In the opening discussion between Teacher Scholars on the first day of our first-ever Summer Institute, the themes from the conversation foreshadowed the impressive collaborations that would be one of the major highlights of the workshop. Before the team could even get to the meat of our lesson plans, our cohorts were examining what it means to be a teacher and how discussing is a political act in itself. With this in mind, the conversation led to contemplations of how educators can strive for an equitable teaching space that motivates students to not only retain the information they are being provided with, but how they can use the information as tools to evolve themselves and the environment around them.

The civic institute team was impressed with these initial conversations as it reinforced their belief that educators from different backgrounds and concentrations can come together to build our understanding of civics outside of the standardized lens and in a way that reflects our emphasis on building/maintaining community.

A brief overview of the workshop captures key themes such as the danger of a single story, setting up effective learning environments, empathetic listening, understanding lived civics and the social contract, monitoring contentious debates, and much more.

• Focuses on building students’ critical and civic skills rather than recounting constitutional history.

• Encourages reflection on personal civic experiences and their connection to peers’ perspectives.

• Includes an empathetic listening exercise (led by Dr. Conklin) that strengthened attention, empathy, and storytelling.

• Many participants plan to bring the activity to their classrooms to foster intentional, empathetic listening.

Teacher Scholars Posters

Explore this slideshow of Teacher Scholars’ posters to see how they incorporated lessons from the Summer Institute into their classroom teaching.