Sociocracy with Youth and in Education conference 2023

Description

Place-based Education is inherently democratic. Children and adults, together, make decisions about how to impact the world around them through engaging in projects, often with community partners. The Valley School, a middle school (grades 6-8) in Oregon, USA. is a public charter school, with a place-based pedagogical model, that adopted sociocracy this school year. The workshop has two parts: Part 1: Renee Owen presents the core tenets of place-based education and facilitates a discussion on how using sociocracy as part of the place-based process may enhance decision-making skills, inclusivity, creativity, and impact learning. Part 2: Amy Maukonen, The Valley School’s Education Director, will lay out a live case study for a place-based farm partnership unit the Valley School will be launching in 2023. Workshop participants will work with Amy to craft a unit design that applies sociocracic principles and processes with place-based tenets. This is an authentic experiential learning workshop. Our learning objectives are to: 1. Understand placed-based learning through the equity lens of sociocracy. 2. Experience using place-based learning and sociocracy together for powerful inclusive learning. 3. Develop a structure for using sociocracy and place-based learning that is transferrable to multiple locations.

Amy started a career in education in 1999, graduating from Oregon State University (Bachelor in Science Education) and California State University San Marcos (Post-Graduate Teaching Program). Amy felt the pull to teach students with special needs while volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding center in Oklahoma in 2005. She and her family moved to Southern and she received her M.S. in Special Education from SOU. During her many years at the K-8 level, Amy recognized a need for more schools and educators to embrace holistic, inclusive, teaching methods. She watched how passionate educators were flocking from the public school system, burned out, and disillusioned. This passion to create schools where adults, as well as children, thrive, drove her to open a charter school inspired by Maria Montessori, who knew we can create life-long learners when we embed learning into real-world, project-based, exploratory experiences. Currently, Amy serves as the Steering Director for The Valley School and a new educator mentor for the Southern Oregon Educational Service District. Outside of school, Amy loves to backpack, cross-country ski, and spend time with her husband, three teenagers, and dog.

Experienced, innovative, compassionate leader and consultant/coach with a demonstrated history of working in education. Skilled in Leadership Development, Contemplative/mindfulness practices, Teacher Development, Curriculum, Training Facilitation, Strategic Planning, and Public Speaking. Dedicated to equity, environmental sustainability, and spiritual fulfillment at an individual and systems level. Strong organizational development professional, with a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) focused in Adult Learning and Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.