This panel presentation is organized and delivered by pre-service teachers, with a particular intended audience of teachers and pre-service teachers who seek new and novel instructional strategies. Presenters will provide evidence-based recommendations on the most effective student-centered instructional strategies for engagement and learning, ways to balance engaging lessons with the demands of classroom management, and ways teachers can build confidence in selecting and adapting strategies for diverse learners. By sharing insights gained through research, we hope to equip session attendees with practical strategies they can confidently implement in their classrooms. This presentation will serve as a resource for teachers who are looking for structured, effective, and adaptable approaches to instruction. The panel’s goal is to bridge the gap between pre-service teacher preparation and in-service classroom effectiveness, ultimately contributing to stronger and more engaging teaching practices.
Blog Archives
Teaching About Censorship and its Effects Using Video Games and Popular Media
Recently, the NCTE released a book reflecting concerns over censorship and teaching. The NY Times has also published about the effects of Chinese censorship on the worldwide production of video games. Given the ways in which many classrooms are being (invisibly to students?) censored, it seems like an opportune moment to teach students about how censorship works and its impact using their interest in video games and other popular media.
Providing Feedback That is Nurturing, Productive, and Sustainable
This session’s presenters—a high school teacher and a teacher educator—will describe their project to refinethe tone and content of their and their students’ writing feedback to support writers’ agency and growth, a process-oriented approach, and relationship-building in the classroom. They will also describe how such work can lead to more sustainable feedback practices.
Understanding the Cycle of Liberation Through Literacy, Writing, and Inquiry
Harro’s (2008) Cycle of Liberation offers a framework for planning interdisciplinary units combining literacy, writing, and social studies for transformational change. Anchored in historical or contemporary social movements, activities presented will guide students in exploring causes relevant to their lives. Participants will learn the relevance of the framework for organizing civic-minded interdisciplinary units to engage students.
Pre-Service Teachers: Nurturing Novel Connections for Democratic Teaching and Learning
How can the literature we select nurture connection and foster democratic practices? For this session, a panel of two professors and three students will discuss literature selection, community connections, and the efforts to build democratic communities.
The Larry Johannessen New Teacher Forum
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.
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.