#985: Studios of Joy: Teachers Reimagining the Pedagogical Possibilities of their Elementary Classrooms

Recent research suggests emotion, specifically designing for joy, supports teachers in learning how to co-create justice-oriented, dignity-affirming educational environments. Using four principles from the pedagogies of joy framework, this paper explores a group of novice teachers who engaged in a professional development model (Studio Days) to co-design for social justice. Through this lens, we saw how one studio focused on positioning culture, families, and communities as rightfully belonging inspired another teacher to host another studio on recognizing that power, historicities, and futures matter. This second studio then inspired a fellow teacher to try out a lesson on disability justice in her kindergarten class. These findings help the field to better understand how social justice and joy are helpful to design for in parallel, and how these pedagogies can lead to expansive pathways for different teachers to learn how to enact justice oriented, dignity-affirming curriculum in their classrooms.