"I wish I could go back to second grade, so Mr. Bonner could be my teacher," were the words Ellen Degeneres released on her social media accounts to 50+ million followers. This is when she learned of how Mr. Bonner's mind capturing teaching methods encouraged students to go above... Read More →
Thursday August 5, 2021 9:00am - 10:15am CDT
Ballroom
How can districts use a systematic approach to align priorities AND improve teacher efficacy and student achievement? Join Republic Schools to learn how they utilized professional learning communities and principles of continuous quality improvement to streamline initiatives and create a culture of learning and growth. Participants will: Identify key components of systemic and systematic change. Examine how PLC can be the venue for district wide improvement. Gain ideas on how to align priorities and initiatives in order to build both leader and teacher capacity.
So, what is arts integration? Arts integration is instruction that connects content and skills from the arts and other subject areas. This approach allows students to deepen their mastery of each subject and skills like creative problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking.This session unpacks the basic ideas pertaining to arts integration and gives you the opportunity to uncover the characteristics of quality integration. In addition, the session includes participation in arts-integrated lessons and examines how arts-integrated instruction aligns with current learning principles and best practice.
Beginning teachers, do you ever feel like your lessons are a failure and you will never be as successful as other teachers? Or do you feel like your efforts are worthless, and you want to give up? We have all felt that way at some point and teaching yourself to have a growth mindset can make all the difference! At the end of the presentation participants will understand the difference between a fixed and growth mindset, why failure is essential for teachers to grow and that it is just as important to model a growth mindset as it is to teach it.
Each time we enroll English Learner newcomers, we can feel overwhelmed by the monumental challenge of meeting their needs. And just imagine the sense of overwhelm EL newcomers feel when they arrive in our classrooms. This discussion will focus on practices to help us understand the needs of EL newcomers, how to facilitate their sense of belonging in our school communities, and how to help them access the curriculum. At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to implement practices and strategies to help EL newcomers feel safe, supported, and experience success in the PreK-12 school setting.
We are firm believers that play is the work of childhood. After extensive research about the benefits of play in early childhood development, we have implemented multiple strategies in our primary classrooms. We have used Morning Meetings, Oral Language Play Centers, flexible scheduling, and added opportunities for unstructured play to ensure the growth of the whole child. In this session, you will see examples of Morning Meeting topics, Cooperative Learning strategies, Oral Language Play Center ideas and rubrics to assess social emotional development, along with sample schedules for implementation.
Retaining and developing quality teacher leaders is crucial to innovation and success at John Thomas School of Discovery. In this session, we will review current beliefs about teacher leadership, and then explore practices used at JTSD to develop strong leaders within our building. We will highlight our professional development practices, instructional methods, and partnerships. Participants in this session will walk away with a teacher development plan that will help nurture the teacher leaders in their own building.
Through the use anecdotal evidence, statistical evidence, humor and introspection, this interactive session will dive into helping participants understand the factors which cause students to drop out of school. Classroom management techniques, along with some instructional practices, will be discussed that can help disrupt student pathways that lead to dropping out. At the end of this session, participants will be able to identify the three beginning stages of dropping out and will also have new strategies in their toolboxes to help keep students in school. Spoiler alert: It all starts with building relationships.
I have been in education since 1994 and even after all of those years, I still love what I do. While I am currently an assistant principal at Camdenton High School, I was an English teacher for the first 19 years of my career and a soccer and basketball coach as well. I have been... Read More →
Thursday August 5, 2021 10:45am - 11:30am CDT
Short Creek 4
Let’s talk about what goes on behind the curtain to make sure Canvas works smoothly for your District. Join us for an organic discussion on serving as a Canvas Admin. We can discuss user management, the new Canvas for Elementary feature, what external apps are proving worth the install, tips and best practices, and other topics raised by the group.
Nathan Dingman, District Instructional Technology Coach.Nathan works with teachers to improve the use of technology in their classrooms from K-12. Nathan has presented at Greenbush Technology Summit in Girard, Kansas, at MOREnet 2017 the Missouri State Conference hosted by Morenet... Read More →
Room location: directly to the right when you enter the doors from the parking lot before you get to the ballroom.
Thursday August 5, 2021 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT
Ballroom Conference Roomdirectly to the right when you enter the doors from the parking lot before you get to the ballroom
This session will provide speed geeking opportunities of learning about Simon Sinek's Finding Your Why, providing effective feedback during coaching cycles, and building relationships with teachers. We will also host a ed camp style discussion based on various topics from participants.
We all have had students who have experienced trauma. While we can’t control the negative effects of trauma on the brain, we can heal trauma done to students' brains! Knowing that students spend half of their waking hours at school, we can offer a calm, clear, structured environment to support brain recovery and growth. In this session, we will explore strategies for connecting, coping, and calming for our most difficult students. We will also explore tips and tricks for teacher wellness as we navigate stress from secondary trauma.
Kindergarten is a time for academic growth, as well as social/emotional growth for students. When implementing play and play-based lessons into classrooms, educators provide higher engagement and deeper understanding of content while still addressing state and district requirements. Join our roundtable session for a discussion on how to incorporate different types of play into the classroom, even when educators’ hands feel tied on creative freedom due to requirements and expectations! Let’s share what we are doing in our classrooms for play-based learning, and gather new resources and ideas from others.
“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.” (R. Buckminster Fuller) Discover ways that Canvas can increase student engagement, motivation, and achievement. We will discuss how content + context + pedagogy + technology = increased engagement. This is more about instructional practices than the functionality of Canvas.
Retaining and developing quality teacher leaders is crucial to innovation and success at John Thomas School of Discovery. In this session, we will review current beliefs about teacher leadership, and then explore practices used at JTSD to develop strong leaders within our building. We will highlight our professional development practices, instructional methods, and partnerships. Participants in this session will walk away with a teacher development plan that will help nurture the teacher leaders in their own building.
It is inevitable that teachers will encounter students with complex trauma, toxic stress, and/or defiant behaviors in the classroom. Without warning, the world can quickly turn upside down! However, teachers can learn to engage these students intentionally, through caring, transparent communication. This fosters a strong rapport that leads to greater trust, empathy, understanding, and ultimately student/teacher success! This session will focus on six steps teachers can take to engage challenging students/situations, and guide them to a place of successful communication and rapport. Please join me to make your classroom and school a better place. See you there!
My background as a Youthcare Specialist at The Good Samaritan Boys Ranch has played a fundamental role in my approach to teaching. As a member of the Willard Success Program teaching team, I strive to hone my abilities in regards to student engagement, rapport, de-escalation, and... Read More →
Thursday August 5, 2021 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT
Short Creek 3
Through the use of anecdotal evidence, statistical evidence, humor, and introspection, this interactive session will dive into helping participants understand the factors which cause students to drop out of school. Classroom management techniques, along with some instructional practices, will be discussed that can help disrupt student pathways that lead to dropping out. At the end of this session, participants will be able to identify the three beginning stages of dropping out and will also have new strategies in their toolboxes to help keep students in school. Spoiler alert: It all starts with building relationships.
I have been in education since 1994 and even after all of those years, I still love what I do. While I am currently an assistant principal at Camdenton High School, I was an English teacher for the first 19 years of my career and a soccer and basketball coach as well. I have been... Read More →
Thursday August 5, 2021 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT
Short Creek 1
Visual Arts Dept. Head, 3D Art Instructor, Nixa High
Ryan Widel has been teaching HS Art for 16 years at Nixa. He has his Masters in Secondary Education and Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. Ryan is currently the Visual Arts department head at Nixa and the 2020 recipient of the United States Society for Education through... Read More →
Thursday August 5, 2021 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT
Fall Creek
To qualify as a Model PLC, a district must: Demonstrate a commitment to PLC at Work® concepts, Implement those concepts for at least three years, and Present clear evidence of improved student learning. Join representatives from Republic and learn about the application process to become a PLC Model District. Questions are welcome!
Are you building a culture of coaching at a middle or high school? Whether you’re new to this journey or have years of experience, this session will serve you well. The conversation will focus on building trusting relationships, creating interest in one-on-one coaching, comparing coaching strategies and methods, and maximizing support to leaders and teachers. Those who join in this roundtable will leave with a wider coaching network, a deeper understanding of the role of coaches at the secondary level, and strategies for building buy-in for a coaching program.
An “Active Classroom” uses purposeful movement to maximize learning and engage ALL learners. This fun active session will provide: 1. WHY an “Active Classroom” is important for you and your students. 2. WHAT an "Active Classroom" looks like. 3. HOW to use “Active Classroom” strategies without losing instructional minutes. 4. Teacher friendly strategies and digital resources to implement right away. The “Active Classroom” strategies have been teacher, student, and administrator tested. At the end of this session, you will leave with the confidence and tools to implement “Active Classroom” strategies to maximize learning for ALL learners!
From Kindergarten to Twelfth grade, every student in your class is a language leaner. Many of the resources and supports used for English Language Learners are useful for all language learners. Come review various resources and supports to better prepare yourself and your team to support all langauge learners, from newly introduced to English to someone who has spoke English their whole life.
Strong relationships prevent misbehavior and disrespect because students are more likely to follow rules if they have a robust connection with their teachers. Indeed, positive relationships with caring adults are essential to creating strong school and classroom cultures. Professional development that strengthens educators’ social-emotional skills can create happier, healthier classrooms and schools, and address discipline disparities. This session will provide teachers with various strategies of establishing routines & procedures early on while building positive relationships with students.
Instructional Technology Coach, Logan-Rogersville High School
Hello! I am so excited to meet all of you and am so thankful for the opportunity to learn from you!I have just finished my 7th year of teaching and coaching volleyball, and am excited to be beginning my 1st year of instructional coaching.My core values are growth, authenticity, and... Read More →
Thursday August 5, 2021 2:00pm - 2:45pm CDT
Short Creek 3
Moving from one-sentence science standards to the new MLS standards can be mind-numbing. In this session, participants learn how our school highlights 21st century skills and scientific literacy through the implementation of the MLS. Participants will develop a better understanding of the three-dimensionality of the standards, as well as how they can benefit them across the curriculum. We will walk through our curriculum development process and dive into what this type of instruction looks like in real classrooms. This workshop is geared towards educators looking to deepen their science instruction to create lifelong learners.
How much do you know about EVERY student you have? Who are the "invisible" students--those who might not immediately stand out as needing connection? Discover resources and network with other educators to ensure that every one of your students is seen and valued.
The PersonBrain Model is a powerful, trauma-informed care training that is strengths-based and provides essential positive behavior support skills within a NeuroTransactional Model. The NeuroTransactional care approach is grounded in research and incorporates the best of practical brain-based concepts, trauma-informed theories, relational practices, ecological psychology and culturally-responsive interventions to help transform challenging behaviors. The presenters will provide an introduction to this model and its principles and strategies.
Director of Youth Training and Consultation, Burrell
Dr. Sara Wilson is a licensed psychologist who has been practicing in Southwest Missouri since 2011. She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology in 2010 and doctoral degree in 2012, both from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. Dr. Wilson worked in private practice... Read More →
Canvas has a ton of features and it can get overwhelming for students and teachers. In this session, you will learn how to implement organizational techniques to leverage all of the power of Canvas for your classroom. These techniques will make Canvas easier to use for both students and teachers.
Are your students engaged in their learning or just going through the motions? In this interactive session you will learn the difference between true engagement and strategic compliance. Participants will walk away from this presentation with easy-to-implement strategies and resources that can be used with any content, at any level. Keep your students hooked and boost their achievement!
This session will dive deep into the difference between Interventions and Universal Tools. We will walk through the process of selecting the correct interventions, SMART goals, and data collection to launch student learning into the next level!
Join the College of the Ozarks Teacher Preparation program for a Sip and Share. Conversations will explore grit and longevity in the profession. You bring your expertise and experience as a Teacher of Professional Practice "TOPP Teacher," we will supply the ice TEA and snacks. Your valued insight will be used to support our continued commitment to "Faithfully prepare educators for their purpose: Whenever, Wherever, Whatever." All attendees will receive a CofO student-made product and a myriad of ideas to foster longeviTEA.
The Houston R-1 School District has implemented a new curriculum development process. Developing curriculum and assessment capable learners is a never-ending cycle that requires consistent editing and monitoring. While we are only at the start of our program, this new way of approaching curriculum development has received very positive feedback from teachers and administrators. This session will provide information on the design process we are using, including special considerations of the process, teacher and administrator buy-in, special education, and how all content areas are involved. This process is an essential foundation to developing assessment capable learners.
How do you lead continuous improvement of instruction and assessment practices to ensure an effective instructional program? Experience how Sherwood Elementary School measures the impact of site professional learning to increase the capacity of educators. Find out how levels of student learning are increased through the alignment of professional learning communities, teacher evaluation, reflection, coaching and consulting.
In this session we will explore how we setup our project based learning classroom, the benefits and challenges, and community connections our students have made. Our program, Sentrepact (Student Entrepreneurs in Action), uses project based learning in a year long project which has a real impact on our community. Sentrepact students will share their experience, struggles, and successes.
All educators know how important literacy is for students, but are we all using reading comprehension strategies to help our students succeed? Isn't promoting literacy the responsibility of just English teachers? Come to this session to learn reading comprehension strategies that can be used across all content areas.
The PersonBrain Model is a powerful, trauma-informed care training that is strengths-based and provides essential positive behavior support skills within a NeuroTransactional Model. The NeuroTransactional care approach is grounded in research and incorporates the best of practical brain-based concepts, trauma-informed theories, relational practices, ecological psychology and culturally-responsive interventions to help transform challenging behaviors. The presenters will provide an introduction to this model and its principles and strategies. Part 1 is a pre-requisite to this session.
Director of Youth Training and Consultation, Burrell
Dr. Sara Wilson is a licensed psychologist who has been practicing in Southwest Missouri since 2011. She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology in 2010 and doctoral degree in 2012, both from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. Dr. Wilson worked in private practice... Read More →
We will cover tools and practices that helped support our students over this crazy year during this session. These tools work great for seated and virtual learning situations. It is not the "tool" that makes the difference; it is how you use them that makes the impact.
This session will cover effective practices for using Canvas with secondary students. We will explore the features of Canvas that help students navigate and use your course to help prevent student frustrations and time wasted in class with explaining how to use your course. This session will allow time for participants to share their best practices and ask questions so that we can all learn from each other..
This session will dive deep into the difference between Interventions and Universal Tools. We will walk through the process of selecting the correct interventions, SMART goals, and data collection to launch student learning into the next level!
Okay! So we can’t really fix the Internet, but we can provide you with tips and tricks for how to implement Digital Citizenship at the building and classroom level. Come with us as we travel into the Internet to take a look at ways we can help our students face today’s challenges and digital dilemmas to provide them with the skills they need to succeed as digital learners, leaders, and citizens for tomorrow.
Are you wondering how to foster self-regulation in your school setting? Participants in this collaborative session will explore both the adult and the student perspectives on this journey. Leave with practical ideas and fresh insights on being the thermostat of the room that sets your students up for self-regulation success.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” When students are struggling to understand a math concept, teaching the concept over and over isn’t going to work. Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) is a three-step approach to teaching math that can help all students, but especially those that have “holes” in their math understanding. In this session, you will learn the CRA basics and how to apply it in your classroom. The session is designed for K-6 teachers, but is applicable for middle and high school math teachers who work with struggling students.
For years the topic of effectively supporting new teachers has been seen as both a challenge but also a positive payoff for both the new teachers and those supporting them. Come learn one district’s journey to create a partnership with both its instructional support staff and site administrators to ensure success of Year 1 and Year 2 teachers. Also learn how site mentors and professional learning play a key part in support. Participants will gain information regarding professional learning, coaching support, and collaborative processes to support first and second year teachers.
Student agency is all about the student taking charge of their own learning. The student is doing the thinking, creating, collaborating, and communicating in ways that are meaningful to them. There are many components to consider when fostering student agency in your classroom. Join us in this session and walk away with resources, strategies, and ideas of how to build student agency in your classroom.
For as long as many of us can remember, classroom assessments have largely been pencil-and-paper tests with multiple-choice and open-response items. Ostensibly, they are supposed to capture how much students have learned. Yet research suggests that with 30 days, students forget as much as 90 percent of what they learn in our classrooms, which is not surprising given what we know about how our brains store and retrieve information in our long-term memories. During this session, you’ll learn practical methods for developing and using classroom-embedded performance assessments—authentic measures of learning built into regular classrooms—to tap into student curiosity, engage them in deep learning that sticks, and along the way, make learning more joyful and rewarding.
Bryan Goodwin is President & CEO of McREL International, a nonprofit organization that helpsschool systems across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Pacific, and Mideast transform to improve studentoutcomes. He has spoken to audiences worldwide worked and authored many books, includingBuilding... Read More →
Friday August 6, 2021 8:30am - 9:15am CDT
Roark Creek
Time, time, time! We never have enough hours in the day. In this session, we will explore a very simple method that supports teachers as they work to integrate content material into ELA class while addressing content, ELA and ISTE standards at the same time. These standards are asking teachers to integrate diverse media to help students gain meaning from multiple resources presented through various modalities. Using all FREE resources from the internet, the MILA (multimodal internet literacy application) Method will develop teachers' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge needed to address these new standards and make it easy, and intentional, to integrate content and save time!
This presentation offers several tips and tricks that will allow teachers to successfully design and deliver online courses in order to make sure all students have a chance to succeed. Using backwards design, teachers will learn ways to differentiate assessments and assignments in Canvas, give effective feedback, organize material so it’s clear and understandable, and be given ideas for online formatives to help make information stick in students’ minds. At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to implement strategies that will help them build and teach an online course that gives every student a chance to flourish.
It is inevitable that teachers will encounter students with complex trauma, toxic stress, and/or defiant behaviors in the classroom. Without warning, the world can quickly turn upside down! However, teachers can learn to engage these students intentionally, through caring, transparent communication. This fosters a strong rapport that leads to greater trust, empathy, understanding, and ultimately student/teacher success! This session will focus on six steps teachers can take to engage challenging students/situations, and guide them to a place of successful communication and rapport. Please join me to make your classroom and school a better place. See you there!
My background as a Youthcare Specialist at The Good Samaritan Boys Ranch has played a fundamental role in my approach to teaching. As a member of the Willard Success Program teaching team, I strive to hone my abilities in regards to student engagement, rapport, de-escalation, and... Read More →
Friday August 6, 2021 8:30am - 9:15am CDT
Short Creek 4
Are your students engaged in their learning or just going through the motions? In this interactive session you will learn the difference between true engagement and strategic compliance. Participants will walk away from this presentation with easy-to-implement strategies and resources that can be used with any content, at any level. Keep your students hooked and boost their achievement!
This session will cover topics for the educator that is just beginning the 1:1 journey and cover topics for those who have been 1:1 for a few years. We will learn how to handle housekeeping issues such as charging, accountability for devices, technology expectations and stakeholder buy-in. Then we will discuss ways to use technology to enhance the educational experience for students through apps, websites, and add-ons to the devices. Using Google classroom, docs, and slides to create classroom collaboration opportunities.
Children who have undergone trauma, or have experienced a high number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), are severly at risk for psychological, behavioral, and social-emotional problems. As educators, we are critical pieces to the puzzle that can lead to recovery for students of trauma, and at the very least, educate our staff to be trauma sensitive and informed. What’s the answer for these students? It might be as simple as, “Be the one."
Using the 5 Es (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate) participants will design a lesson around a concept from their content area. Each E will be modeled, then participants will collaborate to create that component around a concept that fits with their curriculum. Using the synergy of the group, all will leave with ideas that they can implement in their classroom.
Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) has an effect size equal to about four years of typical learning in one year. CTE and job satisfaction are positively correlated, and as they increase, so does student achievement! In this session, principals will learn how to measure the level of CTE in their building and learn about actions they can take to increase CTE in their own specific context (small elementary, large elementary, small secondary, large secondary). Current and aspiring leaders are welcome!
Your students use gifs to communicate constantly. They are getting a text, thinking about its meaning, analyzing an appropriate response, and then finding the perfect gif to respond. So this begs the question: why aren't you doing this in your classroom? In this session, you'll learn how to instantly spice up your lesson, use a different but effective means of formative assessment, and teach students how to make their own gifs that shows understanding and mastery of a topic WITHOUT requiring video editing expertise. Hit that top level of Bloom's every time, and gain strategies that you can use tomorrow.
Everyone knows that teaching is not for the faint of heart. The 2017 American Federation of Teachers Educator Quality of Life survey revealed 61% of teachers say they are stressed out and 58% report their mental health is “not good.” This session will explore a variety of ways teachers can prioritize self-care and reclaim time they may not even realize they are losing. Participants will gain specific tips and tricks that will help shift the perspective from FOMO (fear of missing out) to JOMO (joy of missing out).
Picture this: a student is at your reading table, stumped by the word “there” once again. You know you’ve taught this sight word before, so you wonder why it’s not “sticking” for this student. In this session, I will outline the science that shows how to teach sight words so ALL students will remember them. We will explore Dr. Kilpatrick’s research on orthographic mapping and learn about the Simple View of Reading. We will apply this knowledge to our instructional practice. By the end of this session, attendees will know the current science behind teaching sight words and have instructional activities ready to implement this research tomorrow!
I am a 2nd grade teacher in Republic, MO, with previous experience teaching kindergarten and first grade. I have a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, a master's degree in EL Instruction, and am currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Leadership, Curriculum, and Instruction... Read More →
Friday August 6, 2021 9:30am - 10:15am CDT
Cooper Creek 1
Playing games encourages strategic mathematical thinking as students find different strategies for solving problems. In this session, you will participate in some engaging math games that you can take back and use right away with your students.
Andrea Pullan currently serves Republic Schools as K-8 Numeracy Specialist. Fifteen of her 22 years in education have been spent within the Republic School System. She has been serving in her current role as a numeracy specialist for seven years. She supports curriculum work and provides... Read More →
Friday August 6, 2021 9:30am - 10:15am CDT
Short Creek 1
Do you have questions regarding Canvas? Are you curious about best practices in implementing Canvas into your classroom? Join us for a conversation with teachers who use Canvas in their classrooms daily. We will discuss topics such as design, organization, modules, quizzes, etc. Come with any questions as we will be hosting Q&A as well. This session will jump-start your Canvas usage into this new school year!
Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of 18 books... Read More →
Friday August 6, 2021 10:30am - 11:45am CDT
Ballroom
