MOmentum

Multiple research sources, reinforced by a wide range of personal experiences, point to a crucial progression that goes beyond an ideal of “belonging” toward the conditions of mattering and flourishing for human development. As we come to grips with exponential technologies, shifting social norms, volatile geopolitics and an ambiguous future of work, the role of schools can either be seen as more uncertain (or insignificant) than ever, or more vital, as a hub for growth, connection and community, all leading to human flourishing. This interactive keynote explores the roots of belonging, mattering and flourishing, with lessons from neuroscience, nature and “Big Questions” that can inform a path forward around what matters most. Come with your questions and leave with much-needed hope, vision and tangible tools.

Teaching is dynamic, not static, and in our schools right now, we’re in a whirlwind of intersecting forces, moving us towards – what? In many cases, too, we are told to adhere to recipes and timelines exactly, telling us what to teach on each day, how to teach it uniformly across the district, and given a list of “suspect” words and strategies to avoid, regardless of what is truly effective for the varied students before us. Here, professional expertise and creativity wither on the vine. If we’re not careful, some of us will cocoon in the familiar and easy, failing to recognize the powerful solutions that come from divergent thinking, instructional versatility and continued growth. A candid and constructive keynote that opens the door to how we dismantle the one-size-fits-all thinking so that we might teach the way students learn best. This IS doable! Explore innovative differentiation elements that will stand the test of time and replenish your educator oxygen. Challenge assumptions, build stamina and move closer to the constructive force we want to be in students’ current learning and meaningful achievement. Come on in, the water’s fine, the current’s strong, the tools are there and the timing couldn’t be better!

Some students are ready for the first steps of a topic and others are ready for advanced assignments and assessments in that topic. How do we tier assignments and assessments to maximize their learning? Explore a practical and thought-provoking look at what constitutes mastery, and how we can increase and decrease complexity while meeting the needs of standards and their benchmarks. We will include two helpful lesson sequences: the Anchor and the Football, as well as great attention moves, student "orbitals," personal agendas, tips on how to get students to work autonomously and much more. This is a "how-to" and "why-we-do-it" workshop for those just getting their feet wet with tiering assignments and assessments or those already swimming in differentiated instruction who want more ideas.

Do you scaffold? We know you do! But how many dimensions of scaffolding do you regularly integrate into your planning, teaching and assessment? This dynamic keynote will challenge you to redefine or refine what you have always known about scaffolding and consider nine research-informed, evidence-based approaches, such as instructional, linguistic, multimodal, multisensory, graphic, digital, interactive/collaborative, social-emotional and environmental! Numerous authentic classroom examples will be shared, and as a special gift, you will receive a book entitled Nine Dimensions of Scaffolding for Multilingual Learners, coauthored by Andrea Honigsfeld, to continue expanding your scaffolding practices.