Conference Proposal Submission instructions
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Fri., April 3, 2020
Teaching may be the toughest job you'll ever love, yet the teacher turnover rate is at an all-time high nationally. Chances are, you're a little burned out, too. Why is this case? Why do teachers who still love the profession deep down choose to leave? What would help them stay? The CSU Writing Project is excited to explore these challenging questions with educators from varied contexts who work with youth, other educators, and community members.
We invite you to submit proposals related to the theory and practices connected to sustainable teaching, a theory of change that educators from the CSU Writing Project have developed together over the past 3 years. We define sustainable teaching as the process of fostering self-compassion and renewal in educators who support the growth and development of students in turn. Sustainable teaching puts educators first with the goal of creating a collaborative community that values an integrated approach to education that enables of participants to thrive.
We invite proposals in interactive formats, described below, geared toward exploring these or other questions related to the conference theme:
- What mindfulness and resiliency practices will allow us to integrate our personal and professional lives as educators so that we can remain in a profession we love? How do we create and sustain supportive communities where we can make this happen together?
- What role do literacy practices--creative, artistic, academic--play in feeding our minds and souls? What strategies help us "fill the well"?
- What toll do the stressors of teaching take on our bodies? How do we set boundaries so that we don’t exhaust our resources? What practices invite pause and contemplation and give us permission to attend to our physical and emotional needs?
- What strategies can we use to cultivate and practice self-compassion? How do we integrate self-care, play, and laughter in our lives, our classrooms, and other professional contexts? How can we foster these practices?
- How can we design learning environments that support our students in embracing the vulnerability inherent in learning? What strategies can we use to support them in becoming more mindful and intentional learners?
- What skills and practices do we need to critique--and then change--systems that thwart our wellbeing and that of our students, especially those from the most vulnerable populations?
- What do we imagine a sustaining environment for teaching and learning to be? What would it look like? How do advocate for ourselves as educators in order to make it happen?
- How can we cultivate a gracious mindset toward others in the educational contexts we occupy--our students, colleagues, administrators, parents, community members, and stakeholders? What strategies can we use to establish and maintain relationships with allies who will help us leverage the resources we need stay in teaching?
- How do we model for all stakeholders, including our students, how to live, work, and learn sustainably?
SESSION FORMATS
Session formats reflect our experience that the best way to explore sustainable teaching is through dialogue, practice, and participation. Please challenge yourself to design proposals that are interactive rather than purely presentational. The following formats should help you do so:
- WORKSHOPS: These 90-min. experiential sessions should be designed to support participants in exploring sustainable teaching firsthand. Sample activities include writing, reflection role-playing, discussion, art-making, movement, etc.
- CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS: These 75-min. interactive sessions should feature strategies used to foster a classroom where students can be mindful, intentional learners.
- ROUNDTABLES: These 30-min. sessions should invite thought-provoking conversations around persistent questions, challenges, and rewards related to enacting sustainable teaching in the classroom.
- PANEL PROVOCATIONS: These 75-min. sessions should provide a combination of presentation and discussion facilitated by the panelists on issues, themes, and questions related to sustainable teaching. (If you submit an individual proposal for this format, we will group similar topics together.)
SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL
HERE
BY FRI., APRIL 3, 2020
Your proposal should describe what participants can expect to gain from your session.
Include information on the purpose of the session and its relevance to the conference theme, as well the session content, activities, and/or any relevant takeaways (e.g., handouts, models, artifacts, action plans, etc.).
You will be notified of a decision no later than Mon., April 13, 2020.
WORD LIMIT: 200 words
Include information on the purpose of the session and its relevance to the conference theme, as well the session content, activities, and/or any relevant takeaways (e.g., handouts, models, artifacts, action plans, etc.).
You will be notified of a decision no later than Mon., April 13, 2020.
WORD LIMIT: 200 words