include the examination of mental health practices in urban schools, which entails interrogating the role of the school counselor and other school staff to ensure the emotional lives of young people are adequately addressed. Most notably, Dr. Levy piloted the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Hip Hop based counseling framework in urban schools. This particular hip hop therapy program was featured on various news outlets including the New York Times, and CNN. In 2016 Dr. Levy was named the New York State School Counselor of the Year. As a new professional, Dr. Levy has been recognized as an emerging leader by the Association of Humanistic Counseling. Through his work at UMass Boston, Dr. Levy now engages in the formal training of school counselors in culturally sensitive counseling and pedagogical practices in schools.
What Does It Take To Be Culturally Relevant?
Dr. Lois Holzman
Cowin Auditorium
2:00 - 2:40 PM
Any particular culturally relevant pedagogy needs to take into account the broader culture in which it is being developed and practiced. For without an understanding of the broader culture, including the psychology, economics and politics of its theories of learning, it is not clear how any pedagogy can be culturally relevant. Current US (and increasingly global) culture is individuated, competitive and knowledge-oriented. It is built upon such dualistic assumptions as cause-effect, mind-body, cognition-emotion, private-social, thought-action, and work-play. It views learning as work and play as frivolous. This presentation will discuss the non-developmental nature of such a culture and the type of pedagogy that needs to be fostered in such an environment in order for students of any age and sub-culture to continuously develop as learners.
About the Speaker
Dr. Lois Holzman received her PhD in developmental psychology and psycholinguistics from Columbia University and is the Director of the East Side Institute in New York City. She is a leading proponent of cultural-performatory approaches to human learning and development. Having been introduced to the work of Lev Vygotsky as a researcher in Michael Coles Laboratory of Comparative Human Development, Holzman has brought Vygotsky’s insights into diverse human environments, including psychotherapy and the workplace through her Institute’s development of social therapeutic methodology. Key to this methodology is our species ability to perform—to pretend, to play, to improvise—as key to our emotional, social, and intellectual growth. Holzman’s research, training and project development experience spans early childhood through adult learning, both in school and outside of school.
Cultural Relevance and Usage-Based Instruction
Dr. ZhaoHong Han
Cowin Auditorium
5:10 - 5:50 PM
A pluralistic entity, culture is one of the most elusive constructs stretching from a broad coverage of phenomena to a narrow denotation. Nevertheless, culture is incontrovertibly a system where components are interconnected and where the summation of parts do not equal the whole. In this talk, I will primarily adopt a circumscribed approach, discussing the relationship between culture and language in the context of second language learning and instruction. I will begin with a quick exhibit of select cultural artifacts with a view towards shedding some light on the convoluted relationship between culture and language, especially for second language learners. I will then advance the argument that usage-based instruction holds a unitary key to stimulating and enabling organic development of both language and culture learning.
About the Speaker
Dr. ZhaoHong Han is Professor of Language and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she teaches graduate courses in Applied Linguistics, TESOL, and foreign language instruction. Her research interests are broadly in second language learnability, second language teachability, and their interface. Her work on fossilization, corrective feedback, second language thinking for speaking (Han & Cadierno, 2010), second language reading and vocabulary development, second language reading instruction, and second language ab initio input processing has appeared in a variety of international journals and books.
Dr. Han is the recipient of the 2003 International TESOL Heinle and Heinle Distinguished Research Award, and a repeated recipient of the Teachers College, Columbia University Outstanding Teacher Award.
