Updated 1/19/2012
Ticketed sessions are $5/members or $25/non-member.
H1-Content Literacy Instruction: The Key Comprehension Routine (Elissa Arndt)
This session will present a model for teaching comprehension strategies and writing about content for social studies, science, math and ELA teachers. Participants will learn how to embed instruction about text structure, topic webs, two-column notes, summarizing, and question generation into content instruction. This content literacy routine can be used by individual teachers, across a grade-level team, or as a whole-school model for addressing the content literacy expectations of the Common Core Standards.
H2-Formative, Summative, Math, OH MY!!! (Deb Scarpelli)
How can we use Literacy Strategies to assess our students in Math? Formative vs. Summative – Do you know the difference? How can we create them for our students? Let's use MI, Blooms, and Literacy Strategies – come and see how and go back to school with many ideas.
H3-Re-framing Classrooms for Technology (Gary Ackerman)
Educators are faced with many claims about technology in the classroom; many are dubious, others are hyperbole, and some are sound. Participants in this session will explore several lenses for more clearly understanding those claims as well as a framework and strategies for designing classrooms in the technology-rich world.
H4-Bullying & Cyberbullying: Realistic Fiction & Positive Change (Doug Wilhelm) This session with author Doug Wilhelm will embrace his books The Revealers and True Shoes, showcasing some of the creativity that middle schools, especially in New England, have brought to working with The Revealers to address bullying, along with the first uses of the new book around cyberbullying.
H5-Teaming – Let's Kick It Up A Notch (Jill Spencer)
Effective interdisciplinary teams are powerful and positive influences in the lives of their students. Keeping a team (teachers and students) energized, engaged, and moving forward is hard work! We'll explore: building positive culture, collaborating for powerful learning, connecting with families, and recommitting to building the best team ever!
H6-Using Data to Shape Practice and Inform Instruction (Susan Dumas)
All educators know NCLB requires that all schools meet set goals and that each student's progress is charted toward successful mastery of state approved standards. This session will explore such critical questions as: Is what you are currently doing working? Do you know why you are getting the results you currently have? What practices should you continue, replicate or eliminate? How do you know? Since using data is not a one-time event but rather a commitment to continuous improvement, we will discuss ways to embed the use data into your school culture to shape your vision, determine goals, identify strategies and inform instruction on an ongoing basis in order to support and sustain your journey toward school improvement.
H7-Is Your Team A PLC? (Lyn Healy)
The literature says we need to be professional learning communities – does that describe your team? Is your conversation focused on student learning? Do you implement an RtI program for your students? Do you use student work to help each other improve as teachers? At this session we will first look at how the nuts and bolts of teaming can make us more efficient and then we will examine strategies to work as a team to improve student achievement. Bring your successes and questions to share with your colleagues and leave with some different ideas to try with your team.
H8- Any Time, Any Place, Anyhow: Bring Your Own Device for Digital Learning (Chris Toy)
When our students arrive at school they often are required to "power down." More and more educators are beginning to look at the idea of allowing students, and teachers to bring their own devices for learning and teaching. Come to this interactive session, with your own device and we'll explore how this might work in your classroom…now, or in the future.
H9-101 Student Motivation Strategies (Dedra Stafford)
With all the texting, moving, and multitasking in the world, how do you really expect students to come in, sit down, and be motivated to learn? Students need a little more than "read this passage" to get them focused on classroom content in this day. This session will give teachers new tools for motivating students in the classroom. Ok, so we may not cover 101 Strategies, but we will cover tons! After this session your students will come in and be engaged and eager to learn. All you need is a few new tricks for your classroom toolbox.
H10-Collaborating, Co-teaching, Inclusion, Mainstreaming –
How do we make it ALL work in middle school? (Laurie Wasserman)
Five years ago our school started "A Marriage Made in a Math Classroom" combining a small group LD math class with a mainstream math class. Find out how we collaborate, use common and team planning, design projects, units, and assessments for our students in grades 6-8 Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies. Participants will have an opportunity to plan and modify lessons and projects to bring back to their classrooms.
H11-Using Data to Shape Practice and Inform Instruction (Susan Dumas)
All educators know NCLB requires that all schools meet set goals and that each student's progress is charted toward successful mastery of state approved standards. This session will explore such critical questions as: Is what you are currently doing working? Do you know why you are getting the results you currently have? What practices should you continue, replicate or eliminate? How do you know? Since using data is not a one-time event but rather a commitment to continuous improvement, we will discuss ways to embed the use data into your school culture to shape your vision, determine goals, identify strategies and inform instruction on an ongoing basis in order to support and sustain your journey toward school improvement.
H12- Is Your Team A PLC? (Lyn Healy)
The literature says we need to be professional learning communities – does that describe your team? Is your conversation focused on student learning? Do you implement an RtI program for your students? Do you use student work to help each other improve as teachers? At this session we will first look at how the nuts and bolts of teaming can make us more efficient and then we will examine strategies to work as a team to improve student achievement. Bring your successes and questions to share with your colleagues and leave with some different ideas to try with your team.
H13- Any Time, Any Place, Anyhow: Bring Your Own Device for Digital Learning (Chris Toy)
When our students arrive at school they often are required to "power down." More and more educators are beginning to look at the idea of allowing students, and teachers to bring their own devices for learning and teaching. Come to this interactive session, with your own device and we'll explore how this might work in your classroom…now, or in the future.
H14-Can't Bully in Schools (Elizabeth Vachon)
My program, "Can't Bully in Schools" was recently featured on the CBS program "48 Hours." This workshop will focus on way educators can develop an anti-bullying program in their own school, share resources utilized for the prevention of bullying and discuss how to get the "whole school" involved in the prevention of bullying.
H15-Collaborating, Co-teaching, Inclusion, Mainstreaming –
How do we make it ALL work in middle school? (Laurie Wasserman)
Five years ago our school started "A Marriage Made in a Math Classroom" combining a small group LD math class with a mainstream math class. Find out how we collaborate, use common and team planning, design projects, units, and assessments for our students in grades 6-8 Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies. Participants will have an opportunity to plan and modify lessons and projects to bring back to their classrooms.
H16-Content Literacy Instruction: The Key Vocabulary Routine (Joan Sedita)
This session will present a model for teaching content-area vocabulary in all subjects. Participants will learn how to combine direct and indirect instructional practices to teach essential content words and increase students' overall vocabulary knowledge. The routine includes: previewing vocabulary; four activities for teaching words in relation to other words (semantic mapping, semantic feature analysis, categorizing, scaling); selecting specific words to teach in-depth; and word learning strategies (use of context and use of word parts).
H17-Formative, Summative, Math, OH MY!!! (Deb Scarpelli)
How can we use Literacy Strategies to assess our students in Math? Formative vs. Summative – Do you know the difference? How can we create them for our students? Let's use MI, Blooms, and Literacy Strategies – come and see how and go back to school with many ideas.
H18-Re-framing Classrooms for Technology (Gary Ackerman)
Educators are faced with many claims about technology in the classroom; many are dubious, others are hyperbole, and some are sound. Participants in this session will explore several lenses for more clearly understanding those claims as well as a framework and strategies for designing classrooms in the technology-rich world.
H19-Teaching Strategies that Motivate Young Adolescents (Jack Berckemeyer)
Looking for fun and motivating ideas for your middle level classroom? This session is a hands-on session that provides real quality strategies in the areas of reading, writing, spelling, grammar, listening and speaking skills. No philosophy here just creative ideas to motivate the middle level learner. Perfect for Science, Social Studies, Reading and Language Arts.
H20-Teaming – Let's Kick It Up A Notch (Jill Spencer)
Effective interdisciplinary teams are powerful and positive influences in the lives of their students. Keeping a team (teachers and students) energized, engaged, and moving forward is hard work! We'll explore: building positive culture, collaborating for powerful learning, connecting with families, and recommitting to building the best team ever!.