TEACH Mandate
TEACH Outside the Box is a participatory educational model that includes an interactive workshop series and community placements. The TEACH program supports educators to become agents for change in their schools and communities. TEACH hopes to firmly unite theory and practice, as well as foster a network of educators engaged in social justice.
Why look outside the box? The program provides teacher candidates and other educators with the space to:
- Explore possible career options both within and beyond the traditional classroom
- Integrate social justice into all areas of curriculum
- To create diverse and inclusive spaces for students, families, and communities.
- Receive in-depth community-based training in anti-oppression, global education Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and the arts as it applies to the field of education.
- Examine critical educational theories (includes anti-oppression, popular education)
- Develop strategies to create inclusive and equitable educational spaces
- To safely dig into different points of view – from global and Indigenous perspectives to accessibility, gender expression and anti-oppression
- Pose questions about classroom power/authority, equity, engagement and agency
- To feel confident in taking newfound insights and ideas into classrooms
History
Early in 2013, representatives from Jamaican Self-Help, the Kawartha World Issues Centre, TRACKS Indigenous Youth Project, and the Trent School of Education met to begin planning an exciting new initiative in response to an identified need from teachers and teacher candidates for deeper engagement in diversity and equity issues, as well as space for those future teachers with a genuine interest in these issues to come together share their experience and passion for creating classrooms that enable the full participation of every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality.
In 2014, the name of the program was changed to more clearly reflect our mandate. Enrollment more than doubled, bringing together a very diverse group of students enabling rich, sometimes challenging and always inspiring conversations. For various years between 2015 and 2021, community partners included Trent International Study Abroad Program, Rock Camp for Girls*, the Warming Room, and NOURISH.
Our current community placement and committee partners are KWIC, the Trent School of Education and Professional Learning, TRACKS, the New Canadians Centre, Community Race Relations, and True Peace.
Teach Outside the Box 