A day packed with fruitful views and professional practices!

Today’s morning session got political: we participated in a panel about current affairs in the US facilitated by Professors Preston Smith, MJ Petersen and Bruce Laurie. It focused on private and public topics, from national and international perspectives. The topics ranged from household economics, education, rent, food, law enforcement and mass incarceration to political and partisan configurations, relations with other countries and local and federal governance. The panel went on for three engaging hours, an occasion in which we could picture an overview of the state of the Union, its challenges and future perspectives. 

Afternoon activities included a meeting with five teachers from middle and high schools: Chris, Sam, Jodi, Tom and Bruce. We briefly introduced ourselves and then the teachers elaborated on their own professional experiences. Then, we had the opportunity of engaging with each teacher in 12-minute small-group discussions. We focused on best practices for fostering a critical pedagogy approach in our classroom. The strategies included field observation, presentations, simulations and case studies, with a highlight on the importance of assigned readings, the use of the school Library, and, perhaps most importantly, the need of teaching reasoning with sided evidence. Regarding this last practice, the goal was to educate students as constructors of knowledge and not mere consumers. As Bruce wrapped up very appropriately “whoever does the talking, does the learning”. The session closed with a more informal social interaction, with snacks and drinks to thank the American teachers for their time and predisposition. It was a great to share with them. 

Overall, this was another enriching day, with much information still to process and elaborate as educators.