Professional Development for Educators

Hardwired has worked with local and national governments as well as educational associations in the U.S., Canada, and nearly 30 other countries to provide a variety of opportunities for educators to enhance their skills. We offer a variety of professional development opportunities; they are based on research and best practices, we have a proven track record of outcomes in diverse settings, and the impact of our work has been published widely, including in the Journal of Social Science Education.  Our professional development programs equip educators to:

(1) Integrate the values of pluralism into their existing curriculum,

(2) Apply conceptual change theory to their lessons and curriculum,

(3) Develop skills to support critical thinking, civil dialogue, and active engagement among students in the classroom,

(4) Implement lessons on human rights that build empathy and respect for the dignity and rights of others in the classroom,

(5) Support student efforts to overcome bullying, self-censorship, intolerance, isolation, and conflict in the classroom, and

(6) Practice methods to more effectively evaluate student learning and conceptual change.

Human Rights Education

Hardwired’s Legal and Educational Programs are designed to equip leaders with the tools needed to bring the values of peace and pluralism to life for their communities.  Through a unique pedagogical approach and human rights-based curriculum, policymakers, advocates and legislators are able to strengthen laws and policies to ensure greater protection for people of different backgrounds and beliefs.  In the same way, teachers are also able to lead students toward greater empathy, understanding, and engagement with people of different backgrounds and beliefs. 

Our programs help leaders engage their communities and build social support for stronger laws and policies that protect the rights of others, particularly persecuted minority groups.  And through the application of a rights-based educational curriculum, teachers can help students develop a deeper respect for the freedoms which are essential for pluralistic societies to flourish.  Through modeling the values of pluralism - equality, human dignity, freedom of conscience, speech and expression, among other rights - students are better equipped to engage in meaningful dialogue with one another, especially those they do not agree with, and mitigate conflict. Similarly, local leaders have learned how to build social support across diverse communities and have been instrumental in overcoming challenges to pluralism within their communities.

Conceptual Change Theory

Hardwired's pedagogy for teaching pluralism and human rights is centered around conceptual change theory, which fosters a classroom environment of understanding and critical thinking about new concepts and ideas.  The goal is not to impose or change the beliefs that shape how students see the world, but to open new avenues of evaluating information based on critical thinking, understanding, and respect for the dignity and freedom of others. 

This is a dynamic process that encourages individuals to (a) identify their core values and how they shape their perspective of a concept, (b) reflect on and challenge their assumptions or ideas as they consider new information, (c) confront ideas that don't make sense and think critically about different perspectives, (d) make sense of the information by constructing new ways of thinking, (e) critically evaluate and revise their new understanding in real-world contexts to determine what works for them.

The goal is not merely to impart knowledge but to bring about behavioral change by fostering empathy, reducing intolerance, and promoting active engagement with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, especially those they may disagree with. Teachers and students alike learn to respect differing viewpoints and the freedom of expression, speech, conscience and belief.

International Religious Freedom

Hardwired's programs help advance legal and social protections for people of different backgrounds and beliefs to ensure that the fundamental human right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief is respected for all.  We believe diverse opinions, beliefs and expression can be vibrant points of discussion rather than flash points of conflict. And by helping leaders understand this freedom, we can more effectively cultivate a culture of pluralism and respect in communities so that everyone can live according to their beliefs in dignity and peace.

We have worked with leaders in more than 30 countries and trained thousands of leaders to overcome their communities’ deepest differences in pursuit of human dignity and peace for all.  We are not religiously or politically affiliated and do not teach or promote religion; rather, we work within the national, cultural and religious context to support a culture of respect for the freedom of conscience for all people.

Hardwired–trained leaders are lifting communities out of conflict to greater dignity, unity and freedom. Our programs have established networks of teachers, community leaders, and officials who are advancing human rights for religious and ethnic communities affected by intolerance and violence. They are ensuring that future generations can experience greater freedom and dignity, too, regardless of their differences of religion belief.  The people we train emerge more confident in their ability to articulate their own values and beliefs and engage in meaningful dialogue with people who believe differently out of respect for the freedom of religion or belief they all share.

Culturally Responsive Teaching Alternatives

Hardwired's Educational Programs are designed to equip educators with the skills needed to facilitate students' engagement with one another, especially across their deepest differences, by encouraging understanding, self-reflection, critical thinking, dialogue, and the open expression of diverse ideas.  While some of our techniques are comparable to those used in a culturally responsive teaching approach, the goals are distinct.  Similar to culturally responsive teaching approaches, we help teachers develop skills that utilize the diverse cultural backgrounds of students in their class during the lessons and curriculum to enhance the learning experience and success for all students. However, that is one of many techniques employed to a larger end - supporting pluralism and respect for human rights, especially the freedom of thought, conscience and belief.

Through a human rights-based curriculum and unique pedagogy, Hardwired's training leads educators to develop a deeper understanding of key aspects of human culture and the rights necessary to protect human expression - from human dignity to the freedom of conscience and belief among other rights - to strengthen pluralism within society.  Hardwired's training and professional development programs lead those we train to engage in more meaningful dialogue with one another across their deepest differences and respect a variety of human rights. Rather than focusing on external differences and historical experiences, the program helps those we train develop a deeper understanding of universal human rights - the inherent dignity of every person, and the rights necessary for diversity of thought in a free society to protect that dignity for all people.