YPAR in Your Classroom: Book Launch and Workshop
Join us to learn about how Youth Participatory Action Research can turn classrooms into sites of engaged, student-centered civic learning.
Date and time
Location
Teachers College, Columbia University, Smith Learning Theater, Russell 4th Floor
525 West 120th Street New York, NY 10027About this event
- Event lasts 1 hour 30 minutes
Youth participatory action research (YPAR) can turn your classroom into a site of meaningful, relevant civic learning in which young people gain a sense of civic empowerment as they discuss, investigate, analyze, and speak with authority on issues that directly affect them and their communities. YPAR in Your Classroom: Teaching and Learning for Active Citizenship brings the process of civic action research to life, through stories, examples, and the reflections of youth and adults who have participated in these projects.
This new book, a joint publication of Teachers College Press and the National Council for Social Studies, is a step-by-step guide to bringing the power of youth participatory action research into the classroom. Organized around the five-stage civic action research cycle, it is illustrated with vivid examples from 15 years of school-based projects, and chock full of concrete descriptions of lessons and activities for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.
In this interactive book launch and workshop we will share examples of YPAR in action, describe how to use this book and associated resources to bring YPAR into classrooms, and consider the ways that YPAR can foster belonging, enhance communication within schools, and create nurturing ecosystems of civic learning.
Dr. Beth Rubin will describe the collaborative work that, over 15 years, led to the development of this field-tested approach to integrating YPAR into the classroom. She will situate the book’s approach within an expansive understanding of civic learning that values youth as civic agents and essential members of their civic communities.
Authors of the book’s four case studies, Laura Arredondo, Tristian Cox, Brandi Gustafson, Orion Nolan, and Reneé Roundy, will share their experiences integrating YPAR into high school and middle school social studies classrooms, elementary and special education classrooms, and classrooms for multilingual learners.
Meet the Speakers
Dr. Beth C. Rubin, Professor of Social Studies Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. Tristian Cox, K-12 Social Studies Supervisor, Plainfield School District, NJ
Brandi Gustafson, Social Studies Teacher, New Brunswick Middle School, NJ
Orion Nolan, Inclusion Teacher, Roosevelet School, Manville, NJ
Dr. Laura Arredondo, Supervisor of World Languages and ML, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, NJ
Renée Roundy, Doctoral Candidate, Rutgers University; 5th Grade Teacher, Lewiston, ME
Sponsored by the Civically Engaged Districts Project; Teachers College's Program in Social Studies Education; and the Gordon Institute for Advanced Study
Frequently asked questions
Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) refers to youth-selected and directed investigations of school and community concerns, leading to a sharing of new information and action of various types.
There are a wealth of resources to support YPAR. Check out the Civically Engaged Districts project website (https://www.civicallyengageddistricts.org/) and the U.C. Berkeley YPAR Hub (https://yparhub.berkeley.edu/home) to get started.
To request disability-related accommodations, contact the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities (OASID) at oasid@tc.edu, (212) 678-3689, (646) 755-3144 video phone, as early as possible.