Overview 

Teachers have a unique perspective about what they need to improve their practice. EduDesign is an experimental space that supports teachers to engage in a collective process of inquiry-- to grapple with self-identified questions and problems of practice. The fellowship is a year-round experience that kicks off with a summer institute and includes multiple convenings throughout the year. Each cohort provides space for fellows to build community, make sense of big ideas together, grow their justice work-- in their practice and in schools, and support one another as professionals.  

The EduDesign fellowship is not your typical professional development-- it is a collective approach to learning. Each cohort is led by a team of teacher-leaders positioned not as experts but as co-learners alongside fellow participants. These teacher-leaders serve as planners and facilitators of this co-created learning experience. College of Education staff, faculty, and other resources support the work as well. This year we are launching our seventh cohort specifically designed to support elementary teachers.  

Over the past two years there has been a loud and widespread call to leverage this turbulent time as an opportunity to reimagine education and center our students and their communities. As schools returned to in-person learning, many educators reported a pressure to get back to “normal” to help students who had “fallen behind”. Educators with an anti-racist and liberation stance need teacher community to focus on incorporating engaging and meaningful practices to support the social & emotional well-being of students and educators. This cohort is one place to find that community.  

Some of the questions we will explore include:  

• What can we learn about undoing white supremacy culture to more clearly imagine and  build schools that support children and adults as whole beings?  

• How are we supporting an asset-based approach with our students and ourselves as teachers? 

• How can we better position students for learning and wellness?  

• How do we pivot from canned SEL curricula to a focus on asset-based wellbeing practices? 

• How can we embed social-emotional wellbeing within core academic areas? 

• How can we support one another as change-makers in our schools? 

Responsibilities 

EduDesign is a year-round experience that will kick off with what we’re planning to be an in-person summer institute in August. In addition, we will gather again in the school year for four Saturday sessions. The October, December, and May school year sessions will be meeting online. We hope our February session will be in-person.  

Each fellow will need to be available for the following dates: 

Summer Institute: Aug 8 & 9, 2022 (9 AM - 1 PM) IN PERSON 

Saturday Sessions: Oct 8, 2022 | Dec 3, 2022 | Feb 11, 2023 IN PERSON | May 6, 2023 (9 AM - 12 PM) 

The fellowship cohort works together with the support of the EduDesign Leadership Team, UW Teacher Education Retention & Support Specialist, and UW INSPIRE Managing Director to shape the EduDesign Fellowship experience. Fellows are committed to the following efforts: 

1. Come prepared and focused for the Summer Institute and Saturday sessions. (There will be some pre-work amounting to 15-45 minutes, depending on the session.) 

2. Share what you know, what you’re learning, what you’re wondering, and what you’re challenged by. 

3. Try out ideas with your students and colleagues; document some of those experiences.