Session Descriptions
Topic: IEP Writing and Development (Full Morning 8-11) Note: this is repeated in the PM as well.
Presenter: Dr. Allan Blume
Best For: Pre-K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume
Presenter: Dr. Allan Blume
Best For: Pre-K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume
Building a Strong Foundation-Early Number (Full Morning 8-11)
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: K-2
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore some of the critical big ideas that students need to understand in order to build a strong foundation in number, addition and subtraction. We will look at examples of visual models, routines, problems and tasks/games that relate to some of these big ideas and essential understandings. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: K-2
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore some of the critical big ideas that students need to understand in order to build a strong foundation in number, addition and subtraction. We will look at examples of visual models, routines, problems and tasks/games that relate to some of these big ideas and essential understandings. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
Playing, Winning and Scoring Higher Order Thinking Skills Through Math Games and Activities
Presenter: Dr. Christine Moynihan, Teachers 21 (Full Morning 8-11)
Best For: 4-8
Description: Too often games are considered to be “nice” add-ons if there is time. Games and other such activities, however, can and do offer the opportunity to engage students of all levels in ways that capture their interest, strengthen their understanding, take them to higher levels of deductive reasoning and logical thinking, and accentuate the Common Core Mathematical Practices. Participants will play a variety of games and engage in multiple activities that will allow them to:
Presenter: Dr. Christine Moynihan, Teachers 21 (Full Morning 8-11)
Best For: 4-8
Description: Too often games are considered to be “nice” add-ons if there is time. Games and other such activities, however, can and do offer the opportunity to engage students of all levels in ways that capture their interest, strengthen their understanding, take them to higher levels of deductive reasoning and logical thinking, and accentuate the Common Core Mathematical Practices. Participants will play a variety of games and engage in multiple activities that will allow them to:
- Detect evidence of the Mathematical Practices within games
- Explore the central role games can play in fostering higher order thinking skills
- Explore the central role games can play in mathematics teaching and learning
- Enhance their familiarity with varied games and activities
- Expand their awareness of how to integrate games into instruction
CPR Refresher Training
Presenter: Jim Huth
Best for: All
Description: Learn how to respond to cardiac and breathing emergencies in adults, including the use of AEDs. This is a refresher training.
Presenter: Jim Huth
Best for: All
Description: Learn how to respond to cardiac and breathing emergencies in adults, including the use of AEDs. This is a refresher training.
Classroom Management
Presenter: Tara Barrows
Best For: K-6 teachers and specialists
Description: The workshop will be an overview of how to use ClassDojo to promote strong classroom management and parent communication. Additionally, Music Cues will be introduced--an app that lets teachers assign music to desired behaviors, such as unpacking in the morning and coming to the carpet, which helps students with transitions. Participants will leave feeling confident using Class Dojo, Music Cues, and Class Cards.
Presenter: Tara Barrows
Best For: K-6 teachers and specialists
Description: The workshop will be an overview of how to use ClassDojo to promote strong classroom management and parent communication. Additionally, Music Cues will be introduced--an app that lets teachers assign music to desired behaviors, such as unpacking in the morning and coming to the carpet, which helps students with transitions. Participants will leave feeling confident using Class Dojo, Music Cues, and Class Cards.
Using WhiteBoards for Collaborative Learning
Presenter: Heather Waterman
Best For: 4-12 Teachers
Description: Using whiteboards actively in class turns the focus away from the teacher to the student. It allows for student presentations to be an integrated and quick part of almost any lesson. It also allows for brainstorm activities to be an introduction or conclusion to any lesson/unit. Participants will learn how to teach different ways of using white boards collaboratively. They will also learn how to use the iPad as a way to catalog and share whiteboard work by students. This will support special education inclusion at all levels. Earth Science Example. Physics Example.
Presenter: Heather Waterman
Best For: 4-12 Teachers
Description: Using whiteboards actively in class turns the focus away from the teacher to the student. It allows for student presentations to be an integrated and quick part of almost any lesson. It also allows for brainstorm activities to be an introduction or conclusion to any lesson/unit. Participants will learn how to teach different ways of using white boards collaboratively. They will also learn how to use the iPad as a way to catalog and share whiteboard work by students. This will support special education inclusion at all levels. Earth Science Example. Physics Example.
Topic: IEP Writing and Development (Full morning)
Presenter: Dr. Allan Blume
Best For: Pre-K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume.
Presenter: Dr. Allan Blume
Best For: Pre-K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume.
Building a Strong Foundation-Early Number (Full Morning)
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: K-2 teachers
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore some of the critical big ideas that students need to understand in order to build a strong foundation in number, addition and subtraction. We will look at examples of visual models, routines, problems and tasks/games that relate to some of these big ideas and essential understandings. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: K-2 teachers
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore some of the critical big ideas that students need to understand in order to build a strong foundation in number, addition and subtraction. We will look at examples of visual models, routines, problems and tasks/games that relate to some of these big ideas and essential understandings. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
Playing, Winning and Scoring Higher Order Thinking Skills Through Math Games and Activities
(Full Morning)
Presenter: Dr. Christine Moynihan, Teachers 21
Best For: 4-8
Description: Too often games are considered to be “nice” add-ons if there is time. Games and other such activities, however, can and do offer the opportunity to engage students of all levels in ways that capture their interest, strengthen their understanding, take them to higher levels of deductive reasoning and logical thinking, and accentuate the Common Core Mathematical Practices. Participants will play a variety of games and engage in multiple activities that will allow them to:
(Full Morning)
Presenter: Dr. Christine Moynihan, Teachers 21
Best For: 4-8
Description: Too often games are considered to be “nice” add-ons if there is time. Games and other such activities, however, can and do offer the opportunity to engage students of all levels in ways that capture their interest, strengthen their understanding, take them to higher levels of deductive reasoning and logical thinking, and accentuate the Common Core Mathematical Practices. Participants will play a variety of games and engage in multiple activities that will allow them to:
- Detect evidence of the Mathematical Practices within games
- Explore the central role games can play in fostering higher order thinking skills
- Explore the central role games can play in mathematics teaching and learning
- Enhance their familiarity with varied games and activities
- Expand their awareness of how to integrate games into instruction
Formative Assessment with Notability
Presenters: Emma Hensler and Dale Kasal
Best For: This is an intermediate/advanced technology session appropriate for all subject areas.
Description: Throw away those paper copies! This session is designed to give users the tools to use Notability as aw ay to give written and verbal feedback to students. The session will be divided into two parts:
Presenters: Emma Hensler and Dale Kasal
Best For: This is an intermediate/advanced technology session appropriate for all subject areas.
Description: Throw away those paper copies! This session is designed to give users the tools to use Notability as aw ay to give written and verbal feedback to students. The session will be divided into two parts:
- Workflow and methods will be modeled using Notability, Google Classroom and Edmodo
- Practice and troubleshooting
Smore-A Digital/Professional Flyer
Presenter: Marie Brigham
Best For: K-12
Description: Smore is a great tool that can be used to create presentations, newsletters, projects, etc. It provides an easy way to deliver instruction, communicate with parents, and assess learning. It is an easy way to flip your classroom! Participants will understand various applications of the tool. They will learn how to import sound cloud clips, videos from an iPhone through Vimeo, still images and text. Participants will create a flyer that is content focused and technology rich.
Presenter: Marie Brigham
Best For: K-12
Description: Smore is a great tool that can be used to create presentations, newsletters, projects, etc. It provides an easy way to deliver instruction, communicate with parents, and assess learning. It is an easy way to flip your classroom! Participants will understand various applications of the tool. They will learn how to import sound cloud clips, videos from an iPhone through Vimeo, still images and text. Participants will create a flyer that is content focused and technology rich.
STEM Challenges Across the Curriculum
Presenter: Robert Waltz
Best For: 8-12 teachers in all areas
Description: This workshop will help participants understand what makes an effective STEM challenge. Additionally, it will focus on how appropriate STEM challenges can have add to non-STEM areas as well. Participants will learn how working with simple materials through a challenge can bring about deeper understandings.
Presenter: Robert Waltz
Best For: 8-12 teachers in all areas
Description: This workshop will help participants understand what makes an effective STEM challenge. Additionally, it will focus on how appropriate STEM challenges can have add to non-STEM areas as well. Participants will learn how working with simple materials through a challenge can bring about deeper understandings.
Creating Quality Curriculum for Student Learning
Presenter: Maureen Cohen
Best For: K-12
Description: Looking to develop curriculum that is aligned, cohesive, rigorous, and engages all students? This workshop will provide participants with how to effectively write quality curriculum. Specifically, participants will learn how to create essential questions, enduring understandings, content and skills statements that are aligned to standards and can become exemplars for others. Participants will have time to develop high quality units with assistance and collaboration with the facilitator.
Presenter: Maureen Cohen
Best For: K-12
Description: Looking to develop curriculum that is aligned, cohesive, rigorous, and engages all students? This workshop will provide participants with how to effectively write quality curriculum. Specifically, participants will learn how to create essential questions, enduring understandings, content and skills statements that are aligned to standards and can become exemplars for others. Participants will have time to develop high quality units with assistance and collaboration with the facilitator.
Topic: IEP Writing and Development (Full Afternoon)
Presenter: Dr. Allan Blume
Best For: K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume.
Presenter: Dr. Allan Blume
Best For: K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume.
Fractions (Full Afternoon)
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: 3-5 teachers
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore ideas that help students build a strong “fraction sense”. We will focus on the use of visual models, and critical ideas that we want students to understand. The progression of these ideas within the new standards will be discussed. Participants will engage in tasks and problems where they use reasoning strategies and models. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and allow teachers to plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: 3-5 teachers
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore ideas that help students build a strong “fraction sense”. We will focus on the use of visual models, and critical ideas that we want students to understand. The progression of these ideas within the new standards will be discussed. Participants will engage in tasks and problems where they use reasoning strategies and models. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and allow teachers to plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
Formative Assessment: Using Rubrics for Feedback with Google Forms
Best For: K-12, all levels of technology users and subject areas
Presenters: Emma Hensler and Dale Kasal
Description: Flip your thinking about using forms for assessment! In this session, participants will learn how to convert rubrics into forms and use the email features to send feedback to students. Participants will also learn how to analyze this collected data to inform their students' progress and their own teaching practice.
Best For: K-12, all levels of technology users and subject areas
Presenters: Emma Hensler and Dale Kasal
Description: Flip your thinking about using forms for assessment! In this session, participants will learn how to convert rubrics into forms and use the email features to send feedback to students. Participants will also learn how to analyze this collected data to inform their students' progress and their own teaching practice.
Assessment Design: Authentic, Informative Assessments for Learning
Best For: K-12
Presenter: Maureen Cohen
Description: How do we use assessments to inform our instruction? Participants will learn the principles of creating quality assessments that are valid, reliable, and information rich. Using the Understanding by Design model as a guide, participants will create an authentic performance assessment for their classrooms. Participants are asked to bring a few sample ideas or assessments to work with.
Best For: K-12
Presenter: Maureen Cohen
Description: How do we use assessments to inform our instruction? Participants will learn the principles of creating quality assessments that are valid, reliable, and information rich. Using the Understanding by Design model as a guide, participants will create an authentic performance assessment for their classrooms. Participants are asked to bring a few sample ideas or assessments to work with.
Topic: IEP Writing and Development (Full Afternoon 11:30-2:30)
Best For: K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume.
Best For: K-12 Special Educators
Description: Bring sample IEPs with names redacted. It will be an open forum on challenges and successes with IEP writing/development with support from Dr. Blume.
Fractions (Full Afternoon 11:30-2:30)
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: 3-5 teachers
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore ideas that help students build a strong “fraction sense”. We will focus on the use of visual models, and critical ideas that we want students to understand. The progression of these ideas within the new standards will be discussed. Participants will engage in tasks and problems where they use reasoning strategies and models. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and allow teachers to plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
Presenter: Cheryl Condon, Looney Math Consulting
Best For: 3-5 teachers
Description: In this workshop, participants will explore ideas that help students build a strong “fraction sense”. We will focus on the use of visual models, and critical ideas that we want students to understand. The progression of these ideas within the new standards will be discussed. Participants will engage in tasks and problems where they use reasoning strategies and models. Teachers will discuss implications for instruction and allow teachers to plan next steps for their own classrooms. There will be opportunities to make connections to MA Curriculum Frameworks.
CPR Refresher Training
Presenter: Jim Huth
Best for: All
Description: Learn how to respond to cardiac and breathing emergencies in adults, including the use of AEDs. This is a refresher training.
Presenter: Jim Huth
Best for: All
Description: Learn how to respond to cardiac and breathing emergencies in adults, including the use of AEDs. This is a refresher training.
Special Education Testing: What Does It All Mean?
Presenter: Amanda Farley
Best For: K-4
During the workshop, participants will review standard scores, their means and standard deviations as they relate to the standardized testing that we complete through the special education eligibility process and/or the three year re-evaluation process in order to further develop understanding of 'average scores' as they pertain to each test. In addition, participants will spend time understanding the different subtests of tools commonly used at the elementary level for testing (WIAT, WISC, BASC, CELF, CTOPP, GFTA, VMI Bruinicks)
Presenter: Amanda Farley
Best For: K-4
During the workshop, participants will review standard scores, their means and standard deviations as they relate to the standardized testing that we complete through the special education eligibility process and/or the three year re-evaluation process in order to further develop understanding of 'average scores' as they pertain to each test. In addition, participants will spend time understanding the different subtests of tools commonly used at the elementary level for testing (WIAT, WISC, BASC, CELF, CTOPP, GFTA, VMI Bruinicks)
Explain Everything
Presenter: Anthony Amitrano
Best For: 5-12 teachers
Description: This workshop will be a brief overview and reminder of Explain Everything functionality. Then teachers will have time to work independently or in small groups on classroom implementation.
Presenter: Anthony Amitrano
Best For: 5-12 teachers
Description: This workshop will be a brief overview and reminder of Explain Everything functionality. Then teachers will have time to work independently or in small groups on classroom implementation.
CPR Refresher Training
Presenter: Jim Huth
Best for: All
Description: Learn how to respond to cardiac and breathing emergencies in adults, including the use of AEDs. This is a refresher training.
Presenter: Jim Huth
Best for: All
Description: Learn how to respond to cardiac and breathing emergencies in adults, including the use of AEDs. This is a refresher training.