Learn about how to utilize the Cycles of Inquiry Model for School Processes to transform school improvement processes to be embedded in a culture of instructional inquiry. Presenters will share information about their engagement in a research study and their experiences in this change process.
Are you just tired of the same old discussion techniques? Students dragging their feet participating? Not getting the results you want? We have some suggestions for you! This session will be experiential in that you will actually do the strategies as students. Come experience Table Top Twitter Chats, 4 Corners, Tug of War, What's the Question and a few more. Be ready to talk!
Picture books have a magic about them. They have a way of drawing in both young and old readers. Bring this magic into your classroom! This session will provide participants with a list of over 200 mentor texts. I will be sharing ideas of how to pair fiction and nonfiction texts and how to use current and classic children's books to teach the standards. Participants will take away fun, engaging ways to use picture books as mentor texts in their own classrooms.
As school leaders, we set the tone for what happens in our classrooms and our buildings. We know how important it is to help our teachers become the best they can be, but we struggle because our job descriptions are seemingly endless. With a to-do list far longer than hours in a day, our best intentions often go unfulfilled. Sadly, our instructional leadership plans get pushed to the side in order to put out the countless fires that come up during our day. So how do we become the instructional leaders we long to be and still keep the day-to-day-demands of our school in order? The answer is we can’t do it. Alone. In this session we will discuss teacher leadership, what it means, and how to identify and to share leadership in our buildings so teachers feel empowered and appreciated, student instruction improves, and you have time to focus on the things that matter most.
Problem Centered Instruction is a great way to engage students, integrate content, and inspire learning. However, true problem centered instruction requires a major shift in both teaching and learning, requiring the one thing teachers don't have: time. In today's session, we will look at some simple strategies that teachers can put to immediate use within the classroom to help start the shift towards a student-led, problem centered learning environment.
The key to student achievement lies in relevant instruction that elicits and empowers student thinking. This presentation will demonstrate the process of designing thematic units and instruction that focuses on students’ understanding. Current trends in education involve increasing equitable outcomes for all students through relevant instruction that encourages student voice. This type of relevant instruction can involve thematic teaching, backwards design, and a commitment to student understanding. The presentation will focus on creating engaging, challenging learning experiences that encourage and invite students to share and develop their thinking. Participants in the session will apply the research-based practices of backwards design to their instructional units and develop lessons around a big idea or theme. Backwards design and thematic teaching offers opportunities for students to engage with and make meaningful connections with the content. Participants will be able to apply principles of backwards design in their own instruction, connect concepts to an overall theme, and incorporate thinking strategies into curriculum planning and instruction. Through thematic teaching that empowers student thinking, students will achieve true understanding and become lifelong learners.
Teacher improvement doesn’t need to come just from evaluations. Come learn how mentors and instructional coaches build an environment of trust and collaboration with teachers to increase engagement and student achievement. #ClassroomVisits, #Lunch&Learns #VideoReflection #Coteaching
Creating a personalized learning environment for students can have a strong impact on their academic achievement and behavior. Allowing students voice and choice in their learning helps students stay motivated and achieve their goals. This session will include a description of how we transformed our classrooms at the elementary level to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners through personalized learning. You will meet two teacher leaders and the principal of Lincoln Elementary School that has been on this journey to personalize learning for each student.
Project-based learning (PBL) is a methodology that encourages students to learn and apply knowledge as well as skills while engaging in meaningful experiences. This dynamic classroom approach allows teachers to incorporate real-world problems and challenges while aligning with district curriculum. Learn how to enhance your current lessons and/or projects to allow for more student investigation and inquiry.Shift the mindset in your classroom through Project Based Learning. See student engagement, understanding and ownership increase through PBL. Other benefits of PBL include increased opportunities for cooperative learning skills, problem solving and communication. In this session, we will explore and analyze the benefits and challenges of incorporating PBL in today’s classroom. We will look at frameworks and project organization to help get you started as well as various tech tools to help moderate progress and accountability. You will receive examples of project ideas, digital tools to support and manage student engagement, and strategies for managing PBL in the classroom.
After a school improvement meeting back in 2010 that revealed poor reading scores for their students on the ACT, three teachers changed their approach to teaching social studies to address this problem. They call their curriculum "Top Secret," as they have embedded reading comprehension skills, formative and summative assessments, and proven ACT and SAT reading test strategies into the content of their classes. “Top Secret” has been developed over years of research, collaborative work sessions, and experimentation in their own classrooms. Their curriculum is used by teachers throughout their district, and their summative assessments serve as part of the final exam for their district’s US History course. The data speaks for itself. “Top Secret” has resulted in remarkable student growth on the reading portions of the ACT and SAT Tests for their students and school district. Now you have the chance to learn the "Secret" to their success!
Do you have a lesson that is not very engaging? Is there a lesson that you do not like to teach? Come see how one school district uses Peer Collaboration to create meaningful, engaging lessons while building vertical articulation at the same time.
Remember the pencil holder you made back in elementary school or the bird house you made in middle school? Those moments are special because they are examples of our ability to transform an idea in our minds into a reality. Unfortunately, the teaching methods have been shifting the way we learn leaving behind opportunities for students to explore their creativity such as shop class. The main purpose of the “Innovation Makers Laboratory” program is to provide the ability for any school to transform an old fashion shop class into an exploration of creativity and life skill laboratory for any student from middle school all the way to adulthood to assist in knowledge and real word elements in creating meaningful learning for students. The program will provide the list of equipment needed for the Innovation Makers Laboratory as well as the safety training and the first aid training. Most important, it will provide professional development for the teachers involved in this program such as how to incorporate the Innovation Makers Laboratory into all the other curriculums. For example, building a musical instrument exploring sound waves or creating tools used for farmers during medieval time or building a better ketchup dispenser for cooking class. The Innovation Makers Laboratory is a low-cost option for a great curriculum that will promote exploration, innovation, cross curriculum opportunities, and life skills that will always be part of our memories like that pencil holder or the bird house.
This is a hashtag that is taking over the nation! Classrooms everywhere are making the commitment to #ClassroomBookADay with a goal of getting students to engage in picture books and build a love reading. Come learn the benefits of a shared reading experience with your students and discover purposeful mini lessons to support your students all year long in any classroom. In this session you will hear book ideas for a variety of themes, strategies, and standards, you will also learn management tips, and most of all how to develop empathy through picture books.
Are you looking for strategies to improve student focus, supplement class instruction, and boost test scores? This session offers instructional tips for incorporating physical activity into the classroom. Learn how to integrate brain breaks and energize your classroom.
