MOmentum: Full Schedule

10:00am CDT

The Art of Disagreement: Teaching Students to Debate Respectfully and Confidently

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Learn how to transform student disagreement into a tool for academic thinking and social-emotional growth. Explore strategies for teaching students to argue with evidence, listen with empathy and respond with respect across all content areas. Examine practical routines, sentence stems and activities that support productive discourse and stronger classroom relationships.

Engage in role-plays, structured discourse routines, and short debate-inspired tasks to experience the strategies firsthand. Analyze classroom scenarios, collaborate with peers, and model respectful disagreement to see how argumentation strengthens both reasoning and SEL skills. Explore ways to bring these practices into your own classroom context.

Apply ready-to-use routines, discussion protocols, and sentence stems to guide students in debating ideas respectfully. Implement activities that help learners support claims with evidence, manage emotions and engage in structured, meaningful discourse. Use classroom-ready templates to turn disagreements into opportunities for deeper understanding, critical thinking and stronger peer relationships.

Speakers

Francesca Meixner-Hendrix

The Art of Disagreement mp4

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Theatre A - Evans Commons 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

ignite belonging culture innovate

10:00am CDT

Connecting the Dots: Transform Learning Insights into Action

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

schoolai Room - 137

Learn how AI can help you see every student’s story in real time—where they are and what they need next. Explore teacher-guided AI experiences that support student thinking without doing the work for them. Gain a practical, research-based framework for learner-centered design, whether you're new to AI or ready to go deeper.

Engage with schoolai by first experiencing a live learning environment from the student perspective. Then design a personalized AI learning experience tailored to your classroom. Explore a teacher dashboard to identify student needs and determine next steps.

Apply a ready-to-use AI learning experience you build during the session, launchable as early as tomorrow. Use real-time data to respond to student needs without waiting for formal assessments. Leverage AI as a thought partner to focus your attention where it matters most.

Speakers

Tarah Tesmer

Senior Educational Strategist, SchoolAI

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
schoolai Room - 137

ignite innovate technology design culture

Dynamic Theme Exploration

10:00am CDT

From Our Hands to Theirs

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am CDT

RM 217

Learn how John Hattie’s high-impact strategies can shift from educator-driven tools to a framework for learner-driven education. Explore the why and how of transferring control of planning, assessment and progress monitoring to students. Identify actionable strategies that make learner ownership practical and sustainable.

Engage in collaborative reflection around examples of high-impact strategies reimagined through a learner-driven lens. Discuss possibilities, share insights and consider where shifts toward student ownership can strengthen learning.

Apply high-impact strategies to upcoming units by committing to at least one new practice for the first quarter of instruction. Plan intentional scaffolds that support students in taking ownership of goals, feedback and progress. Gain a clear next step for building a learner-driven classroom environment.

Speakers

Dria Setter

Professional Development Specialist, Institute for Personalized Learning- CESA #1

As a Professional Development Specialist for the Institute, Dria brings 18 years of elementary education experience including work with technology integration, differentiation for gifted and talented students, personalized learning, and most recently, work as a Learning Coach. She... Read More →

Theresa Ewald

Senior Advisor, i4PL

Dr. Theresa Ewald is the former Assistant Superintendent of the Kettle Moraine School District,
and an educational consultant with 30 years of experience in transforming learning for all
students. Theresa coaches and mentors educational leaders, organizations and state leaders as
th... Read More →

From Our Hands to Theirs mp4

Tuesday June 2, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am CDT
RM 217 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

launch culture design innovate

11:00am CDT

The Courage to Connect: Using Vulnerability, Trust, Relationships and AI to Drive Results

Tuesday June 2, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

RM 121

Learn how vulnerability, trust and authentic connection drive engagement, motivation and academic success. Explore the neuroscience of belonging, the link between transparency and performance, and the role of emotional intelligence in building relationally strong school cultures. Examine how AI tools can serve as reflective coaching partners to deepen empathy, self-awareness, and communication effectiveness.

Engage with real-world examples and collaborative exploration to uncover how vulnerability, trust and connection shape school culture. Analyze data and share insights to identify strategies that foster relational trust, boost engagement and improve outcomes. Explore practical approaches to embedding connection and belonging in classrooms and school communities.

Apply vulnerability-based leadership to create psychological safety and strengthen relationships across your school or classroom. Create a 90-Day Connection Action Plan with practical routines and strategies to embed belonging, track progress and drive measurable results.

Speakers

Abida Jafari

The Courage to Connect mp4

Tuesday June 2, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
RM 121 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

ignite culture belonging leadership innovate

11:35am CDT

C3 in Action: Making Elementary Social Studies Meaningful

Tuesday June 2, 2026 11:35am - 12:00pm CDT

Discovery Room - 233

Learn the essentials of the C3 Framework—including how its four dimensions support inquiry, questioning, and critical thinking in K–5 social studies.

Engage in fast, hands‑on inquiry routines using primary sources, See–Think–Wonder and resources from Discovery Education Experience such as the Need to Know Jr. channel to see how inquiry can happen in just minutes.

Apply these C3‑aligned strategies in your classroom and explore simple ways to sustain inquiry through consistent routines and ready‑to‑use digital supports.

PD Partners

John David Son

Regional VP, John David Son

Tuesday June 2, 2026 11:35am - 12:00pm CDT
Discovery Room - 233

spark innovate design belonging culture

Dynamic Theme Essentials

1:00pm CDT

Intentional Learning Cohorts and Critical Friends

Tuesday June 2, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Theatre A - Evans Commons

Learn to design teacher learning cohorts that align with individual growth goals and build collaborative, sustained professional development. Explore strategies for critical friend observations and coaching cycles that prioritize teacher growth before formal evaluations.

Engage in reflective discussion and collaboration around professional development and coaching practices. Analyze examples and share insights to uncover what makes teacher cohorts effective and sustainable.

Apply frameworks and coaching strategies to draft actionable PD cohort plans. Create designs for collaboration, classroom observations and reflective coaching that can be implemented immediately to support teacher growth and enhance student learning.

Speakers

Stacy Stewart

Principal, Archdiocese of St. Louis

My mission is to empower students through new opportunities while partnering with educators to refine and elevate their teaching craft. I lived 24 years in public education as a teacher and assistant prinicpal. I have now landed the principal leadership position at St. Dominic HS... Read More →

Trisha Goins

Ft. Zumwalt R-II

Ashley Schuler

Ft. Zumwalt R-II

Intentional Learning Cohorts and Critical Friends mp4

Tuesday June 2, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Theatre A - Evans Commons 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

ignite culture innovate leadership

1:00pm CDT

12 Big Questions School Must Answer to Imagine Irresistible Futures

Tuesday June 2, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

Dunseth Auditorioum

This session offers a guided exploration of the 2025 ebook release on the 12 Big Questions, following the popular 9 BIG Questions Schools Must Answer to Avoid Going "Back to Normal" (*Because "Normal" Wasn't That Great to Begin With) by Homa Tavangar and Will Richardson. The big questions are being used as a provocation to drive meaningful and fearless inquiry around school change and efficacy in the midst of volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) conditions in the world and in education. Through probing, interactive activities we will audit and explore questions such as What is Learning? Why Do We ______? and Who is Unheard? as well as the three new questions: What is Your Story? What is Success? and What is Your Legacy? Embarking on a systematic interrogation of key questions, our “why” becomes clearer, to unlock new “how’s” for steering schools through crisis and uncertainty.

Speakers

Homa Tavangar

Cofounder, Big Questions Institute

Homa Tavanger is the co-founder of the Big Questions Institute and the Oneness Lab.She brings 30+ years’ experience helping diverse organizations and individuals to build cultural, racial and global competence, strategic governance, and visionary, generative leadership in diverse schools and organizations. She coaches leaders on accountability for equity... Read More →

Tuesday June 2, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
Dunseth Auditorioum

ignite culture leadership wellness

Dynamic Theme Exploration

2:00pm CDT

Phenomena That Spark Learning: Bringing K-12 Science to Life with Inquiry and the Discovery Education Ecosystem

Tuesday June 2, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT

Discovery Room - 233

Learn why anchoring science instruction in phenomena leads to deeper understanding, stronger sensemaking and NGSS-aligned learning experiences.

Engage in hands-on exploration of multiple phenomena routines—modeling Notice/Wonder, prediction cycles, data interactions and evidence-based explanation—using real examples from Mystery Science, Science Techbook and our K–5 NGSS resources.

Apply these routines to create meaningful, curiosity-driven learning moments and use digital tools that make high‑quality science instruction easier and more efficient.

PD Partners

John David Son

Regional VP, John David Son

Tuesday June 2, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Discovery Room - 233

ignite innovate design culture technology

Dynamic Theme Exploration

2:00pm CDT

Think Like a Futurist

Tuesday June 2, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT

Dunseth Auditorioum

The future isn’t something we predict; it’s what we create. Futurists from some of the most prestigious research institutions tap into particular tools like sense-making imagination infrastructures, urgent optimism and evidence-based imagination. Learn how these can help make you not only a better leader, but also a more hopeful one.

Speakers

Homa Tavangar

Cofounder, Big Questions Institute

Tuesday June 2, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Dunseth Auditorioum

ignite leadership culture

Dynamic Theme Exploration

3:00pm CDT

The Discovery Education Help Desk: Ask. Explore. Solve.

Tuesday June 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm CDT

Discovery Room - 233

Learn practical, personalized solutions to your instructional questions across math, science and social studies.

Engage in a flexible, conversational Q/A experience with subject‑matter expert(s) who can offer guidance, model strategies and explore challenges one‑on‑one or in a small‑group setting.

Gain tailored strategies and optional digital resources discussed to improve instruction in ways that fit your unique classroom needs.

PD Partners

John David Son

Regional VP, John David Son

Tuesday June 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm CDT
Discovery Room - 233

spark innovate technology leadership culture

Dynamic Theme Exploration

3:00pm CDT

The SchoolAI Campfire

Tuesday June 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm CDT

schoolai Room - 137

Learn how educators are putting AI into practice right now, what's landing and what still needs work. Come ready to learn and engage with fellow educators who are navigating the same real-world AI questions and challenges. This is a space for honest conversation about what AI is doing in real classrooms, what's working, what's hard and what's still uncertain.

Engage in a relaxed, open roundtable where there are no slides and no agenda, just real conversation. Share what you built or experienced today, ask the questions you didn't get to ask in a session and connect with fellow educators navigating the same AI journey you are.

Apply the ideas, connections and insights that surface in the room to your own context. Whether you leave with a new idea to try with schoolai, a clearer question to explore or simply a sense that you are not alone in this work, the campfire is where the day's learning lands.

Speakers

Tarah Tesmer

Senior Educational Strategist, SchoolAI

Tuesday June 2, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm CDT
schoolai Room - 137

spark innovate belonging culture wellness

Dynamic Theme Essentials

10:00am CDT

From Any Web Page to a Learning Experience

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

schoolai Room - 137

Learn how the schoolai Browser Extension brings an AI co-teacher into every tab. Explore three core capabilities: rubric-aligned feedback in Docs, instant lesson materials from any web page, and personalized student learning experiences without switching tools. Examine how revision history reveals the full story of student thinking and how Spaces connect to Mission Control for real-time insight.

Engage in a live demo of the extension in action across real classroom scenarios. Experience how any web page can instantly become a lesson, assessment, or translated resource. See how Mission Control surfaces student progress and next steps directly within your workflow.

Apply the extension to streamline feedback, planning, and differentiation. Provide rubric-aligned feedback faster, transform existing resources into ready-to-use materials, and monitor student learning in real time—all without leaving your current workflow.

Speakers

Tarah Tesmer

Senior Educational Strategist, SchoolAI

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
schoolai Room - 137

ignite innovate Elevate technology design culture

Dynamic Theme Exploration

10:00am CDT

Interactive Learning to Promote Critical Thinking and Student Voice

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am CDT

RM 217

Learn how to foster future leaders by using interactive learning activities that promote critical thinking and amplify student voice. Explore strategies that help students evaluate evidence, support opinions, solve problems, and think analytically. Examine research- and project-based practices that maximize engagement across all content areas.

Engage in reflection and discussion around implementing critical thinking and student-centered strategies. Explore examples, share ideas, and consider ways to make learning experiences more interactive and meaningful for students.

Apply critical thinking and student voice strategies to your own lessons and content areas. Design engaging tasks that encourage problem solving, evidence-based reasoning, and analytical thinking, ready for immediate classroom use.

Speakers

Kendra Vaughn

Reading Specialist and EdPlus Innovate Presenter

Interactive Learning to Promote Critical Thinking and Student Voice mp4

Wednesday June 3, 2026 10:00am - 11:15am CDT
RM 217 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

launch culture leadership innovate

1:00pm CDT

Small Steps: Scaffolding Skills Across Classrooms

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT

RM 136

Learn how task analysis helps break complex academic, behavioral and life skills into clear, manageable steps. Explore instructional strategies that reduce cognitive overload, increase access and promote student independence across content areas. Examine how modeling, visuals and scaffolds support successful skill development.

Engage in shared exploration of task analysis through discussion, reflection and optional hands-on learning. Experience how breaking a process into steps clarifies instruction and supports diverse learners.

Apply task analysis strategies to identify points of overload and redesign instruction for greater clarity and access. Use modeling, visuals and scaffolds to teach skills step-by-step across classrooms, fine arts, practical life, PE and special education. Create actionable plans that increase engagement, reduce frustration and support successful task completion.

Speakers

Bryson Reid

Instructional Coach and Art Teacher, Premier Charter School

Bryson Reid is a teacher, instructional coach, and doctoral candidate passionate about the power of the extracurricular environment and restorative practices. Currently, Reid’s research is focused on student engagement, school culture, and fine arts and sciences advocacy. In her... Read More →

Small Steps Scaffolding Skills Across Classrooms mp4

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm CDT
RM 136 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

ignite culture design innovate

1:00pm CDT

Experiential Learning: Sparking Engagement and Innovation

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:00pm - 2:15pm CDT

RM 217

Learn how research on experiential learning, motivation and neuroscience connects to increased joy, relevance and student ownership. Explore learning approaches, from low-prep, high-impact entry points to longer-term designs that deepen community connection and shared responsibility for learning.

Engage in collaborative reflection and analyze learning examples across multiple content areas to uncover what makes these experiences powerful and replicable. Reimagine your own instructional practices through guided design time.

Apply learning principles by drafting an initial ExL design aligned to instructional goals and student needs. Gain a flexible framework to use in designing future experiential learning.

Speakers

Kerry Arens

Chelsea Center Coordinator, Webster Groves School District

Kerry Arens is a connector, creative problem-solver, systems designer, & coach of learners in the classroom and beyond. Kerry spent her first ten years in education as an English teacher in Parkway and Kirkwood School Districts. Her passion for working alongside her colleagues to increase student... Read More →

Experiential Learning Sparking Engagement and Innovation mp4

Wednesday June 3, 2026 1:00pm - 2:15pm CDT
RM 217 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

launch culture design innovate

2:00pm CDT

What We Notice Matters: Implicit Bias in the Classroom

Wednesday June 3, 2026 2:00pm - 2:25pm CDT

RM 121

Learn the foundations of bias and implicit bias, including how lived experiences such as family, schooling, media and professional environments shape perceptions. Explore why implicit bias is a common cognitive process rather than a moral failing and how it shows up in classrooms, especially for students from underrepresented groups. Examine research-informed strategies to recognize and reduce bias.

Engage in reflection and shared exploration to deepen understanding of how bias influences thinking and interactions. Participate in collaborative learning that surfaces perspectives, builds awareness and connects concepts to classroom practice.

Apply practical strategies such as mindfulness, empathetic communication, cross-group relationships and accountability to interrupt bias. Use bias-aware practices to create more inclusive learning environments and foster classroom cultures grounded in curiosity, representation and growth.

Speakers

Anissa Williams

What We Notice Matters Implicit Bias in the Classroom mp4

Wednesday June 3, 2026 2:00pm - 2:25pm CDT
RM 121 209 S Kingshighway St, St Charles, MO 63301

spark culture leadership innovate

2:00pm CDT

From Lecture to Thinking: Decentering the Classroom

Wednesday June 3, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT

RM 243

Learn how to shift from teacher-centered to student-thinking classrooms using vertical non-permanent surfaces, randomized groups and inquiry-driven tasks. Explore how AI can transform traditional lessons into dynamic thinking activities across content areas.

Engage in a live micro-model of a thinking classroom by working in groups to solve an inquiry task. Explore how AI can accelerate the creation of student-centered work.

Apply a structured launch sequence to decenter your classroom. Gain a framework to transform existing lessons into thinking tasks that can be implemented immediately across content areas.

Speakers