Designing for Dignity Institute

How can we teach the most difficult chapters of our past in ways that honor human dignity, foster empathy, and support students to think critically about justice today?

This two-day professional learning institute invites you to deepen your practice in teaching hard histories. Grounded in the Spiral of Injustice and the Wassmuth Powerful Practices, we will explore how to design classroom experiences that engage students in learning about painful truths while cultivating compassion, resilience, and responsibility.

Through a deep exploration of two case studies, you will learn strategies for bringing complex, often silenced histories into your classroom with care. Collaborative sessions will connect content to practice, equipping you with approaches that strengthen historical thinking while also building students’ reading, writing, and speaking skills. 

This year’s Institute highlights the Armenian Genocide and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. By stepping into these case studies as a learner, you’ll see how the framework and tools can be applied to hard histories you currently teach. 

Audience: open to all educators

Dates: November 14–15, 2025

Place: Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, downtown Boise

Cost: $150, includes materials and lunch both days (scholarships are available)

Credit: Option to register for two continuing education credits through ISU’s Albion Center

Join fellow educators in designing for dignity. How we teach hard histories shapes the way the next generation understands justice, belonging, and humanity.