In this interactive Café Session, four pre-service teacher candidates will each present a challenge they have faced in student teaching or in their clinicals and the instructional strategies they have developed and implemented to address these challenges. Student teachers, teacher candidates, teachers in their first few years of service, and experienced teachers who care about the struggles of novice teachers are encouraged to attend and share their ideas.
Blog Archives
Improve Vocabulary with Improv and Dialogue
Do you want your students to grow in their speaking abilities? What about writing and vocabulary usage? Then learn how to infuse improvisation strategies and one-act playwriting to improve speaking, meaningful tier 2 vocabulary speaking and writing usage, engagement, and creativity in our classrooms. Session attendees should bring their device to this session.
Roundtable Conversation on ELA Issues and Ideas
A diverse panel of educators from the Metro South District discuss current educational issues and ideas affecting English Language Arts teaching.
The CEIT Paradigm for Nonfiction Writing
In non-fiction writing, there are only four basic “moves” a writer can make. An acronym to help student writers remember them is CEIT, for claim, explain, illustrate, and tie-back. Teaching students the CEIT method for writing non-fiction texts gives students the ability to construct coherent and well-supported paragraphs and essays. Once students become adept with the CEIT paradigm, they can choose which features to use and which to leave out. How much explanation is needed? How many examples are necessary? Does each illustration need to be analyzed or is the connection between the evidence and the claim obvious enough? These are questions more adept writers can answer once they become proficient and confident writers by following the CEIT “moves.” This presentation will thoroughly explain the CEIT paradigm and use student examples to show how it applies to paragraph construction and to both simpler and more complex essays.
Nurturing Novel Personal Connections
Is the field of education draining you mentally, emotionally, or even physically? Effective education in the 2020s requires lots of human interaction despite the oftentimes stifling administrative rules, never-ending paperwork, ever-evolving technology, and looming changes being brought by AI. This breakout session is led by two seasoned teachers, Jen Gouin and John Barrett, who will share personal stories of connection and community building they have experienced with their colleagues and who will discuss the ways personal connections made at school always positively impact student learning and teacher survival.
Motivation, Meaning, and Mirrors: Connecting Novels to Action Research
How can we spark students’ motivation and foster deep engagement that supports student agency? This session explores the power of inclusive, student-centered practices that honor student identities and experiences. Participants will explore dynamic strategies that connect novel studies to student-led action research that empowers students as readers, researchers, and change-makers and elevates student agency to promote meaningful connections and creates authentic opportunities for discussion and reflection.