At the heart of personalized learning is an increase in student voice and choice in their own learning as they also strive towards proficiency as outlined in content area standards. What are the classroom instructional practices that support student choice and voice and thus also support student engagement?
In this session, science and math middle and high school teachers will share the strategies they are implementing that have supported increasing student engagement. Examples of instructional strategies shared will include digital portfolios, exhibitions, learning menus, project-based learning, performance tasks, retest and revision policies, and sharing clear expectations with students. Participants will explore resources, examples, and tools that support the instructional strategies while considering next steps for implementation in their own setting.
Appropriate for school leaders, administrators, and teachers, this session will lead participants through a series of exercises that allows them to identify problematic structures within their district, schools, or classrooms and design solutions that lead to lasting change. The emphasis on using data to drive decision-making has allowed leaders and teachers to identify problems that exist within our schools. This session is designed to introduce participants to a new way of thinking about those problems and find solutions in their schools using a systems thinking approach. Participants are asked to keep an open mind as they begin to see themselves as a part of the system in which inequities exist before applying a set of tools and developing the strategies that will allow them to put an end to these inequities.
Participants will learn to use a systems-thinking approach to identify appropriate levers to reduce structural inequities and develop a plan of action to change or eliminate at least one structure in their district/building/department/classroom.
At the heart of personalized learning is an increase in student voice and choice in their own learning as they also strive towards proficiency as outlined in content area standards. What are the classroom instructional practices that support student choice and voice and thus also support student engagement?
In this session, science and math middle and high school teachers will share the strategies they are implementing that have supported increasing student engagement. Examples of instructional strategies shared will include digital portfolios, exhibitions, learning menus, project-based learning, performance tasks, retest and revision policies, and sharing clear expectations with students. Participants will explore resources, examples, and tools that support the instructional strategies while considering next steps for implementation in their own setting.
"At Poland Regional High School, a flagship public high school for proficiency-based education in Maine, an emphasis on self- and peer-assessment and a school-wide process for reassessment has supported students towards successfully reaching their learning goals. Teachers have implemented classroom tasks specifically designed from the current leading guidelines for self- and peer-assessment in hopes of making each student’s learning process transparent. Furthermore, a school-wide process for reassessment has been adopted to ensure each student has the opportunity to demonstrate their best learning on summative assessments. In this session we will walk you through the process that our science, math, and humanities classes have developed for self- and peer-assessment as well as outline the process we took to develop our school-wide reassessment protocol.
Participants will leave this session with practical approaches to teaching self- and peer-assessment; an understanding of how reassessment opportunities can reinforce learning and how assessment strategies are managed in a proficiency based/ standards-based system."
Research shows that having diverse faculty can motivate students of color and more recent work shows how it benefits the whole school community. Closing the diversity gap decreases the achievement gap, increases graduation rates and provides role models. Given the lack of diverse teachers in many educational systems community partnerships can offer alternatives.
This presentation explores strategies to address the alienation, academic and behavioral challenges that some low income and students of color experience; and successful collaborations with community organizations and higher education institutions.
Using the lens of Cultural Competency participants will gain knowledge on identifying the needs of underserved and often unresourced students, learn strategies to engage and partner with low income and communities of color. As well as highlight promising approaches to create culturally responsive learning environments and increase diverse role models; and connect classrooms to communities.
I have worked for Pittsfield Public Schools for 25 years in several different positions. Currently. I am a caseworker for our high school alternative ed program. I also co-facilitate trainings in the district and community on topics of cultural competency, racism, bias and privilege... Read More →
Research shows that having diverse faculty can motivate students of color and more recent work shows how it benefits the whole school community. Closing the diversity gap decreases the achievement gap, increases graduation rates and provides role models. Given the lack of diverse teachers in many educational systems community partnerships can offer alternatives.
This presentation explores strategies to address the alienation, academic and behavioral challenges that some low income and students of color experience; and successful collaborations with community organizations and higher education institutions.
Using the lens of Cultural Competency participants will gain knowledge on identifying the needs of underserved and often unresourced students, learn strategies to engage and partner with low income and communities of color. As well as highlight promising approaches to create culturally responsive learning environments and increase diverse role models; and connect classrooms to communities.