Empowering Student Voice and AWAREness Through Poetry and Art

How can poetry and art break down barriers to meaningful classroom discussion? How can language arts teachers help their students be more AWARE while engaging in civil discourse? In this episode, Shannon Edwards, a seasoned high school English teacher, shares her transformative approach to using visual art and poetry to help students—particularly multilingual learners—find their voices and engage in civil discourse. Discover how the AWARE framework creates structured pathways for academic discussion while building student confidence and breaking down the fear of disagreement that has become increasingly common among today's secondary students.Main Topics:Teaching Diverse Learners and Finding Unexpected Pathways (00:29)Early Mistakes and the Power of Visual Entry Points (03:47)Breaking down the five steps of AWARE: Accept, Wonder, Assert, Respect, Establish (07:59)Overcoming the Fear of Disagreement (19:20)Unexpected Student Talent and Confidence Building (23:27)Practical Implementation Strategies (28:05)Speaking and Listening Standards in Practice (35:59)Resources MentionedCivil Discourse Through Slam Poetry OverviewMemory Circles Lesson PlanIntroduction to Civil Discourse NotesIntroduction to Slam PoetryUsing Poetry to Understand Place, Setting, and ToneUsing Poetry to Understand OthersUsing Poetry to Understand SocietyThe AWARE Framework - Five-step discussion structure (Accept, Wonder, Assert, Respect, Establish) in Sphere's Civil Discourse PrimerFour Freedoms Speech by RooseveltSphere Ed | Teaching Civic Culture Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.