Conversations
During each of the six breakout sessions throughout the weekend, a large number of conversations will take place. This site will help you organize your plan for the weekend and provide the relevant information for each conversation. After signing in, search through the conversations below and mark the sessions you are interested in to populate your personal schedule on the right (or below if on your mobile phone).
Join a team of educators and students who are grappling with the joys and pitfalls of class-wide projects - projects where each student takes on a different role in achieving a common long-term goal. We will explore examples like modernizing an urban farm with a team of 24 engineers, designing and building a 16-foot Rube Goldberg Machine, and year-long projects with uncertain goals and outcomes.
How do we democratize computer science and STEM as well as address the racial and gender disparities in CS/STEM? What are ways we can provide opportunities to engage in computational thinking, problem solving, and collaboration in K-12? Let's discuss ways we can really make CS/STEM accessible for all students.
Almost every school vision or mission statement mentions lifelong learning. But what if breadth and depth were to this traditional and linear model? This conversation focuses on developing a more compelling model of learning that supports the deeper development of the skills and dispositions that can lead to the creation of a participatory and engaged community of learners.
How are teaching and learning transformed by practicing empathy? Join us for a conversation that leverages both field expertise and our collective wisdom. Through Socratic inquiry and Empathy Mapping, participants will construct understanding of empathy and collaborate on ways to bring impactful practices back to their contexts.
Today's learners must be valued for their ability to think, far more than for their ability to remember. Sustainable learning is driven by active exploration, not simply passive exposure to new material. Students need to be encouraged to forge the route, not simply follow the rote! This conversation will focus on ensuring students' tasks are purposeful, personal and practical.
Grades get in the way of learning. There, we said it. Come to this conversation to figure out your philosophy of grading, see examples of non-traditional grading in action, and figure out ways to better align your grading practices with your philosophy.
Let’s have a conversation about how schools can foster the development of the whole child and the whole adult. How are schools already supporting the well-being of the whole person? What could they do more of? What would schools look like if people actually flourished in them?
Join this conversation about the power of secular rituals to strengthen school and classroom community, and deepen students’ self-awareness and purpose. We’ll take an anthropologist’s approach to identifying the important transitions and rituals we’re currently implementing within our schools, and workshop some creative cost-effective approaches to deepening their positive impact.
How can we engage ALL students in a way that leads to genuine learning, discovery, and conceptual understanding? Discuss with us the role of teachers and administrators in all-school programmatic design that scaffolds scientific competencies, creates a safe learning environment, and promotes a love of learning.
In the past year, teachers have risen to the stage to fight for equitable resources for students, livable wages, and respect within their profession. These problems persisted because the status quo was enabled. It's time to flip the status quo and turn towards a disruptive, uncomfortable model of equitable resources for every student and teacher no matter their zip code.
We’ve the opportunity to turn our classrooms and impact areas into studios where students can transform whimsical ideas into purposeful action and meaningful products. How might we choreograph a short story, remix a political party, sketchnote an equation, costume a scientific phenomenon, or hashtag a nutrition plan? Let's discuss these ideas and more.
You and your students probably take thousands of photos every year. But, besides adding a filter and posting them to social media, what do you with them? Join us to explore ideas for enhancing your professional practice and student learning using photography. Bring your smartphone to fully participate in the learning.
How do self-expression and vulnerability create connection in a new community? At South Bronx Community, we designed an intensive summer bridge experience, akin to summer camp, focused on building community and introducing social/emotional skills, self expression and vulnerability. Hear how we build students’ sense of belonging from the beginning.