Thursday Breakout Session Descriptions
August 7, 2008
10:30 a.m. - Noon

The Six "Senses": Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning …..Daniel Pink

Auditorium

For each ability, we'll explore: 1) a deeper explanation of what the ability is; 2) examples of how smart organizations are deploying that ability to stand out; 3) one interactive exercise to help surface and sharpen the ability; 4) extensions -- other skill building, practices, and reading they can do back home, in schools, in the office.

Building Academic Background Knowledge through Vocabulary Instruction ….............….Jane Doty-Fischer

Enclosed Cafeteria

The commitment to improving student learning is made easier with the selection of key academic vocabulary and a research-based approach to teach those terms. When students understand key academic concepts at a deep level, they are more able to be engaged in classroom activities that promote learning. Participants will have a better understanding of the two parts to an effective vocabulary program and what they can do to start the process in their own schools or districts.

Success is the Only Option for All Learners - Elementary …………Vera Blake

Room E-165B

Today's classrooms and schools require that school-based stakeholders have an ever increasing repertoire of knowledge, skills, commitment, and support to ensure that all students meet and exceed standards though many have varied and unique learning needs. Participants will examine and practice several successful strategies that enhance achievement for all students. The presentation will focus on successful classroom approaches that work well for struggling and high achieving learners. Strategies will address classroom climate issues that impact learning and the use of multiple instructional strategies that actively engage students and foster increased success rates for students.

High Morale: Goodbye Blues ……………..Monte Selby

Media Center

Truly meaningful efforts to improve schools are time consuming, stress inducing, and promote conflict.  In this session, participants explore options (and skills) for keeping the learning, leading, and teaching environment healthy (and fun) in ways that support school improvement and preserve teacher sanity!  Practical examples will be shared related to school events, staff meetings, staff development, and daily interactions.

Is it possible to target current educational issues with innovative, collaborative, engaging activities and resources?  Can a staff meeting energize educators while they learn?  Certainly! In addition to practical examples gathered from across the United States , Monte Selby will model use of staff development activities and music using the dynamic book/CD from Incentive Publications titled: Because You Teach.  Participants can expect a musical, fun, involved session and will leave with ideas, skills, and a few good laughs!

Guided Reading : Teaching with Power and Purpose…………….…Jan Richardson

Room E-168

Today's classrooms have a broad range of readers, even in kindergarten. Guided reading allows teachers to diversify their reading instruction to meet the individual needs of their students. This presentation will describe elements of guided reading that make instruction powerful for children at all stages of reading development from emergent to fluent. Elements that will be discussed include text choice, strategy focus, teacher prompting, skill instruction (phonics and phonemic awareness), and comprehension. Learn how powerful guided reading lessons can accelerate your students.

Summarization Techniques for Any Subject ……..Rick Wormeli

Band Room

In the 21st century, students not only have to know facts, but they must be skilled information managers as well. They must get the main idea as well as the supportive details, the principle argument as well as its evidence. One of the greatest gifts we can teach students is how to distill salient information, no matter what subject we teach or how it's presented. Summarization is one of very few strategies that ensures long term retention of student learning. Many teachers tell students to summarize, but they don't understand what they are really asking students to do or how to teach them to do it. This workshop clarifies what it means to summarize, and it presents dozens of practical summarization techniques (including physical ones) for all subject areas, even those not typically associated with language arts. Join us for an eye-opening session on the power of summarization!

The Classroom as a Cultural Space …………..….. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

Room E-107

The public school classroom is an academic, social and cultural space at all times. A teacher's own cultural awareness and the understanding of his/her students' cultural backgrounds facilitates student learning and helps to build a positive classroom community where rigorous learning can take place, even in a climate where teachers feel they have minimal control over curriculum and how things are done in their classrooms.

This workshop will review principles of culturally responsive teaching (with a particular focus on Black and Latino males) and present activities that encourage cultural sharing, caring, understanding and acceptance in the classroom.

Building a Collaborative Culture…..…………………………………Ann M. Delehant

Room B-119

It's time to stop and consider what it takes to build a culture of collaboration and high trust in your school or department. Develop language to talk about the stages of community and identify ways to respond to your current state.

Be prepared to participate actively.

Participants will:

•  Review the stages of a community and discuss ways to build trust on your team.

•  Examine a model developed by Dr. W. Patrick Dolan that always begins with an understanding of what it means to build a collaborative culture.

•  Review the challenges faced in a traditional organizations and consider strategies to respond to the “steady state.”

•  Establish a plan that you can use when you return to your school or department.

Communication and Conflict Resolution for Educators………..…..Robert Garrity

R oom B-103

Educators work with many people every hour of everyday. They must communicate, inform, learn, decide, and resolve things with students, parents, and colleagues throughout the day. Effective communication and conflict resolution are vital for educators to be confident, comfortable, capable, and successful in their work.

In this workshop, participants with learn about, discuss, and practice:

•  Knowledge, skills, and methods for effective communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution

•  Building, maintaining, and restoring positive working relationships

•  Restorative Thinking and Restorative Practices

•  Conflict mediation for educators around cultural differences.

•  Responding to difficult situations.

•  Mediation in schools.

Bob Garrity works as a mediator, facilitator, and trainer. He has provided training and services for over forty school divisions, as well as federal, state, and local government agencies, businesses, and other organizations

A Call to Action: Helping Our Children to Learn Well, Eat Well, and Play Well ………..…..Leslie Bonci

Choir Room

This interactive session will help participants to create an action plan to enable and empower students to improve their health and well-being. Creative strategies to encourage healthy food choices and eating habits as well as physical activity will be presented. We will discuss some of the obstacles and focus on the what we CAN do rather than what we CANNOT. Children who are competent in culinary skills and physical activity will live well and stay well, and have the tools they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Gotta Move, Gotta Share: Practical Strategies for Maximizing Student Engagement ………………………………………………………………….. Ron Nash

Room E-167

Grab a pen, lace up your sneakers, and join Ron Nash for a highly interactive session that will provide teachers with more than a dozen practical strategies to get students engaged in their own learning. We'll look at ways to shift students from the role of passive observer to that of active learner. Ron will model techniques for getting kids of any grade level engaged and involved through the use of movement, structured conversations, and music (as a facilitator of process). You'll stand more than you'll sit in this fast-paced session in which Ron will model instructional tools such as paired sharing, paired verbal fluency, priming, distribution dipstick, question/clarify/question, and the gallery walk. If you are looking for ways to motivate your students and yourself in the process, make the commitment to join Ron and then get ready to rock.