Learning and Educating Across Refugee/(Im)migrant Networks (LEARN)

Image created by Dall-E 2 (with input from Punya Mishra)

Future focused research question

In what ways can we—as educators, learners, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers—best address the learning and teaching of refugees/(im)migrants?

Description

In this project, we will bring together refugees, educators, and researchers with those in global and community organizations to 1.) identify key areas of needed research on the education of refugee/(im)migrants and to 2.) develop intentional and inclusive collectives to both conduct research and to use research findings to build necessary supports for refugee/(im)migrant communities in Arizona, the United States (US), and globally. We situate refugee/(im)migrants and teachers as both learners and educators, who deserve support not only from organizations,but also from academic institutions.

Center for Professional Learning and Childhood Education International logos

Year 1 achievements:

Developed and delivered a series of 7 webinars and workshops, which brought together multiple actors, including refugees/(im)migrants, educators, researchers, policymakers, global organization leaders, and governmental actors.
Created a free list of resources and support materials based on what was shared at convenings/conversations
Shared our work with MLFTC students, staff, and faculty through a Learning Futures Podcast episode and a roundtable
Implemented better and more strategic coordination of (im)migrant activities across ASU units (e.g., Education for Humanity and Global Human Rights Hub)

Year 2 achievements:

Developed an Education in Emergency Course with Lebanon’s Modern University in Science and Business (MUSB) that will be cotaught across MLFTC and MUSB
Designed a 9-credit refugee education specialization with Childhood Education International (CEI) that will be offered in our professional graduate learning space
Submitted a large five-year DOE innovation with CEI to offer, without charge, the refugee education specialization and individual micro credentials to 600 teachers in 180 schools, to create professional learning communities with the teachers, and to evaluate the specialization as a particular intervention/innovation/professional development opportunity
Submitted a two-year research proposal to the Transatlantic Platform with researchers from two European universities to study the experiences of resettled refugee teachers.
Prototyped and sent into production an interactive simulation game based on work Adnan Turan, a doctoral student, had done in the LFC’s first year combined with his own research
Published several manuscripts based on our collaborative work

Opportunities

Call for Papers: OSUN Summit on Mobility & Immobility

Projects

Objective	Activity	Members/Participants
Conduct research	Teachers from refugee backgrounds and their experiences transitioning to being a teacher in the U.S.	Shyla Gonzalez-Dogan, Setrag Hovsepian, Adnan Turan, and Dilraba Anayatova
	(Im)mobile (Im)migrants: Refugees and the United States’ Labor Market-PI	Jill Koyama
	Strategies for parental engagement in learning and development of refugee/bilingual children	Nasir Kaihan
Community Engagement	Presentations at conferences about the work of LEARN	Adnan Turan
Creation of Teaching Tool	A game intended to demonstrate the complexities of planning and policy making as it relates to refugee populations	Adnan Turan
Grant Proposal	Understanding migrant and refugee teachers’ struggles for recognition and strategies to adapt – trajectories, identities, inequalities	Jill Koyama
Summer Teaching Institute	An institute for U.S.based and Lebanese teachers interested in best practices for working with refugee students	Shyla Gonzalez-Dogan and Adnan Turan
Education in Emergencies (EIE) Course	Aimed at enhancing teachers’ skills related to ethical considerations, working with children in crisis, employing alternative educational methods, and designing effective learning activities for teaching during emergencies	Amy Markos, Janel White-Taylor, Shyla Gonzalez-Dogan, and Adnan Turan
Education in Emergencies (EIE) certificate collaboration with the Modern University for Business & Science, Lebanon	Education in Emergencies is a project designed to address the critical need for specialized training in providing education during times of crisis. This project aims to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to deliver quality education amidst various emergencies, including conflicts, natural disasters, and pandemics. We envision this work evolving into a comprehensive certificate program, offering a structured curriculum that blends theory with practical applications, preparing professionals to effectively navigate the complexities of emergency settings and ensure continuity of learning for vulnerable populations.	Jill Koyama, Amy Markos, Janel White-Taylor, Shyla Gonzalez-Dogan and Adnan Turan

Resources

CE International

Refugee Educator Academy

Alba, R. D., & Nee, V. (2003). Remaking the American mainstream: Assimilation and contemporary immigration. Harvard University Press.
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674018136

Ali, S., & Hartmann, D. (2015). Migration, incorporation, and change in an interconnected world. Routledge.
https://www.routledge.com/Migration-Incorporation-and-Change-in-an-Interconnected-World/Ali-Hartmann/p/book/9780415637398

Crawley, H., & Skleparis, D. (2018). Refugees, migrants, neither, both: Categorical fetishism and the politics of bounding in Europe’s ‘migration crisis.’ Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(1), 48–64.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1348224

Dryden-Peterson, S. (2022). Right where we Belong: How refugee teachers and students are changing the future of education. Harvard University Press.
https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2bndf1r

Dryden-Peterson, S. (2011). Refugee Education: A Global Review. UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION SERVICE.
https://www.unhcr.org/hu/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2016/12/Dryden_Refugee_Education_Global-Rvw.pdf

Dryden-Peterson, S. (2022). Right where we Belong: How refugee teachers and students are changing the future of education. Harvard University Press.
https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2bndf1r

Kirk, J. (2010). Gender, forced migration, and education: Identities and experiences of refugee women teachers. Gender and Education, 22(2), 161–176.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09540251003606925

Podcast episode:

Learning Futures Podcast (2021): Dr. Sarah Dryden-Peterson – Refugee Education: From Uncertainty to Creative Futures.

Events

In what ways can we — as educators, learners, researchers, practitioners and policymakers — best address the learning and teaching of refugees/(im)migrants?

Join the Office of Global Engagement at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, in partnership with Childhood Education International as we feature a series of virtual refugee events that help address these pressing issues. Learning and Educating Across Refugee/(Im)migrant Networks (LEARN) will bring together refugees, educators and researchers with those in global and community organizations to:

1. identify key areas of needed research on the education of refugee/(im)migrants and to 2. develop intentional and inclusive collectives to both conduct research and to use research findings to build necessary supports for refugee/(im)migrant communities in Arizona, the United States and globally.

Book Talk: Humanizing Education for Immigrant and Refugee Youth

Tuesday, April 11 12:00p.m. PT (UTC-7) / 3:00p.m. ET (UTC-4)

Panelists discuss in what ways can we — as educators, learners, researchers, practitioners and policymakers — best support the learning and teaching of refugees/(im)migrants?

Monisha Bajaj, professor of International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco
Daniel R. Walsh, English Language Fellow with the U.S. State Department in Cusco, Perú
Lesley Bartlett, professor and chair of the Department of Educational Policy Studies at University of Wisconsin – Madison
Gabriela Martínez, co-author of the book, “Humanizing Education for Immigrant and Refugee Youth: 20 Strategies for the Classroom and Beyond” (with Monisha Bajaj, Lesley Bartlett and Daniel Walsh).

Moderated by Jill Koyama, Professor and Vice Dean, Division of Leadership and Innovation, MLFTC

Language Education Policy and Refugee/(Im)migrant Education

Thursday, March 30 8:30a.m. PT (UTC-7) / 11:30a.m. ET (UTC-4)

Celia Reddick, Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Yalda M. Kaveh, Assistant professor in Bilingual Education, MLFTC
Zaharah Namanda, Executive Director, Utopia Foundation

Moderated by Julie Kasper, Director of Teacher Learning and Leadership, Refugee Educator Academy, Center for Professional Learning, Childhood Education International

Refugee/(Im)migrant Social Integration: Their Contributions to Host Communities and Education Systems

Tuesday, March 07 9a.m. PT (UTC-7) / noon ET (UTC-4)

Patrick Masoya, President and CEO, Refugees and Immigrants Community for Empowerment (RICE)
Awad Mekkawi, PhD student, University of Arizona
Roozbeh Shirazi, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota
Pamela de Largy, Executive Director of Education for Humanity at Arizona State University

Moderated by Shyla Dogan, Assistant Professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

Social Emotional Learning and Wellbeing: Cornerstones of Refugee/(Im)migrant Education

Tuesday, Nov. 15 9a.m. PT (UTC-7) / noon ET (UTC-4)

Rachel Smith, Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), Coordinator, PSS-SEL
Sara Kassab, Graduate Student and Instructional content designer
Vianney Mpitabavuma, Kakuma Refugee Secondary School, Teacher
Hadiza Amou Ali, Secondary School Teacher, Niger

Moderated by Danah Henriksen, Associate Professor, MLFTC

Belonging for Refugee and Immigrant Students and Families

Wednesday, Oct. 19 3p.m. PT (UTC-7) / 6p.m. ET (UTC-4)

Sarah Dryden-Peterson, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Associate Professor
Mandy Manning, Washington Educator Association, Digital Content Specialist
Ivonne Orozco, Public Academy for Performing Arts High School, Teacher
Meheria Habibi, IRC, Program Officer

Moderated by Jill Koyama, Professor and Vice Dean, Division of Leadership and Innovation, MLFTC

Collaboration and Ecosystem Approaches to Refugee Education

Thursday, Sept. 29, 9a.m. PT (UTC-7) / noon ET (UTC-4)

Miriam Feldblum, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Co-founder and Executive Director
Amlata Parsaud, Childhood Education International, Leadership Practice Area Lead
Adnan Turan, PhD student, MLFTC

Moderated by Julie Kasper, Director of Teacher Learning and Leadership, Refugee Education Academy, CE International

Questions? If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Ann Nielsen at ann.nielsen@asu.edu.

Sponsored by:
Center for Professional Learning, Childhood Education International and Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

Members

Pamela DeLargy
Executive Director, Education for Humanity Professor of Practice, Global Studies Arizona State University

Shyla González-Doğan
Assistant Professor, Education Studies, MLFTC

Eugene Judson
Professor, MLFTC Arizona State University

Nasir Ahmad Kaihan
Incoming PhD Student, MLFTC

Julie Kasper
Director of Teacher Learning and Leadership, Refugee Education Academy, CE International

Jill Koyama
Professor and Vice Dean, Division of Leadership and Innovation, MLFTC

Amy Markos
Clinical Associate Professor, MLF Teachers College

Ann Nielsen
Director, Office of Global Engagement, MLFTC

Iveta Silova
Professor and Associate Dean, Office of Global Engagement, MLFTC

Adnan Turan
PhD Student, MLFTC

Janel White-Taylor
Clinical Professor, MY, Division of Leadership and Innovation, MLFTC