Finding Joy in the Turmoil: Embracing and Enjoying the Struggle
The AATC 2024 Annual Conference seeks to embrace the Joy in teaching and curriculum. Amid the 2024 election cycle, we will come together to embrace the power and potential of being joyful. Transgressing boundaries, scholarship that acknowledges and embraces the search for pathways of recognition, love, and shared affect within heterogeneous hazards, obstacles, and opportunities requires a Joyful Rampage.
Joy in education centers on creating an environment where students feel valued, engaged, and excited about their learning experiences. By focusing on the emotional and intellectual needs of students, educators can contribute to a more joyful and meaningful educational journey. The concept of joy in education emphasizes creating a positive, engaging, and fulfilling learning environment that promotes not only academic achievement but also emotional well-being, intrinsic motivation, and a love for learning. Joy in education recognizes that when students experience joy and satisfaction in their learning journey, they are more likely to be active, curious, and successful learners.
Joy is an important aspect of the broader conversations around representation, equity, and social justice. Joy reminds us that while acknowledging challenges is essential, it’s equally important to celebrate the diverse and rich experiences that contribute to the well-being and happiness of individuals and communities within education.
Keynote Speakers:
Stephen Fain Keynote Address: Dr. Christine Sleeter, Professor Emerita, College of Education, California State University – Monterey Bay
Dr. Sleeter has been honored for her work as the recipient of the American Educational Research Association Social Justice Award, the Division K Teaching and Teacher Education Legacy Award, the CSU Monterey Bay President’s Medal, the Chapman University Paulo Freire Education Project Social Justice Award, the American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group Multicultural and Multiethnic Education Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Association for Multicultural Education Exceptional Service Award. She is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, and a Member of the National Academy of Education.
Marcella Kysilka Lecture: Jason Goulah: Professor and Director of the Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, DePaul University
Dr. Goulah’s research interests include transformative language learning; Ikeda/Soka studies in education; and language, culture, identity, and socioecological literacies. His scholarship has appeared in multiple edited volumes and scholarly journals. His books include Daisaku Ikeda, Language and Education, which received the 2015 Critics Choice Book Award from the American Educational Studies Association. He also co-edited, with Isabel Nunez, Hope and Joy in Education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda Across Curriculum and Context, which won a 2022 Society of Professors of Education: Outstanding Book Award.
Teaching and Curriculum in an Age of Homogenization and Difficult Knowing Workshop and Panel
As part of our conference, we plan a set of workshops directed for and with P-12 Educators and Teacher Educators around the themes of Teaching and Curriculum in an Age of Homogenization and Difficult Knowing.
These panel and workshop sessions will take place on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 9:00 -12:00. P-12 Educators and conference attendees will be invited to participate together in the development of deeper engagement with contingent and, at times, treacherous pedagogies involved in Ethnic Studies and Pedagogy and Holocaust Education. Your expertise will be essential to the development and implementation of this professional learning experience.
Our event aims to bring together professionals and thought leaders from diverse backgrounds to explore innovative approaches, share best practices, and tackle challenges in the development and implementation of Ethnic Studies. The panel discussion will provide a platform for exchanging ideas and perspectives on key issues facing our field, while the workshop sessions will offer practical strategies and tools for professional growth and development.
Additional information regarding the workshop will be available as we draw closer to the conference date. We are planning a special one-day participant rate from teachers, teacher educators, and graduate students to join AATC for this workshop.
Registration is open and AATC has a reserved block of hotel rooms at the Embassy Suites Downtown Denver. Use the links below to register and make your room reservations:
A limited number of graduate student scholarships are available. To apply click here.