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A Brush of Courage: Transforming Schools and Communities Through Literature and the Arts – A White Fund Presentation
February 5, 2019, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
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Don’t Miss This Exciting, Bilingual, and Interactive Workshop!
In this talk and participatory workshop Marimar Patrón Vázquez and Kurt Wootton will present international best-practices in teaching—involving multiple languages, the arts, and literature—that transform the way we think about 21st century schools and classrooms.
Marimar and Kurt founded Habla, an international school and creative center in Merida, Mexico. Habla is a space where teachers, students, teaching artists, and education leaders gather from around the world to exchange ideas across languages and borders. Learning at Habla takes place in a multilingual context with teachers and students negotiating meaning through multiple languages. Habla is a hub for community development. Students and teachers at Habla design and lead community projects in the smaller towns around Merida working with indigenous populations.
(If cancelled due to the weather the Snow Date is February 6, 2019)
More Information
This White Fund is a joint venture with La Feria Del Libro and the Lawrence Public Library.
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
Biographies
Marimar Patrón Vázquez
Marimar Patrón Vázquez was born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico where her family has lived for generations. Her work is focused on how stories, reading and literature are part of the daily life of communities. At Brown University she received the prestigious Presidential Teaching Award for her Spanish language courses for university students. Her unique approach to teaching involves storytelling, the literature and culture of the language, from kids to adults.
Kurt Wootton
Kurt Wootton is the co-founder of the The ArtsLiteracy Project at Brown University as well as Habla. He co-wrote the book A Reason to Read: Linking Literacy and the Arts published by Harvard Education Press. The New York Times writes: “Mr. Wootton remains every bit as 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.”
