Building Community: Creating Classrooms for Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging
Habla’s Online Teacher Institute
March 15, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CST (Central Standard Time).
As educators we know that building a strong classroom and school community is important for student engagement, for teachers and students’ well being, and for creating a positive school climate in which students embrace a “growth mindset.” Recent research has demonstrated that strong classroom communities are also essential for developing students intellectually and cognitively.
For nearly two decades Habla has been known for building communities deeply connected through story, art, language, and culture. In this day-long experience, only offered virtually, participating educators will:
- gain concrete interdisciplinary strategies and activities for building supportive classroom communities
- engage in a project-based experience resulting in a concrete exhibition of work
- participate in a translanguaging experience to gain an understanding of how multiple languages and ways of communicating can be woven into our pedagogies
- learn the specific theory and research showing the importance of building community for both social and intellectual purposes
This session is open to teachers of all subject-areas and grade levels from pre-school to higher education. Participants will receive all session materials—handouts, slide decks, readings. No prior preparation is necessary.
Location:
Schedule: March 15, 2025 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CST (Central Standard Time).
María del Mar Patrón Vázquez is the co-founder and-co director of Habla: The Center for Language and Culture in Merida, Mexico. She was born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico where her family has lived for generations. She studied literature at Universidad de las Américas in Puebla, Mexico and then went on to a graduate degree in Hispanic Studies at Brown University in the United States. Her work is focused on how reading and literature can be part of the daily life of communities. At Brown, she received the prestigious Presidential Teaching Award for her teaching of Spanish language classes to university students. Her unique approach to pedagogy involves the literature and culture of the language. Marimar has presented talks and workshops on culture, language, and literacy globally. Perhaps the greatest lessons she’s learned about teaching are from her children, Luis and Sandra, who are growing up speaking multiple languages.
Kurt Wootton is co-founder of Habla: The Center for Language and Culture in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico and co-founder of ArtsLiteracy Project in the Education Department at Brown University. He has piloted several lab schools in the United States, Brazil and Mexico and currently co- facilitates Teacher Institutes for educators in New Orleans, San Diego, Chicago, and Merida. He is the co-author of A Reason to Read: Linking Literacy and the Arts published by Harvard Education Press and ENGAGE: Creative Strategies for Teaching and Learning. The New York Times writes, “Mr. Wootton remains convinced of education’s power to transform lives. He has changed his tool of choice, however, from a mirror in which students see only reflections of themselves to a window that opens onto the rest of the world.”
Aketzali Chacón González is from Chiapas, Mexico. She inherited her passion for teaching from her parents and from an early age she became interested in the English language. She loves reading, dancing, and traveling. She nds inspiration in helping students share their stories in a different language through creativity, fun, and purpose. The city of Merida took her in during her time as a student, which eventually opened the door to Habla, where she has found a new family. She is currently the English Program and Teacher Institute Coordinator
Lee Ceh is from Mérida, México. They are a graduate with a degree in Latin American Literature from Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. Stories hold a very special place in their heart, fictional and otherwise. As a teacher, they bring this love into their classrooms using diverse art and digital mediums to create meaningful experiences for students to breathe life into their personal stories. Another one of their passions is languages. Currently they are learning Japanese. Something they enjoy about being part of the Habla team is that there is something new to learn everyday. They are an English and Spanish teacher for all ages, as well as the Social Media Coordinator, English and Spanish interpreter, and Tech Support for Habla’s virtual workshops.
Itinerary
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CST
Institute Documentation
After the institute you will receive a digital packet documenting the entire institute experience including all slide decks, handouts, photos, and additional materials.
Habla's Online Teacher Institute Cost
