Institute Launches "Ways to Inspire Respect" Professional Development Series

The Ways to Inspire Respect Professional Development series launching today will engage with real-world issues that teachers face in classrooms, such as cultural conflict, lack of dialogue or inappropriate dialogue, and confusion around issues of identity that can quickly escalate in schools and distract from curricular goals. Whether teaching in a classroom or leading an extracurricular program or a community project, testimony-based materials in IWitness can support educators.

This series is part of USC Shoah Foundation’s Stronger than Hate Initiative aimed at exploring resources which help students recognize and counter hatred by developing their empathy, curiosity and critical thinking. This series is divided into three parts that explore different topics and skills.

Open to teachers of all grade levels, including post-secondary.

Part 1: Developing Interpersonal Skills

“We should try to understand each other. We should try to live with each other, accommodate each other as much as we can…Try to understand each other and if you cannot love each other, at least respect each other.”
– Coenraad Rood, Jewish Survivor

Developing interpersonal skills is a viable approach to creating a classroom culture of respect. Students must be taught to listen carefully, speak respectfully and acknowledge each other’s worth. Educators can set these examples of conscientious behavior in the classroom and encourage students to engage them in all interactions, especially interactions that challenge their viewpoint.  The three webinars in this series will focus on enhancing civil conversations, expanding perspective, and cultivating empathy through the use of testimony and other resources available on IWitness.

Stay tuned for more news on Parts 2 and 3 of this year’s series: Learning from Injustice & Developing Responsible Participants in Society.