Braiding Critical Frameworks for Social Justice Education: Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Four Pillars

Description: This presentation introduces three critical theoretical frameworks for understanding equity and social justice in educational programs, curriculum and practice. The frameworks aim to integrate interests in supporting students with learning differences, English language learners, youth of color, and other minoritized groups. Access to high quality education is a matter of social justice, and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provide opportunities for learners, regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, gender, language, cognitive, physical, and emotional background, to overcome barriers, achieve their potential, and ensure that “learning has no limits.”  Critical Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) promotes social justice and equity, because it approaches education from a sociocultural and sociopolitical context, and recognizes the centrality of power relations.  The Four Pillars of Culture, Identity, Language and Equity is a framework to adopt a critical lens in understanding planning and and programming for educational practices. Participants will identify a social justice issue of personal meaning to explore the ‘braided principles’ of UDL and CRP as frameworks to design accessible and equitable learning, with goals for taking action.

Co-presenters:

Dr. Floris Wilma Ortiz-Marrero is an Associate Professor at Westfield State University, Education Department and is the Co-director of WMWP LCD initiative. She is the 2011 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and taught for twenty years ESL, SEI and ESL science at the secondary level. Has presented/co-presented at local, state, national and international conferences. Co-teaches a travel study course in Puerto Rico, co-authored various articles, and has received numerous professional awards.

Momodou Sarr retired from Amherst Regional High School as a Special Education teacher.  He is now a teacher consultant with the Western Massachusetts Writing Project at the University of Massachusetts.   He is also the Co-Directors of the new Language, Culture, and Diversity Program for the WMWP, UMass. Momodou Co-facilitates “Reaching and Teaching All Learners” course offered by the WMWP.  He is very active in the community, serving on several local area boards and commissions as an advocate for Social Justice and Human Rights. He is the recipient of the Robert Frost Excellence in teaching award as well as the Norma Jean Anderson award for Education and Civil Rights. Momodou is the Co-author of a Non-Western Language text (Ay Wa Ci Wolof). Momodou is interesting in the study of the politics and sociology of education.

Dr. Andrew Habana Hafner is an Assistant Professor of Education at Westfield State University teaching courses on ELL education, critical multicultural education, urban education, and an environmental education study abroad course to Costa Rica. He has 25 years of U.S. and international experience in bilingual, ESL/ELL, and literacy education, as a classroom teacher, trainer, curriculum developer, program evaluator, presenter, and research

This event is sponsored by the Critical Studies of Childhood, Youth and Learning (CYL) program, with support from the Shufro Steuer Fund for Inclusion in Education.