Sankofian.com
Karibu!
Sankofian Action Inquiry by William N. Thomas IV, Ed.D.
Why Adinkra Semiotics?
The Adinkra symbols have multilayered meanings that are understood at different levels of interpretation based on deep philosophical messages it conveys about social values and behaviors. However it's important that the term “symbol” be interrogated so that its limited usage in this context can be expanded to better understand the depth between these visual images and their contextual application. Temple (2020) emphasizes that the Adinkra system has been incorrectly described throughout the Diaspora and in West Africa today. Her research reveals that the term “symbol” or even “designs” do not fully express the authentic and timeless cultural values they communicate.
What is Motivational Awareness?
The ability to identify specific Motivational Drivers (Basic Psychological Needs and Assets), types of Motivational Regulation as well as one’s shifting Motivational Orientations and understanding how they impact an individual's Motivation and defined purpose in a designated social space or Motivational Ecosystem.
Listen to the podcast on Spotify
The "Agents of Change" podcast explores educational researchers as drivers of systemic transformation. Each episode explores how improvement science and antiracist frameworks can be used to create equitable solutions and progress toward inclusive and just learning environments for all students at all levels.
Listen to the podcast on Spotify
Life's intersections present risks, opportunities and sometimes barriers. How do 21st century educational leaders and researchers navigate the highways, skyways and roads less traveled toward more equitable practices for learners? Hear how they navigated their personal crossroads through "Sankofian Action Inquiry"
About Dr. William N. Thomas IV (Hapi Ma'at)
Educational Leader, Researcher, Writer & Artist
Dr. William N. Thomas, IV has been an educational leader for the past twenty years in urban public and public charter schools located in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ. He teaches courses centered around antiracism in education, humanizing methodologies for practitioner action research and the influence of Popular Culture on educators at a private university in Washington, DC.
His research interests focus on the application of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) through an African epistemological lens to better understand how marginalized stakeholders can gain equitable access, logical opportunities and authentic empowerment in public schools and university settings. In addition, Thomas is a former middle school science teacher, elementary school principal, central office director of science and high school director for an international studies program. He holds a B.A. in English from Morehouse College, a Master's of Professional Studies from George Washington University in Middle Grade Science and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Sankofian Inquiry Models: Lesson Planning Cycle
Self-Determination Theoretical Lens
Using Self-Determination Theory (Ryan and Deci, 2018) as a key lens, this framework anchors in the belief that there needs to be adequate planning for both the motivational needs of the teacher and student. (Coming soon in 2025)
Read More in Penn GSE's Perspectives on Urban Education
"A Sankofian Approach To Applying Self-Determination Theory In Schools: Centering Teacher and Student Motivation in Culturally Responsive Lesson Planning"
What is the Sankofian Lesson Plan Template?
The Sankofian Lesson Plan Template is a culturally responsive tool to support teachers and instructional coaches in preparing learning experiences that motivate students to engage authentically in the lesson.
Sankofian Epistemology
This template strategically integrates the concept of Sankofa as a valuable epistemological lens to gain instructional insight on teacher and student motivation in order to authentically apply culturally responsive teaching practices. The findings of its pilot study was presented at the University of Pennsylvania on October 14, 2023.
Published Book Chapter
- Thomas IV, W. N. & DeCuir, A. (2024). Critical Ethnography to Evaluate the Advancement of Anti-racist Pedagogy. In Theories bridging ethnography and evaluation: Making Transformative, Intersectional, and Comparative Connections (pp. 85–104). Emerald Group Publishing.
Published Book Chapter
- Thomas IV, W. N., & Ravdin, D. (2024). Revaluing women in the narrative of Black Men Teachers (BMTs). In Teacher preparation as social activism at historically Black colleges and universities. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003494393-6
Published Book Chapter
- Thomas IV, W. N. (2021). Radical Student Check-Ins as a Form of Radical Self-Care. In Flux Leadership: Real-Time Inquiry for Humanizing Educational Change (pp. 250–255). Teachers College Press.
Publications & Presentations
UCEA Annual Convention (Seattle, WA) November 2022
SIG-Research Focus on Black Education
Session: "Black and Male: Intersectionality in Teaching and Learning" (co-presented w/Dr. Erica Edwards)
Presentation: Perception of Black Male Teachers in Boundary Heightening Environments--Challenging the Black Boy Savior Stereotype
Presentation: "Co-teaching as an Opportunity to Enact Social Justice and Create Humanizing Communities" (co-presented w/Dr. Samantha Cohen and Dr. Cheyenne Batista)
Presentation: "Standardized Testing and the Racial Implications of Data Use" (co-presented w/Dr. Phelton Moss)
Roundtable Presentation: "An Inaugural Faculty Fellowship: A Collaborative Action Research Study of Faculty-Led Antiracist Programming" (Co-presented with Dr. Amaarah DeCuir)
Roundtable Presentation: "An Inaugural Faculty Fellowship: A Collaborative Action Research Study of Faculty-Led Antiracist Programming" (Co-presented with Dr. Andrea Guiden-Pittman, Dr. Keisha Woods)
Session Chair: Papers presented included~ "Contextualizing Censorship--Legislative and Media Discourses on Book Banning in the United States" & "Tracing the Decline of Local Control via Controversies About Library Censorship
Blog Posts
On Medium.com
Centering the voices of our classroom teachers has become even more crucial for educational researchers as they look to capture, analyze and reimagine new ways of supporting students in the classroom by amplifying the experience of their teachers. One unique space where this can happen in a variety of ways is through education doctoral programs (Ed.D).
The modern western philosophical study of signs and symbols known as semiotics, began to be written about in the mid-nineteenth century by Charles Sanders Pierce. His research explored the cooperative interplay between three subjects: sign, object and interpretant. This triadic relationship was described with a philosophical logic that explained how signs signify themselves in relation to the type of combination of signs, objects, and interpretants. In addition, he emphasized that some signs can
The dual pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism (Jones, 2021) have pushed many school systems to reevaluate how they are centering the social and emotional needs of their students. Whether it’s processing the trauma of police brutality or the anxiety of quarantine culture, students are experiencing a heightened sense of emotional complexity when it comes to making sense of the world.
If you have ever been a non-ELA or Math teacher in a public school, then you might know a little bit about high-stakes crowding. This refers to when school leaders prioritize standards in ELA and Math over the material being covered in their content-specific course...
As a lifelong teacher I have always prided myself in having the ability to take advantage of “teachable moments”. Whether it was connecting political movements to science topics or bringing in popular culture to better understand their interpretation of their reality, I have always used the current events of the day to engage students in meaningful and transformational learning. However, last night as I was facilitating my graduate school course...
Waking up the past couple days has been tough. However, I am grateful to be able to wake up another day. This Monday, a Black father was shot seven times in his back, at point blank range, by police officers in front of his children. Receiving this news through the barrage of media coverage and public responses in the days since Jacob Blake’s shooting in Wisconsin has felt all too familiar.
Radical Student Check-ins is a relational inquiry form of “radical self-care” (Brown, 2007) which is one the many theories within Ravitch’s (2020) “Flux Pedagogy”.
The 3Ms for Educational Leaders during the pandemic
METHODSPACE Blogs
Congrats Dr. William (and tips for success)
Sociocultural Frameworks as a Humanizing Research Tool in contextualizing Black Male Teacher
Sociocultural Frameworks as a Humanizing Research Tool in contextualizing Black Male Teacher
"When I heard that he received double distinction from University of Pennsylvania for his dissertation, I asked him to share his experiences with Methodspace readers. I had a few questions for him, and hope that his suggestions will be helpful if you are trying to complete a dissertation, thesis, or other large writing project..."
Sociocultural Frameworks as a Humanizing Research Tool in contextualizing Black Male Teacher
Sociocultural Frameworks as a Humanizing Research Tool in contextualizing Black Male Teacher
Sociocultural Frameworks as a Humanizing Research Tool in contextualizing Black Male Teacher
The Covid-19 health pandemic has changed the landscape of American education, in particular how it relates to facilitating healthy learning in-person and integrating technology tools to accommodate virtual instruction. Like the simultaneous logistical juggling teachers and professors are experiencing in the education system, researchers are also developing and learning new ways to conduct research among a hypersensitive, racially tense health crisis...
Sociocultural Frameworks as a Humanizing Research Tool (Part 2)
Imenda (2014) makes a distinction between how conceptual frameworks and theoretical frameworks function in research studies in relation to inductive and deductive approaches to the literature and data analysis. According to Imenda, “a deductive approach to literature review typically makes use of theories and theoretical frameworks, the inductive approach tends to lead to the development of a conceptual framework” (p. 185)...
Theoretical Windows and Conceptual Mirrors (Part 3)
I remember during my time as a middle school teacher introducing my students to narrative writing. I assumed at the time that this was mainly to engage the students in stories that were both familiar and meaningful to them. However, I later learned that this exercise was also an implicit process of data collection as a teacher, where the qualitative data that the students were sharing would be used to develop meaningful culturally responsive learning activities that would engage them in authentic tasks. These learning experiences I would curate, acted as both windows to other worlds and mirrors of their own potential...
Afrofuturistic Science Fiction Magazine
The Chronicles of Ablia
Books 1, 2 & 3
Coming soon!
$15.00
Coming soon!
$15.00
Coming soon!
$15.00
About the Series
Welcome To SUNSUM
The Chronicles of Ablia takes readers on a mesmerizing journey through the world of SUNSUM, a parallel planet rich with ancient magic, advanced technology, and cultural mythology. Centered on the mystical land of Ablia, this Afrofuturistic epic weaves tales of cosmic travelers, divine gods, and the powerful lineage of warriors, scribes, and fairies. As characters like Dame Ankh, Baset, and the Peptilian warlords navigate the trials of prophecy, magic, and intergalactic war, they encounter ancient Egyptian deities like Thoth and Ma’at, and the river god Hapi. Blending Egyptian hieroglyphs and West African Adinkra symbols, the series explores soul creation, time travel, and the battle for balance between worlds. Each tale is steeped in myth, legend, and a reimagined future, promising readers a thrilling, multidimensional experience across the fabric of space and time.
Great Poetry for Educators
Two great books celebrating richness of Black history and the many contributions of teachers!
Books for Kids, Parents and Teachers
Nathaniel Knight Series
Great poetry books for teachers, parents and kids!
