“What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do?” – Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
“The world is a possibility if only you’ll discover it.” – Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
The 2019 Habla institute explored the concept of seen and unseen through multiple lenses. What does it mean to be visible or invisible in educational settings or in society in general? What can we do as teachers to help all of our students be seen and celebrated in schools? The institute examined these questions through literature, art, music, and movement. All teaching and learning at Habla is organized around the following elements:
- Essential Questions/Concepts
- Meaningful Texts
- The Production of Original Artistic and Written Products
- Performances of Understanding
Grounded in these core principles:
- Building community
- Honoring bilingualism
- Supporting peer to peer teaching and learning
- Creating beautiful work
- Connecting the world of the text to the lived world of its readers
- Peer to peer co-construction of artworks and knowledge
- Documenting our processes and products
- Reflecting on our work
The institute is multi-modal – from highly interactive physical activities to more contemplative presentations and reflections. Challenging texts are demystified by playing close attention to the actual language (its sounds and silences when read aloud, its resonances, its images, its textures), by sharing multiple interpretations of and associations with particular pieces of text, by transmediation (re-representing the work in different media); and by embodying our inquiry through performances of understanding to be seen and heard by others.