ASSOCIATION OF TEACHER EDUCATORS

2023 Summer Conference

July 29 – August 2, 2023

 

CAPITAL HILTON

WASHINGTON, DC

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

 

A Professional Educator's Kuleana - Preparing for the Future through Accountability, Diversity, Advocacy, and Celebration

 

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” These 12 powerful words, spoken by Mahatma Gandhi, directly reflect our charge. ATE President – Jon Yoshioka has identified a powerful theme that continues ATE’s focus on the professional educator. He has charted a course that calls for acknowledgement and action on our professional responsibilities.

The timing for us is perfect. As ATE navigates its second century we have the opportunity to take stock of ourselves and our organization, and to define and act upon what we see as our mission and destiny. We could begin by asking the two questions that humans have asked themselves since the beginning of time: “Who am I?” and “What is my purpose?” The answers to which are, at the same time, both simple and complex. We are professionals. We are educators. We teach. And we are truly blessed to have the opportunity to provide the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to shape the future. 

We are professional educators. And as professional educators, we are the ones who have the most accurate and up-to-date knowledge of what is going on in education today. That said, ask yourself, 

(1) Are you satisfied with what you are seeing and doing on a day-to-day basis? 

(2) If not, why not? and 

(3) Are we doing the things that we, as professional educators, believe would most benefit our students and our communities? 

While these questions have many answers, what we really should be asking ourselves is – Who is making the decisions that directly affect us, our students, and what we do? Is it us? Is it people like us? Are they experienced educators? Is it people who are knowledgeable about education? Or is it people that lack first-hand knowledge and experience about education?

Who is navigating the future of education? We cannot and should not allow decisions to be made by those with limited understanding of students, educators, and education. We, the professional educators, must be the ones to chart the course. Only we can determine where we are now and where we are headed.

Our conference theme invites introspection on a professional educator’s Kuleana – a Hawaiian word that addresses “responsibility.”  To reflect on one's Kuleana requires understanding of our past with respect and acknowledgement of all of the people, the places, the experiences, etc., that have helped each one of us become who we are today. We are all products of our past – molded and shaped by both the good and the bad. In this conference participants are invited to “pay it forward” by helping others enter, learn about, and succeed in the amazing field that we have chosen as our profession. We hope you will embrace these ideas as you prepare your presentations. With our past guiding us, we can take the knowledge, lessons, and respect for who and what has come before and focus it on four areas as we plan and prepare for the future. Those four areas include:

Accountability – Accountability and responsibility are inseparable and each encompasses far more than just a simple definition of the word. In Hawaiian, the word “Kuleana” speaks to both privilege and responsibility – two things that are inseparable and forever intertwined. For example, there is a reciprocal relationship between a person and that for which they are responsible – so you have a responsibility to take care of the land as the land naturally takes care of you. But unfortunately, we can become lax in our responsibilities, and because of that, there are consequences. By its nature, there is accountability in our Kuleana and we need to always be vigilant that we are doing what we are supposed to, when we are supposed to, and how we are supposed to. Therefore, consider what is your Kuleana to this profession? How are you both accountable and responsible to future educators?

 

Diversity – By definition, to be diverse, we need to be inclusive. No one should feel excluded, forgotten, or marginalized. Yet, many of us can relate to those feelings far too well. We need to change that. What we do and how we do it needs to resonate with all educators because we cannot do what we need to while living and working in silos. We are in a “united we stand, divided we fall” moment in history and must emphasize diversity, equity, and access as foundational pieces of what we do and what we need for a thriving and civilized society. We need to do a better job of creating opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional educators to be able to share what they do and learn from one another in a safe, supportive space. ATE should be a place where members and future members know that they can have honest, passionate, respectful conversations about any and all topics, where the views of all sides are acknowledged and valued and everyone is provided an opportunity for their voice to be heard. 

 

Advocacy – We need to be advocates for ourselves, our students, and our profession. Teacher educators are often at the mercy of people who do not understand what we do. These individuals may think they understand us, our students, our communities, what we need and the field of education, etc., but they may not truly understand the depth and complexity of our work. This, though, should be a solvable problem. We are, after all, teacher educators. Teaching is what we do. As educators, we need to use our skills and talents to help the people who make the decisions that affect us understand what we do and what we need to effectively serve our students and the communities in which we live. Things need to change, because as Albert Einstein eloquently put it “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” We need to tap into the expertise within our organization, as well as outside of it, and learn and apply the skills needed to take control of the narrative and let folks who have decision making power know how they can best support educators and education.

 

Celebration – As we focus on Accountability, Diversity, and Advocacy, we also need to take stock of the amazing things that are going on in classrooms everywhere. Simply put, Teacher Educators ROCK! No one cares more about our students than we do. No one cares more about our profession than we do. No one cares more about us than we do. And there are so many amazing things educators are doing every day. Yet we rarely hear of them. Instead, we are more likely to hear about what educators are “not doing.” That needs to stop. We know what we do and we should celebrate it. We need to support each other, our students, and our profession by creating a positive, safe, welcoming environment for all educators and students to learn and grow, celebrating the awesome things that many of us are doing daily, and letting others know  through our advocacy. Our goal is to change the narrative about educators and education into a positive supportive one.

 

Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That said, the future is upon us, so the time to talk and plan is over and it’s time to start acting on what we believe - to make our dreams become reality - by embracing our Kuleana for our students, our profession, our society, and ourselves.

Proposal due date has been extended to May 31, 2023. All proposals are blind, peer-reviewed.  

Proposal Instructions:

Thematic Sessions (scheduled for July 30-August 1) :

Fifty- to sixty-minute sessions address the event's theme or other ATE interests. These sessions may include the application of research, position papers, descriptions of existing programs/practices, or innovation in teacher education. Proposals of the following types are encouraged:

A. Multiple Paper Format:  This type of thematic session provides an opportunity for  authors to present a synopsis of their work. The planning committee will pair papers of a similar topic or theme for 50 minutes. Each paper will be given approximately 20 to 25 minutes to present, followed by a 10 to 15-minute question-and-answer session.

B. Roundtable Format:  Roundtables are informal sessions during which presenters are seated at a table to discuss works-in-progress that may not be ready for formal presentation. Tables are numbered to allow conference attendees to easily identify an individual presenter’s session. Each discussion lasts 50 minutes.

C. Research Sessions:  Two  to  three research papers will be grouped by related topics or themes for 50-minute sessions.  Research papers are presented in approximately 15- to 20-minute time segments. Discussant will provide a response at the conclusion of the presentation. If a proposal is accepted, a written paper or research report MUST be submitted to the Discussant by July 10, 2023.

Proposal deadline extended: May 31, 2023.

In order to submit your proposal, please create a new cvent online portal account using the "Submit Proposals Here" icon below.

Please enter an email that will not block communication from a 3rd party online platform.

Please check with your institution if you are unsure.

Note: Multiple submission entries MUST use the same presenter name and email.

General Information

All presenters are required to register for the Summer Conference and should be registered at least two weeks prior to the start of the event.

A. All Thematic and Featured Session Rooms will be equipped with an LCD Projector Support Package which includes projection screen and projection table with electrical connections as well as an LCD projector. It does not include computer or Apple connections. All Thematic and Featured Session Rooms will have access to WiFi. If additional audiovisual equipment is needed, ATE will provide the name of an agency that can be contacted for individual presentation arrangements.

B. Information used in the program is copied from the proposal cover page. ATE reserves editorial rights.

C. All communication will be with the session organizer who is responsible for communicating with other presenters of that session.

D. Graduate students, classroom teachers, and new ATE members are especially encouraged to submit proposals.