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Breaking the Doom-Loop
We are honored to be joined by four incredible keynotes speakers, each of whom is fundamental figure in education pushing toward social change.
Our keynotes are flipped: each day a 30-minute video address will be posted. Then, we'll engage in a full 1-hour Q&A discussion with the speaker.
Dr. Antonia Darder is an internationally recognized activist-scholar and professor. For nearly 40 years, Antonia has worked tirelessly to counter social and material inequalities in schools and society. Her critical scholarship and activism over the years has consistently focused on racism, political economy, and questions of social justice. She has continued the work of Paulo Freire and contributed to our understanding of inequalities in schools and society.
Her lived experience growing up in poverty, her struggles as a single mother, her battles within the academy, and her love of life are essential to her commitment to fighting for a better world.
Cornelius Minor is an educator from Brooklyn, NY who focuses on equitable literacy reform. His book, We Got This!: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be, expertly navigates the power of democratic classrooms and listening to young people. His partner and wife, Kass Minor, established The Minor Collective, a community-driven change-making organization for schools. Cornelius fuses technology, hip-hop, and social media to bring communities together.
He inspires through his experience as a middle school teacher in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and through his time engaging in activities such as skateboarding, shooting hoops, and working with young people.
José Luis Vilson is a veteran educator, writer, speaker, and activist in New York City, NY. He is the author of This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education. He has spoken about education, math, and race for a number of organizations and publications, including the New York Times, The Guardian, TED, El Diario / La Prensa, and The Atlantic. He's a National Board Certified Teacher, a Math for America Master Teacher, and the executive director of EduColor, an organization dedicated to race and social justice issues in education.
He is currently a doctoral student studying sociology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is now on the board of directors for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and PowerMyLearning.
IowaWTF is a youth-led organization that focuses on fighting against discriminatory legislation through advocacy, activism, education, and civic engagement. Since March 5th, 2022, IowaWTF has united middle school, high school, and college students across the state in over 40 schools to walk out 2 years in a row, worked with various other youth-led organizations regarding LGBTQ+ issues, gun violence, and anti-racism, organized marches and rallies throughout central Iowa, and produced educational resources and tools to get students comfortable on Capitol Hill.
Iowa WTF continues to unite students and young people together and give them a seat at the table in important legislative decisions.
Whether you're a progressive educator looking to deepen your knowledge or a newcomer to the field seeking foundational skills, our tracks offer a rich array of content that is sure to inform, challenge, and inspire you. Our goal is to cross-pollinate with experts in semiotical domains: branching out to creators and experts beyond the classroom.
Our tracks are asynchronous: participants will select one track to engage within our online learning community. Then, opportunities for live collaboration and connections are made throughout the event. Additional track information will be revealed over the coming months.
David Hill is an entrepreneur with a passion for science, education, and social impact. David is currently a senior at Harvard College where he studies Integrative Biology with a secondary in Economics. He is inspired by the educational inequities he encountered during his time in Montgomery County Public Schools in Silver Spring, MD.
His developing organization, Chrysalis Streaming, empowers k-12 black and brown students by showcasing culturally responsive STEM videos that are informative, relevant, and engaging.
Matthew Farber, Ed.D., is an associate professor of educational technology at the University of Northern Colorado, where he studies how games support (or limit) social and emotional learning.
He co-directs the Gaming SEL Lab, has been invited to the White House, authored several books and papers, and is a frequent collaborator with UNESCO MGIEP and Games for Change. His latest book is Gaming SEL: Games as Transformational to Social and Emotional Learning.
Tracy Fullerton is an experimental game designer, professor and founding director (emeritus) of the USC Games program. Her research center, the Game Innovation Lab, has produced several influential independent games, including Cloud, flOw, Darfur is Dying, The Night Journey, with artist Bill Viola, and Walden, a game which was named “Game of the Year” at Games for Change 2017 and “Developer’s Choice” at IndieCade 2017.
Tracy is the author of Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, a design textbook used at game programs worldwide, and holder of the Electronic Arts Endowed Chair in Interactive Entertainment.
All times are displayed in EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, GMT-4). All keynote presentations are flipped: each day participants will be sent a recorded video of the keynote address, with an hour-long Q&A on the following day. Our learning tracks are virtual in our online community and will take place throughout the conference.
11AM-12:30PM: Introduction & Keynote Q&A: Dr. Antonia Darder
Join us for our opening session, followed by a hour conversation with Dr. Antonia Darder on pedagogies of love. Watch the recorded keynote address before hand!
1:00-1:30PM: Lunch & Learn: "Good Day" presented by Holistic Think Tank
A movement for humanizing education is growing. Join our group viewing of "Good Day", a documentary produced by Holistic Think Tank that looks at the need for change in education around the globe.
3:00-4:00PM: The Brain on School - 3 Reasons Traditional Education Conflicts With The Brain’s Natural Way of Learning w/ Liesl McConchie
Many of our current systems and practices in education make learning very, very difficult for the human brain. To break this doom-loop we need to center our design on the science of student learning - what do they need to show up, give effort, and learn. This is the credibility you’ll need to make change at your school.
5:00-6:00PM: What We're Learning by "Restoring Humanity" w/ Human Restoration Project
We base our work on what students and educators are telling us - and they're all practically telling us the same thing: they want interdisciplinary, hands-on, purpose-driven content. Join us for a roundtable discussion on the current state of education!
8:00-9:30PM: Game & Network
Join other conference attendees for virtual games & connections. See notifications and announcements on our conference Discord!
11AM-12:00PM: Keynote Q&A: Cornelius Minor
An hour discussion on Cornelius Minor's keynote. Watch the recorded keynote address before hand!
1:00-2:00PM: Lunch & Learn: Antioch University
More information coming soon.
3:00-4:00PM: Event TBA
5:00-6:00PM: Event TBA
8:00-9:30PM: Game & Network
Join other conference attendees for virtual games & connections. See notifications and announcements on our conference Discord!
11AM-12:00PM: Keynote Q&A: José Luis Vilson
An hour discussion on José Luis Vilson's keynote. Watch the recorded keynote address before hand!
1:00-2:00PM: Lunch & Learn: Interdisciplinary Learning Curriculum
A demonstration of the "Interdisciplinary Subject" by international non-profit and HRP partner, Holistic Think Tank, detailing a full, open-access curriculum and wants to become involved in the project.
5:00-6:00PM: From Trauma to Triumph: My Journey Towards an Unknown Destination w/ Jordan Rappaport
By exploring ways we can change the narrative on what it means to teach and learn mathematics, join Jordan as he shares reflections from his journey as a student, educator and parent, and how learning through these experiences led to a subtle shift in how we can grow a culture of belief, belonging and brilliance in our learning spaces.
8:00-9:00PM: Freedom to Play: Making the Ludic Turn in Education w/ Dr. James York & Dr. Jonathan deHaan (Ludic Language Pedagogy)
The goal of this workshop is to encourage you to be more ludic, and play with more ludic objects, in order for you to find or take more freedom in your classrooms towards a gratifying experience for both your students and you. We’ll begin by sharing examples of how we are ludic and the ludic objects we have worked with. Then we’ll explore topics such as: gamification, game based learning, ludic you, & ludic objects. You’ll then reflect and share how ludic you already are in your teaching, and also explore how being more ludic might help you find more freedom in your classroom and lead to new possibilities for you or your students.
11AM-12:00PM: Keynote Q&A: Iowa WTF
An hour discussion on Iowa WTF's keynote. Watch the recorded keynote address before hand!
1:00-2:00PM: Lunch & Learn: Teacher-Powered Schools
More information coming soon.
3:00-4:00PM: Event TBA
5:00-6:00PM: Closing Session
Gather together to share next steps, reflections, and take-aways from Conference to Restore Humanity! 2023.
Conference to Restore Humanity! is aimed at K-12 educators, college professors, administrators, and teacher leaders. Specifically, we focus on concepts that can be implemented in K-12 public spaces.
Your registration gains you access to a single track (and all keynotes), where you'll engage with like-minded cohort members to develop theory into action (praxis) on a deep concept in progressive education. We will provide a variety of spaces to engage with others to reimagine together in a virtual space.
Each recorded keynote is estimated at 30 minutes, with a 60 minute live conversation occurring the following day at 11AM ET. Tracks are "learn at your own pace" with a variety of materials offered to engage in many hours of learning. The majority of this content is asynchronous, yet designed to connect with others through group chats, collaborative activities, and office hours.
You will gain access to all conference tracks following the event.
Ticket confirmation will be sent to the provided email within 24 hours. If you placed an order for a small group, we will follow up to collect participant emails. If you are ordering for a large group (5+), please contact us for a group rate.
Are you a member of the BIPOC, AAPI, Trans, and/or Disabled communities? If so, discounted rates are available. Please click here.
We recognize that in order to create a holistic environment that includes all perspectives, we must make an effort to include as many voices as possible. If you are a member of the BIPOC, AAPI, Trans, or Disabled communities, please use the code "HUMAN" at checkout for a discounted rate.
Limited need-based scholarships are available. Please complete this form and we will respond by July 1st, 2023.
Discounted rates and scholarships are brought to you by our incredible partners. Attendance is limited to 300 paid attendees. Contact us with any questions, refunds, or inquiries about alternative payment options (such as invoices).
The 2022 Conference to Restore Humanity was engaging, inspiring, and empowering. Being able to tune in at my own pace and on my own terms was a game-changer for me, and I’d like to see similar experiences from ALL conference providers going forward.
It was efficient, intelligent, thought provoking, timely, and thoughtful.
It’s easy to get discouraged with everything that’s happening in the world today, particularly in education. The Human Restoration Project’s conference is one remedy. I left feeling energized, inspired, and most importantly, no longer alone in my fight to humanize education. This conference reignited my passion and pushed me to rethink some long held biases that I didn’t realize I had. I’m eager to put into action many of the ideas I had during my week with them. Additionally, the format of the conference was incredible. This group is rethinking and challenging the status quo at every turn, making for a more accessible and inclusive experience for everyone.
You know when we talk about how we don’t just want to go back to normal after COVID because normal was never good enough? The organizers of this conference have completely re-imagined what a conference can be. They cut through all the bullshit and fluff and kept only the things that feed our need to connect and learn with others who are passionate about teaching and learning for a better world.It was efficient, intelligent, thought provoking, timely, and thoughtful.
As a trans human rights educator this conference was incredibly nourishing and eye opening in terms of what it means to work in progressive education. From the philosophical to the practical it transformed the way I view education, now not only as a tool to be prepared for resistance but as a tool of resistance itself.
72% rated our virtual conference better than an equivalent in-person event.
