Coffee & Conversations: Decolonizing Instruction with Decolonize Literacy

In this Coffee and Conversation, our guest Maribel Valdez Gonzalez talked about how to decolonize instruction in a way that creates healthy, liberated communities in our classrooms and beyond. She shared strategies for how to decolonize teacher talk, grading practices, and protocols typically utilized in a K-12 classroom such as a turn and talk. Maribel shared her framework for decolonizing instruction and participants had the opportunity to apply the framework to current teaching practices. 

Maribel Valdez Gonzalez is an Indigenous Xicana educator and mother of two. She resides in occupied Duwamish territory, also known as Seattle, WA. She is from occupied Somi Se’k land, also known as San Antonio, TX. Maribel is a former 6-8 English Language Arts and World Cultures teacher and is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach for Technology Access Foundation. She works to create transformative systems of learning for students and teachers of color to eliminate race-based disparities by partnering with teachers to cultivate a project-based learning environment at TAF@Washington Middle School in Seattle Public Schools. Maribel's goal is to create academically engaging learning experiences through a culturally sustaining environment that fosters empowerment, healing, and radical kindness. Committed to creating systems centered on equity and justice, she is a member of the Antiracist Arts Education Task Force for Visual & Performing Arts for Seattle Public Schools.

Interested in opportunities to learn from other educators?  Take the Core Advocate survey to learn about upcoming Coffee and Conversations and other free events.

Have a topic in mind for further discussion or feedback about the event?  We want to hear from you! Please reach out to Joy  Delizo-Osborne.