Annual Uehiro Academy March Teacher Exchange

From March 28 – April 1, 2016, five teachers from Japan had the opportunity to participate in  learning exchange with p4cHI practitioners in Hawai’i. Building upon the August exchange, the Uehiro Academy arranged for more time for dialogue with p4cHI teachers. The six p4c Miyagi teachers visited three schools, and at each school they were able to make presentations about p4c Miyagi and have several hours dialogue with groups of teachers at each school.

Perspectives for a Diverse America HIDOE PDe3 Course

Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau and Dr. Patricia Halagao are currently leading a 3 credit PDe3 Course for HIDOE teachers statewide. This course provides a general overview of Perspectives for a Diverse America (PDA), which is a literacy-based curriculum that marries anti-bias social justice content with the rigor of the common core state standards.

The course is running in the following sequence:

1. Perspectives for a Diverse Hawaii Session I – April 30, 2016 8:30am – 4:30pm (face-to- face meeting)

2. Webinars & Online Office Hours: The Anti-Bias Framework in Perspectives, Complex and Diverse Texts for the Common Core and More, and How to Build a Learning Plan

3.Perspectives for a Diverse Hawaii Session II – June 3, 2016 8:30am – 4:30 (face-to- face meeting)

4. Participants Implement PDA ILPs during the Fall 2016 semester; 5. Professional PDA. Portfolios Due on November 1, 2016.

Agendas:  April 30, 2016  |  June 3, 2016

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Spring Meeting (2016)

In February of 2016 Amber Strong Makaiau was invited to give a presentation at the CCSSO Social Studies Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction (SSACI) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) Spring Meeting in California. The title of her presentation was Teaching the C3 Framework P-20: Guidance for Successful Partnerships Between State Agency Representatives and Higher Education.

Sayonara Dinner for Uehiro Academy Visiting Scholar Aya Watanabe

The Uehiro Academy hosted a Sayonara dinner for visiting scholar Aya Watanabe who is returning to Japan to complete a Masters thesis about philosophy for children Hawai‘i. Aya has been in Hawai‘i for one and half years.

We wish her the best of luck! Our paths will definitely cross again!

American Educational Research Association Annual Conference (2016)

In April of 2016, Dr. Amber S. Makaiau’s p4cHI International Journaling Project colleagues presented a paper of theirs at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association in Washington DC, USA. The title of their paper  is, “Balancing Tensions: An International Self-Study in Diverse Contexts.”

“Critical Friendship, Mindfulness, and the philosophy for children Hawai’i Approach to Teaching and Learning”

2 nd Annual p4c Hawai‘i Art Spring Break Camp

Twenty-two Elementary and Intermediate School students gathered at the Honolulu Museum

of Art on March 28 for the 2nd Annual Art p4c Hawai‘i Spring Break Day Camp. Co-sponsored by the Uehiro Academy, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and Waikiki Elementary School, this intensive class provided students with the opportunity to practice p4c, create art, and make new friends.

This year’s camp was taught by Abbey Day (art) and Dr. Toby Yos (p4c). The students ranged in age from 1 st Grade to 6th Grade. Two-thirds of the students were members of this year’s p4c Mentoring Art Group (p4cM Art) at Waikiki Elementary School. They were joined by past p4cM Art students from 3 other schools. Inspired by this meeting of students from varying schools, Day and Yos entitled this year’s camp “Coming Together: Artistic and Philosophical Expressions of ‘Ohana.”

Through art projects and p4c inquiries, students explored the concept of ‘Ohana (family), reflected upon their own lives & families, and joyfully crafted new friends
hips as they forged their own “Art ‘Ohana.”

This year’s camp was coordinated by the Uehiro Academy’s Dr. Toby Yos and the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Emma Hussey and Abbey Day.

p4cHI University of Hawai‘i at Manoa College of Education Endorsed Certificate Officially Approved!

On February 17 the philosophy for children Hawai‘i (p4cHI) University of Hawai‘i at Manoa College of Education Endorsed Certificate was officially approved! The purpose of the p4cHI College of Education Endorsed Undergraduate Certificate is to meet the growing demand for local, national, and international p4cHI practitioners by creating an institutional pathway for developing, verifying, and officially recognizing the quality of those practitioners. As soon as the Fall semester of the 2016-17 school year the p4cHI College of Education Endorsed Undergraduate Certificate will be administered collaboratively by faculty in the UHM COE Institute for Teacher Education (ITE) and UHM Uehiro Academy. Please email Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau for more information about how to apply for this certificate program. Click here for the application.

The Philosophy for Children Hawai’i Approach to Deliberative Pedagogy: A Promising Practice for Preparing Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers in the College of Education

The Uehiro Academy Congratulates the 29th Uehiro Essay Contest Winner!

The 29th Uehiro Essay Contest Winner has been announced! Second grade student, Saki Kataoka, from the Saitama City Daito Elementary School has deeply moved readers with her writing. She will be officially awarded the honor in a ceremony by the Minister of Education and Science on February 6, 2016. Read her essay, “Grandma, Let’s Watch Fireflies Together Again,” clicking here.