Description

REGISTER VIA ZOOM HERE

Join us for our January Lunchtime Learing with Dr. Betty Porter Walls

Presentation Title:

Using Genres of Print Media to Explore Cultural Identity. As our society and communities have become more diverse (population, race, economics, language, ethnicity, age, culture, etc.) so too, have our social service offerings to enhance the cultural needs of clients.

The variety of print media allows assistance to be more inclusive and equitable to better ensure the recognition, acceptance, and acknowledgement of the value of each person’s individuality and provides an avenue to assist in answering such probing questions as: Who am I? Where do my people come from? Can I get a good job with my record? Why am I here? Can I get a good job with this hair style? Were there any White slaves in America? Can I survive after I leave this place? Why don’t I have straight hair instead of nappy hair? Is it a sin to be an unmarried parent? Should I be ashamed of being a virgin? Is being fat a ‘death’ sentence? The session will identify types of print media popular with teens and discuss its impact on their self-awareness and behavior. It will involve participants in an informative and engaging cross-disciplinary experience for effective writing instruction which encourages individuals to bring their own lived experiences into the learning situation.

Strategies will be shared and modeled for participants to embrace a “writing is about knowing who you are” approach for expressing themselves in writing and visual communication. In this session, you‘ll read, think, speak, dream, and write about who you are, who you were, who you might and could and will be. Come and have fun as we learn more about ourselves and others and embrace the diversity in our communities.

Click Here to View Flyer

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Betty Porter Walls, noted career educator, leadership consultant, and literacy advocate, is a former school district administrator, as well as professor at Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU), the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC), and Webster University. She is a past president of the Missouri Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE) and currently serves as an executive board member of state and local affiliates of the International Literacy Association (ILA). social justice advocate, Betty is a member of the ‘1st Class Educators’ consulting firm and conducts professional development (PD) for educators and the community throughout Missouri and Illinois. Academic areas of specialization include reading, writing, and mathematics.

She coordinates the Beginning Teachers Assistance Program (BTAP) PD for the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS). Internationally, Betty has conducted PD in Iceland, Germany, and Senegal. Her noted “Literacy is a Family Affair Project’ was presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE). Betty currently serves on the Emerson Electric Scholarship Committee and the Educational Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis which recently recognized her as its 2014 Educator of the Year. Dr. Walls has received numerous honors/awards including those from the Governor of Missouri, HSSU, University of Missouri – Columbia, B’Nai B’rith, and the St. Louis American Newspaper.