Professional Development Workshops

Entre la realidad y la ficción: una charla con Irene Vasco

Irene Vasco , Autora de 'La joven maestra y la gran serpiente'

La enseñanza-aprendizaje de la lengua de los pueblos originarios a través de la virtualidad

Victoriano de la Cruz

El Once: Enseñando historias difíciles en la primaria

Marisol Benavides Parra, Teacher at Colegio Montessori Antillal in Chile

K-12 Educators Workshop: Reimagining the U.S.-Mexico Border

In this hands-on workshop, educators will learn how to incorporate the concepts of Latinx Futurisms, imagination, and the reality of the US- Mexíco border into their classroom teaching. Curricula and hands-on activities will be offered using the art of the current 516 ARTS’ exhibitions MIGRATORY and When The Dogs Stop Barking as an inspiration. All participants will receive a resource guide on these topics after the workshop.

An Evening for Educators Día de los Muertos

Spend a lively evening exploring Día de los Muertos celebrations, arts, and history at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Take back hands-on activities for your students that will give them a better understanding of this important cultural holiday. This is a free event for educators. Register at nhccnm.org

LAII K-12 Resources Information Session

Join the LAII K-12 Educator Outreach team as we provide an overview of our various resources and services we offer to educators. Attendees will be entered into a raffle for an Office Depot gift card.

Teaching COP26 and Indigenous Activism in the Classroom

The University of New Mexico’s Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII) will be hosting a free professional development workshop for educators to explore the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Convention of Parties (COP26). Lesson plans on COP26 include activities that explain the COP (What is it? What happened? Why is it important?) and a stimulated conference/debate activity mirroring the COP process. Additionally, a media literacy lesson plan will be presented preparing students to critically analyze content featured in the media, focusing on COP26 and Indigenous climate activism. This workshop connects to the broader theme of this spring semester by centering Indigenous voices, experiences, power, and activism as it pertains to climate justice and provides educators with pertinent resources to approach the topic of COP26 which have the potential to stimulate students to think about climate globally and realize their potential to protect our planet. The resources presented at this workshop are targeted at high school students but can be applied to all classrooms with adaptation.

Indigenous Climate Resiliencies in Latin America: Teaching Climate Justice and Local Activism Through Documentary Film

The University of New Mexico’s Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII) will be hosting a free professional development workshop for educators to explore how climate change impacts Latin American Indigenous communities, such as the Yaqui, Maya and Wixárika, through the documentary film La Vocera, directed by Luciana Kaplan. This unit focuses on a broader collective resistance of Indigenous peoples in Latin America and their leadership in the fight for climate justice. The resources presented include an entire unit on the documentary La Vocera, and two additional lesson plans - one of which encourages students to create their own documentary on climate justice and resiliency in their own communities. The resources presented at this workshop are targeted at middle school students, but can be applied to all classrooms with adaptation.

Incorporating Global and Latin American Sounds into the Classroom

The first part of this workshop will feature a special presentation - "Living and Learning through Sound: Developing a Sonic Epistemology". Drawing from her recent fieldwork in Costa Rica, Dr. Ana Alonso Minutti will address ways in which artists and scientists associated with the Universidad de Costa Rica, in conjunction with local activists, have developed the workbook ¡Escuchá conmigo! (2021), an invitation for kids and young adults to engage in an exercise of listening through the body to connect with nature. Having grown up in Mexico, she will address a similar project developed in her home country, Suena Mexico (2016), an illustrated book that tells a story using the yells and calls of street public services (el gas, la basura, tamales, etc.). Taking these two book projects as case examples, she will propose ways in which teachers and students can think through sound and engage in creative exercises to promote human and nonhuman connections. An active hiker, Ana will introduce the practice of soundwalking as yet another way of developing a sonic epistemology. By sharing her recent experience walking over 80 kms of El Camino de Santiago (Spain), she will propose doing soundwalks to create harmony between body, mind, and soul by listening through walking. Lastly, drawing from her time living in Albuquerque for the past eight years, Ana will address the ways in which the unique New Mexican soundscape has been a catalyst for her research, teaching, and composing. Ana Alonso Minutti is a music scholar, pedagogue, writer, and occasional composer based in Albuquerque, NM. She is passionate about listening, learning, loving, and living. Currently, she’s spending her sabbatical in Spanish-speaking lands, as she had missed thinking and speaking solely in her native language. Following Ana's presentation, participants will further explore how to incorporate sound into their classroom teaching. What does the world sound like? What does Latin America sound like? How is sound a form of resistance and sovereignty? Listen to soundscapes from around Latin America and Iberia, participate in an "ear opening" activity using South American sounds, and learn what resources are available to help you incorporate sound - including music, oral history, and podcasts - into your classroom. The resources provided are applicable across grade levels, languages, and subject areas. An educator book guide on "Hungry Listening" will also be provided and discussed. Explore, listen, and open your ears in this hands-on virtual workshop.

Para Todos: Teaching Immigration & Activism in the K-12 Classroom

Alejandra Domenzain

Join the University of New Mexico’s Latin American & Iberian Institute for an evening of free professional development as we explore how to teach immigration and activism in the K-12 classroom. We will be joined by Alejandra Domenzain, author of Para Todos. Alejandra grew up in Mexico and the United States. She has been an advocate for immigrant workers for over 25 years, and also worked as an elementary school teacher. Currently, she is dedicated to improving workplace health and safety for low wage workers. Alejandra is using her green pen to write books that invite kids to question, dream, and stand up for justice.

Américas Award 2021: Celebration of Children's and Young Adult Latin American and Latinx Literature

Join CLASP and the Hispanic Reading Room at the Library of Congress in a virtual celebration of children’s and YA Latin American and Latinx literature. Hear from authors and illustrators amplifying stories and voices from across Latin American and Latinx communities. We invite families, educators, and students to take part in this unique celebration during Hispanic Heritage Month, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Zoom webinar will feature award-winning authors Angela Burke Kunkel (Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built), Aida Salazar (Land of the Cranes), and Yamile Saied Méndez (Furia).

K-12 Educator Workshop: Identity and Representation Through the Lens of Mexican Modernism

Join the Albuquerque Museum and The University of New Mexico Latin American & Iberian Institute for free professional development workshops focused on the exhibit Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism, which opens on February 6 at the ABQ Museum. The works of art in this exhibition epitomize the vitality and expressiveness of modern Mexican art. They were produced in a pivotal period in Mexican history, when the nation sought to redefine itself through political, social, and cultural reforms.

K-12 Educator Workshop: The Women of Mexican Modernism

Join the Albuquerque Museum and The University of New Mexico Latin American & Iberian Institute for free professional development workshops focused on the exhibit Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism, which opens on February 6 at the ABQ Museum. The works of art in this exhibition epitomize the vitality and expressiveness of modern Mexican art. They were produced in a pivotal period in Mexican history, when the nation sought to redefine itself through political, social, and cultural reforms.

K-12 Educator Workshop: Afro-Latinidad in Mexico

Join the LAII for the Institute’s first-ever teacher workshop series on Afro-Latinidad! Throughout the series, we’ll discuss a variety of Afro-Latinx cultures across Latin America, a range of spiritual and cultural Afro-Latinx traditions, and a diverse selection of historical Afro-Latinx figures. We'll spend our last workshop discussing resources for curriculum about the Afro-Latinidad in Mexico. We'll discuss Afro-Mexicans and the fight to be recognized on the census, the Afro-Latinx towns of Veracruz and Costa Chica, the historical impact of Gaspar Yanga, and more.

LAII K-12 Afro-Latinidad Teacher Workshop Series: Cultural Traditions

Join the LAII for the Institute’s first-ever teacher workshop series on Afro-Latinidad! Throughout the series, we’ll discuss a variety of Afro-Latinx cultures across Latin America, a range of spiritual and cultural Afro-Latinx traditions, and a diverse selection of historical Afro-Latinx figures. We'll spend our first workshop discussing resources for curriculum about the Afro-Latinx traditions of Bomba, Santeria, and Carnaval. Lessons will include reading, video, music, and podcast components and will include content in both English and Spanish. Participants will receive certificates of professional development and curriculum resources.

K-12 Educator’s Workshop: Winter Celebrations in Latin America

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for an evening of free professional development as we explore winter holidays celebrated in Latin America!

Vamos a Leer Book Group: Because of the Sun

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. We meet each month at Red Door Brewing (509 Central Avenue), and welcome your participation whether you've read the whole book or just a few pages.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. We meet each month in the "vault" space at Red Door Brewing (downtown) on Gold Ave, and welcome your participation whether you've read the whole book or just a few pages.

K-12 Educator’s Workshop - Before the Bracero Program

Join us for an evening of free professional development as we explore the shared history of Mexico and the United States in the early 20th century, outlining the decades and formative events that eventually led to the Bracero Program. The workshop complements the Braceros photography exhibit on display through June 30 in the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s History and Literary Arts building.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: The Poet X

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: Juliet Takes a Breath

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms.

Central America: Visual and Cultural Literacy

Muriel Hasbun

Join us for an evening of free professional development as Muriel Hasbun, artist and founder of Laberinto Projects, facilitates a three hour visual literacy workshop for middle and high school teachers on using Central American art to foster dialogue about migration, and to better understand the history and culture of El Salvador.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Poesía in the Classroom

Join us for a free workshop focused on poetry in bilingual K-12 classrooms. This will be an excellent opportunity for teachers to learn more about how to celebrate the Spanish language and inspire a love of poetry in the classroom.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Día de los Muertos and Cultural Literacy in Practice

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute and the National Hispanic Cultural Center for a free professional development workshop for K-12 educators focused on Día de los Muertos. Using culturally relevant resources, participants will learn how to integrate Día de los Muertos into their classrooms through art and literacy based activities that explore the history and practices associated with this tradition.

Américas Award 25th Ceremony (Streamed Live!)

Join the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Américas Award with a live-streamed ceremony at the Library of Congress.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: The First Rule of Punk

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: Shame the Stars

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

Bridges, Not Walls; Poetry for Peacemaking

Margarita Engle, Poetry Foundation

Join the LAII and the National Hispanic Cultural Center for a free public reading with Margarita Engle, acclaimed author and poet.

Photographic: A Reading and Signing with Author and Illustrator

Isabel Quintero • Zeke Peña

Join us for a special evening with author Isabel Quintero and illustrator Zeke Peña as they discuss their newest collaboration, the amazing graphic novel, Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: How I Became a Nun

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Paulo Freire, Augusto Boal, and Theatre of the Oppressed

Join us for a free professional development workshop for educators as we explore the Theatre of the Oppressed in reference to K-12 education.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: The Only Road

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

LAII Lecture Series: The Contradictory Fortunes of Bilingual Education in the US and Latin America

Aurolyn Luykx, University of Texas at El Paso

Join us for the last presentation in the Fall 2017 LAII Lecture Series as we welcome to campus Dr. Aurolyn Luykx, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Teacher Education at the University of Texas at El Paso.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Frida Kahlo and (Self) Representations

Join us for this free professional development workshop focused on the life and art of Frida Kahlo. Using the UNM Art Museum exhibit, Frida Kahlo - Her Photos, as a starting point, the workshop will examine the commonalities and differences in Kahlo's own depictions of herself and how others portrayed her. In doing so, we draw attention to questions about an artist's ability to control his or her own representation.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Addressing Social Issues through Comic-Making

Jesús Cossio

Join us for a morning of professional development focused on addressing critical social issues through art, specifically drawing upon the experiences of Jesús Cossio, an internationally-recognized graphic novelist and comic artist from Peru.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Understanding Frida Kahlo from a Personal Perspective

Join us for this free professional development workshop focused on the life and art of Frida Kahlo. The evening will include private screening of a documentary related to the UNM Art Museum's current exhibition on Frida, followed by a focused tour of the exhibit.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Día de los Muertos and Cultural Literacy in Practice

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute and the National Hispanic Cultural Center for a free professional development workshop for K-12 educators focused on Día de los Muertos. Using culturally relevant resources, participants will learn how to integrate Día de los Muertos into their classrooms through art and literacy based activities that explore the history and practices associated with this tradition.

Vamos a Leer Book Group: Reputationes by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Piñatas: From Historical Traditions to Popular Symbolism

Join us for this special professional development workshop designed just for K-12 educators. The evening will feature independent artist and educator Isaías D. Rodríguez, aka the Little Piñata Maker.

K-12 Educator's Workshop: Rethinking Columbus

With Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day on October 9th, this time of year provides the opportunity both to reconsider not only how and what we teach about Christopher Columbus, but also more generally how conquest, colonization and the continued struggles of indigenous peoples are taught in the classroom.

Vamos a Leer: A Book Group for Teachers: Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

Join the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute for our casual Vamos a Leer book group, a space dedicated to teachers discussing authentic and engaging Latinx literature for elementary, middle and high school classrooms. Each month we share curriculum, raffle a free copy of next month’s title, discuss Latinx culture and literary themes, and enjoy a pint.