DEI Corner

In April 2021, the AATG Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee was called into force and began its work. With six rotating members equally split between the pre-collegiate and collegiate levels, the committee’s purpose is to work within the AATG mission and with the Board to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equity within all aspects of our profession. The committee’s initial tasks included drafting an organizational climate survey for members, developing and supporting DEI-related programming, and assembling a list of speakers who will support members in professional development. In April 2022, we nominated and invited Magdalena Tarnawska Senel (UCLA) as the keynote speaker for the inaugural virtual AATG Tagung (full schedule: https://bit.ly/3zR0a5g). Dr. Senel’s keynote address was titled "Transformative Pedagogy and Student Empowerment in the Language Classroom." While one of the six panels at the Tagung was devoted specifically to addressing DEI and social justice issues, these issues were often the topic of discussion in other panels as well. The DEI panel was moderated by Kelsey White, who is the current chair of the DEI Committee. The four speakers on the panel presented on the classroom implementation of anti-racist pedagogy; LGBTQIA+ inclusivity; accessibility, access, and inclusive learning experiences; and strategies to help students with learning differences including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and sensory processing challenges. A recording of the full DEI panel is available here: https://bit.ly/3zS6mKq In the future, we’ll use this space to share our activities, helpful resources, and for all things related to DEI and AATG.

We hope to connect with you for continued discussion. Look for our committee at the ACTFL 2022 conference in Boston!