New ‘Teaching for Social Justice’ group hosting panel discussion Oct. 21 on Women in Higher Education
Carole Beal
A new student-led “community” at the College of Education, Teaching for Social Justice (TSJ), will host a one-hour panel discussion event titled “EdTalks: Women in Higher Education” on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5:30 at Norman Hall in Room 2329.
The three UF panelists, including two education faculty, will discuss a variety of issues facing women in higher education.
The panel will consist of Carole Beal, professor of education technology; Aki Murata, associate professor of mathematics education; and Rosana Resende, lecturer for the Center for Latin America Studies.
All COE and UF students and faculty are welcome to attend. Although women pursuing professions in higher education is the target audience for this discussion, men are also encouraged to participate.
Mario Worlds, a doctoral student in language arts, reading and children’s literature and a founding member of TSJ, cannot directly relate to the issues women encounter, but he said he thinks the event will be insightful because of the different perspectives the panelists will offer.
Aki Murata
“While it may be different, I do believe that some of the things they have to share may also be helpful for me in terms of being a minority who hopes to one day be in higher education,” Worlds said.
The event is one in a series of “EdTalks” discussions hosted by TSJ this semester. The series is aimed at openly talking about critical conversations in education by challenging the members to look at social issues from different perspectives.
Stephanie Schroeder, a doctoral student in curriculum, teaching and teacher education and also a founding member of TSJ, said it is important to discuss issues relating to all levels of education because oppression still exists. She said it wasn’t until she taught in New York City that she realized what it meant to be a white, middle-class female in the classroom.
“There are structural issues and problems that keep students of color or students in poverty from achieving at the same rate as white, middle-class students because society is structured that way,” said Schroeder, who is also the president of the UF Education College Council. “I think we have a responsibility to change the mindset of the largely white, middle-class teaching force so we can meet the needs of our students.”
A group of College of Education doctoral students founded the coed TSJ community last spring. This is the first semester the group has hosted events. Anyone can participate in the informal group by attending the “EdTalks” or “JustChat” discussions. Drawing anywhere between 10 and 50 people, TSJ meets several times a semester to develop a diverse and interdisciplinary community of practice to identify, examine and act on issues of equality and social justice in education.
For more information about TSJ or the upcoming panel discussion, contact Stephanie Schroeder at (863) 608-4936 or via email at stephyuf@ufl.edu.
CONTACTS
SOURCE: Stephanie Schroeder, UF College of Education; 863-608-4936; stephyuf@ufl.edu
WRITER: Katelin Mariner, UF College of Education; marinerk@ufl.edu
