Announcing “Human/Nature: An Exploration of Place, Stories, and Climate Futurism”

As a grant-funded workshop for K-12 teachers sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, apply for our event in summer of 2023: “Human/Nature: An Exploration of Place, Stories, and Climate Futurisms.”

Human Nature NEH Grant Flyer 2023

As a grant-funded workshop for K-12 teachers sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, I am pleased to share that I am part of the leadership team that will welcome teachers to northern California in the summer of 2023 for our event, “Human/Nature: An Exploration of Place, Stories, and Climate Futurism.”

From our project website, the summary of the workshop is quoted here:

“Human/Nature: An Exploration of Place, Stories, and Climate Futurism” is a combined format 3-week summer institute sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. With in-person and virtual convenings for 25 English teachers of grades 6-12, the institute will be held virtually from April 10 to June 10, 2023, and in-person from June 12-23, 2023, on Sonoma State University’s campus as well as through field trips to various locations in northern California, and again virtually from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.

Climatefuturisms.com

Applications opened on December 1st, 2022 and will remain open until March 3, 2023.

We will ask participants for some basic contact info and teaching history, and will also ask them to complete a brief essay with the following prompts.

Written Response Prompts

Part one. In the first part of your response (approximately 300-450 words), offer insights on ONE of the following:

  • If a colleague were to describe your classroom, what would they tell us about in terms of sights, sounds, and activities? In what ways do you engage students in literary analysis, active learning, and creative expression?
  • Share an example of something you have been a part of, inside a school or in your community, in which you demonstrated qualities of leadership. In what ways were you able to listen closely, invite others to collaborate, and lead them to an actionable outcome? 
  • As it relates to the themes and topics of this institute (“human/nature” and climate futurism), can you share a memorable anecdote from your life that will give us a further sense of what makes you want to be part of this work? What has this experience taught you and how would it inform your work in our institute as we critically examine dystopian literature and engage in action planning?

Part two. In the second part of your response (approximately 200-350 words), please briefly share your current work and/or future interests in the following:

  • young adult literature and climate fiction, or “cli fi”
  • digital and media literacies
  • place-based education
  • participating in a sustained professional learning experience, both online and onsite your potential for creativity, innovation, and engagement

Questions? Please contact our project director, Dr. Fawn Canady.


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