Welcome to Teaching Civics for Justice Illinois, a professional learning experience for middle and high school Civics and Service Learning educators. It aims to support more inquiry-based and justice-centered Civics and Service Learning practices. We offer this professional learning experience as an effort to revitalize Civics and Service Learning classrooms and to help students continue developing their inquiries, analyses, and actions about their places and spaces in the world.
In each of the five modules that make up Teaching Civics for Justice Illinois you will engage in learning, reflection, and creative exercises that prepare you to engage in what we have termed a Critical Civics education.
Build your conceptual knowledge of what we have termed Critical Civics and Service Learning. You’ll learn about the framework and reflect on how it might apply to your practices.
Prepare for practices that engage in partnership with your students, their families, and their communities. Learn about systems and power and oppression and build practices that support your students’ analyses of domination and partnership along their inquiry journeys.
Get ready for student-driven inquiry, analysis, and action. You’ll learn from practicing Civics teachers and prepare for your role as a facilitator of Civics and Service Learning.
Create instructional tools that meet the aims of Civics and Service Learning in Illinois. You’ll set intentions, engage in curricular revisions, and get feedback on your progress from stakeholders in your community.
Reflect on the previous modules and consider how you might sustain your critical Civics and Service Learning practices beyond this professional learning series.
We estimate that it will take you 24 hours to complete all five modules within this professional learning experience (Intro:1 hour, M1: 3 hours, M2: 4 hours, M3: 5 hours, M4: 8 hours, M5: 3 hours). You can pause at any time. Be sure to save any work you have completed outside of Canvas and click submit when uploading assignments within Canvas.
Each of the assignments included in this professional learning experience will be evaluated using an Artifact Review Rubric that evaluates your submission based on three areas: completion, depth of argument, inclusion of learning resources from module.
Upon completion of each of the required activities, you will receive 24 Professional Development Hours (PDH) offered through the Illinois State Board of Education. During the last module, you will complete a survey that will ensure you receive the PDHs and they are uploaded to your Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) account.
For more information on enrollment, please visit this helpful enrollment guide.
Should you have any questions or need support at any stage of this professional learning experience please reach out to socialstudies@education.illinois.edu.