Where Does It Live: Building Systems And Structures Around What You Believe (4 hours Institute)

Chris Lehmann, is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

The myth of the single teacher, bucking the odds to be that one great teacher in a school may make for a great Hollywood movie, but it rarely -- if ever -- leads to lasting, effective change. We must examine the manner in which our schools and classrooms are set up so that the greatest number of students, teachers and even principals can thrive and learn and feel valued. This session is focused on looking at institutional change, so that attendees can explore what they value and then examine the systems in their districts, schools and classrooms that must change to reflect those values.

Flexible Learning Environments (2 hours Institute)

David Epstein, AIA, LEED™ AP, is a principal at TruexCullins, an architecture and interior design firm in Burlington, Vermont

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

Good schools today offer many pathways to learning. Students learn in a variety of settings: alone, in groups, by doing projects, with movement or skits; each mode playing to different learner’s strengths. In combination with rapid technological change, it is no wonder educational facilities must provide flexible and adaptable learning environments. From furniture to design to construction, this session will provide an overview of the exciting possibilities and potential issues you may face when exploring these concepts at your school. We will look at examples of both built projects and design examples and may just rearrange the furniture before we are done!

Transforming Teacher Capacity Through Professional Growth And Evaluation Systems / Part B (2 hours Institute)

Fran Prolman, is an independent consultant in Great Falls, VA, a Senior Consultant with Research for Better Teaching, and Vice President for Training for the Center for Arts in Basic Curriculum.

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

This two-part workshop will highlight the leadership, supervision and appraisal skills necessary for ensuring a highly competent teacher in every classroom in your school.

Part A will focus on the key components of an effective Professional Growth and Appraisal System:

• The design standards
• Ways to minimize teacher anxiety and focus on growth and support
• Reflection tools for using multiple measures of student achievement
• Descriptive focused feedback for growth
• Practical implementation of a teacher leader infrastructure, faculty buy-in, and how to facilitate a reflective cultural shift are also incorporated.

Part B will focus on the practical application of the power of a Professional Growth System. Those applications include:

• Alternative sources of data collection for professional growth and reflection
• Skills for promoting professional coaching conversations for teacher skillfulness
• Ways to correlate the appraisal system with professional development models
• Peer observation components
• Expansion of your repertoire for supervising underperforming teachers.

The workshops are designed as a pair, but stand-alone as well. Both workshops incorporate research-based, engaging and interactive strategies for immediate use back in your school. Problem solving and videotape analysis will be included in both workshops.

Using the iPad to Share, Edit and Create Classroom Resources

By Oscar Stringer Apple Distinguished Educator

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

Oscar will provide a hands-on practical walkthrough for creating content in and for the classroom, how to share that to students and allow them to edit and enhance. This session is relevant to all areas of the curriculum and is a great introduction to classroom activities using the iPad as ‘just another tool’ available to teachers and students.

Social Emotional Experiential Learning Class For Grades 8 And 10

Catherine Ottaviano, Counselor Grades 6-9 at the American International School of Bucharest

Strand: Social and Emotional Learning, Grade level: Grade 5-12 Subject area: Social and Emotional Learning

Rachel Kessler, in her book, The Soul of Education, describes the need to honor young voices by helping them with Deep Connections to Self, to Others and to their Community. The counselors at AIS Bucharest developed an experientially based class utilizing Kessler’s concepts with a Social Emotional Learning twist. It is currently part of our Health Curriculum for Grades 8 and 10. You will leave the workshop understanding how we have woven active listening skills and personal identity concepts such as Third Culture Kids, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and the Johari Window with discussions about Friends, Privilege, Social Consciousness and other student selected topics. The class encourages our students to be more in touch with their emotional and inner lives with the goal of self-acceptance and acceptance of others.

Special Needs In the IB Classroom - A Look At Helping Special Needs Students Rise To The Challenges Of IB Program And The Tools To Make It Happen

Richard Smith, Learning Resources Teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

It is Richard’s intention that teachers gain a better understanding of how to help special needs students rise to the challenges of the IB program, without compromising the demands of the rigorous curriculum. The presentation will begin with an attempt to explain how the inclusion of special education students is beneficial for the mission of the entire school. Accordingly, teachers will walk away with concrete tools intended to seamlessly integrate differentiation strategies into their instruction, ranging from planning and implementation to strategies for more effective grading. These tools will be considerate of allowable accommodations. The presentation will be partially from the perspective of the special needs IB student as well as the perspective of the classroom teacher.

Discussing The Undiscussable (2 hours Institute)

Micah Fierstein, Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership Studies at West Virginia University

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

This workshop is one of the three institutes Micah is presenting concerning Transformation through Collaboration: Building Leadership Capacity for Systemic Change. The goal of these three conference institutes is for participants to discover and practice tools/frameworks that challenge educators to build their capacity to think and act in new ways. A different set of learning frameworks will be explored in each institute. The goal of each institute will be to help prevent others from falling inadvertently into the swamp of constrained possibilities. “Insanity is doing the same thing and hoping for a different result.” – Albert Einstein.

During this workshop Discussing The Undiscussable Micah will speak about questions like, how many good ideas die a premature deaths because they were never shared with others? How many classroom initiatives fail to fulfill their potential because constructive ideas for improvement were not heard or were perceived as acts of disloyalty? How many creative school improvement plans or classroom innovations slide into irrelevance because the assumption and premises they are built upon are never challenged by teachers and students because they are fearful of speaking? Participants will be introduced to cognitive tool/frameworks that help them see how defensive routines have detrimental impact on personal, team, and school learning. Playful and engaging activities will be the learning design for this institute. Participants will leave with practical skills that will help them engage more effectively in difficult conversations with student or colleagues.

Crisis Management (2 hours Institute)

Jerald Newberry is currently the Executive Director of the National Education Association’s Health Information Network

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

During this session, participants will understand the stages of response necessary during a school crisis situation. Participants will be involved in small group activities that will assist them in developing the steps schools/staff members need to use following a crisis. And participants will be able to bring this information back to their schools for turn-around training.

Creating A Culture Of Thinking: What's In Your Thinking Toolkit?

Nikki Hume and Allison Bryan, Kindergarten teachers at the International School of Prague

Strand: Mission-Driven Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: Visible Thinking (Creative/Critical Thinking)/h4>

As teachers of young learners, we strive to create an authentic culture of thinking in the classroom. As an extension of community building, thinking routines are used to communicate and explore during learning experiences. Documentation and reflection are both useful tools in our “tool kit” for thinking and are avenues for making learning visible. Attendees will leave this workshop with ideas for creating a culture of thinking in the classroom, as well as examples of what can belong in a Thinking “Tool Kit”. The presenters will share ideas and examples of how to use inquiry-based, project work, documentation and reflection as strategies for learner assessment. Note: Many of the examples used during the presentation will be from Kindergarten learner and teacher perspective; however, the overall presentation will be useful for teachers from PK-12.

Foundations For 21st Century Competencies (2 hours Institute)

Cathryn Berger Kaye is president of CBK Associates and ABCD Books

Strand: Collaborative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

Dive into the world of 21st century competencies! Discover how incremental skill development improves learning. Enhance classroom participation with engaging teaching strategies. Add these together for a winning combination. Based on the innovative research-based program Strategies for Success with 21st Century Skills: A Learning Curriculum that Serves, this work has been used successfully across the globe, from Singapore to Los Angeles to Johannesburg. Transformative, practical, and easy-to-use. Join this lively and dynamic session!

Facilitation Strategies And Structures For Promoting Collaborative Conversations – Developing Adaptive Schools – Part 2 (2 hours Institute)

Carolyn McKanders, is Co-Director of the Center for Adaptive Schools

Strand: Collaborative Learning, Grade lMagic el: All, Subject area: All

For schools to effectively respond to the press for accountability and provide quality learning for all students, they must simultaneously address two perennial goals. One goal is the professional development of individual educators. The second is the development of the organization's capacity to learn and be adaptive. Both build the capacity for school improvement, without which reform efforts will fail.

In these Adaptive Schools Seminars, learn how to build strong collaborative and caring work cultures, in which results-oriented faculties work together for continuous school improvement. Explore the latest practical findings in organizational development, team learning and navigating the currents of change through applying adaptive principles and practices.

Participants will learn practical frameworks and tools for developing collaborative groups that bring collective responsibility in student learning. Leaders and group members will learn ways to influence and attain more productive and satisfying meetings in which members develop new norms and skills for collegial interaction, goal clarification, problem-solving and decision-making. Working in a variety of settings, skilled and confident staffs and facilitators will increase their ability to accelerate group development so that adult conversations produce the highest quality work for students.

Part 2: “Facilitation Strategies and Structures for Promoting Collaborative Conversations”

OUTCOMES:

Participants will develop:

• An increased capacity to initiate, develop and sustain high functioning groups
• An expanded repertoire of practical facilitation tools and strategies
• Ways to value and use dissension, argument and conflict

It includes...

• Two Ways of Talking: Effective Dialogue and Discussion
• Promoting a Spirit of Inquiry
• The Seven Norms of Collaborative Group Work
• Reframing Conflict

This is a closed session.

Khan Academy Project” Meeting by Invitation

Elizabeth Slavitt is a team member of Khan Academy and her task is School Implementations

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: All

KHAN ACADEMY – CEESA PARTNERSHIP

Khan Academy overview

Khan Academy is a nonprofit education tech start-up with a mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. We have more than 4000 videos on a range of topics (including math, science, finance, art history, medicine, and engineering, math exercises (practice problems with hints and instant feedback), and real-time reports that show student- and class-level progress. We also recently launched the first version of our computer science platform, which emphasizes creativity and exploration and is accessible for beginners.

Over the past few years, we've piloted Khan Academy in a range of school types, including public, charter, and private schools across elementary, middle, and high schools. We've worked closely with a handful of local schools (case studies here) and share what we learn from pilots with other schools through our toolkit. We're now in ~20,000 classrooms. We've worked with some schools outside the US, including NESA schools, and are eager to engage more internationally by working with all of you.

Blended pilots

In blended pilots, teachers leverage Khan Academy’s educational resources (videos, practice problems, reports) to personalize their math instruction. Depending on their objectives, teachers could use Khan Academy in a range of ways, including as a

• Personalized learning resource: With the support of their teachers, students use Khan Academy as a primary resource to learn math content at their own pace. Teachers track students’ progress using Khan Academy’s real-time reports and tailor class time based on students’ needs using a range of practices, e.g.,
  • Conduct one-on-one or small-group lessons on topics one or more students found challenging
  • Encourage students to tutor one another
  • Facilitate projects to help reinforce concepts and promote interactivity
• Supplemental resource: Teachers identify Khan Academy videos and exercises relevant to the curriculum, and advise or instruct students to use those resources in class or as homework to enhance their understanding of core concepts and/or to practice skills. Teachers use Khan Academy’s real-time reports – which track progress on exercises – to identify students who need targeted help and to get a pulse on their class’s comprehension on a daily basis, rather than waiting for a quiz or exam. Class time is more interactive, with an emphasis on one-on-one or small group lessons, peer tutoring, and projects.

Khan Academy at your school

We look forward to discussing how Khan Academy can be helpful to teachers and students at your school at the CEESA conference in March. Please bring your questions and ideas!

Foresight Across The Curriculum

Dr. Peter C. Bishop, an Associate Professor of Strategic Foresight and Director of the graduate program in Futures Studies at the University of Houston

Strand: Innovative Learning, Grade level: All, Subject Area: All

An important part of our mission as educators is to prepare our students for the future. But have ever told them about the future they are going to experience? Generally not, because we do not know that future either, and we do not teach what we do not know. Now, however, there is a way out of this dilemma. The relatively new field of futures studies is moving into the schools to plug this gap in our educational mission. Dr. Peter Bishop will lead a panel of teachers who are beginning to talk about the future in their classes. They will describe how it is done (It’s actually pretty easy!) and how much more engagement they get from their students when they do.

Finding Your Magic Number - Doing the Math On Your Own Retirement

Justin Reinking and Jonathan Levy, Compliance Officer at Integrated Benefits

Strand: Social and Emotional Learning, Grade level: All, Subject area: Behavioral science

How much do you need to save for retirement? What amount should you be putting away monthly to make sure you can retire the way you envision? Most people have never sat down to do the math on what is perhaps one of the most important, long-term endeavors they will ever undertake: preparing for their own retirement. It's like preparing for a long flight in your own plane and not doing the math on how much fuel you will need to get there. Don't leave such an important calculation to guesswork. We will discuss with you relevant planning considerations and show you how to calculate the amount you should be saving each month. The sooner you do the math and start saving, the lower your number will probably be.

Finding Your Magic Number - Doing the Math On Your Own Retirement

Justin Reinking and Jonathan Levy

How much do you need to save for retirement? What amount should you be putting away monthly to make sure you can retire the way you envision? Most people have never sat down to do the math on what is perhaps one of the most important, long-term endeavors they will ever undertake: preparing for their own retirement. It's like preparing for a long flight in your own plane and not doing the math on how much fuel you will need to get there. Don't leave such an important calculation to guesswork. We will discuss with you relevant planning considerations and show you how to calculate the amount you should be saving each month. The sooner you do the math and start saving, the lower your number will probably be.