(half day or full day, follow-up coaching available for all workshops)

Youngineers-STEM for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners (PreK-K)
“Play is the highest form of research.” (Albert Einstein)  Young children can use the same skills that engineers use to investigate science, technology, arts and math in a playful way while also enhancing literacy skills.​

• Learn fundamental skills and techniques to encourage student-centered STEM learning experiences.

• Receive materials that provide strategies and best practices to integrate STEM and hands-on learning concepts into the classroom. 

• Create playful, STEM-oriented, standards-based lessons.

• Use picture books to inspire STEM-based engineering projects.

Learning to Play ~ Playing to Learn (PreK-Grade 3)
Children  make sense of their worlds as they engage actively with people and objects. Through play, children learn to socialize, understand how things work, and explore the world around them. Play brings out the best in children socially and cognitively. In fact, the United Nations includes engaging in play and recreational activities among the rights of all children across the globe.

• Create playful learning experiences to enhance early literacy and math skills.

• Use centers for powerful play-based learning.

• Plan activities that encourage quiet play, active play, teacher-driven play and child-driven play.

• Use literature to stimulate play-based learning.

 

Project-Based Learning in Early Childhood??? Absolutely! (PreK-2)
Young children’s natural curiosity lends itself well to PBL. In fact, emergent curriculum and PBL go hand-in-hand. When teachers pick something to explore based on the children’s interests , children are engaged in the process and naturally develop skills they can apply later in life.

• Explore topics and examples of PBL in early childhood.

• Create a PBL framework.

• Design a high quality, early childhood project-based learning unit.

 

Diverse Minds, Diverse Methods: Navigating Differentiation ( K-2,3-5,6-8, 9-12)
Unlock the power of differentiation in this comprehensive workshop designed to take participants on a journey from the fundamentals to advanced techniques. Whether you're an educator looking to enhance your teaching skills or a student aiming to conquer complex problems, this workshop will provide you with the tools and insights needed to excel.

• Explore a variety of interactive teaching methods that cater to different learning styles and abilities.

• Learn how to modify curriculum content to meet the needs of all learners, from struggling students to advanced learners.

• Discover techniques for adjusting instructional methods, pacing, and resources to cater to diverse learning preferences.

 

Beyond Answers: Harnessing the Art of Highly Effective Questioning (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12)

• “While asking questions may seem a simple task, it is perhaps the most powerful tool we possess as teachers.” Brandon Cline (2018). By implementing effective questioning strategies into daily instruction, teachers can help empower students to think at higher levels.

• Investigate what makes a question “high quality.” 

• Create own rigorous questions using Bloom’s Taxonomy.

• Use strategies and tools for encouraging students to ask questions.

STEAM-Powered Curriculum Fusion: Integrating Innovation into Education 

(For teachers K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12)

• Integrating concepts, topics, standards and assessments is a powerful way to help change school into a place where learning is more practical and connected. It takes the skills and concepts and connects them to the real world and places those same practices occur.

• Acquire a core understanding of the STEAM methodology.

• Align structures of curriculum, assessment, and instruction across content areas which connect STEAM concepts, skills, and processes.

• Build instructional practices which utilize STEAM as an effective pedagogical approach to teaching and learning.

• Use STEAM to increase equitable educational opportunities for all.

Instructional Strategies That Engage Students (PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8)

• The role of a paraprofessional or educational assistant is to provide support to individual or small groups of students, under the supervision of a teacher, while watching for potential problems and preventing escalation when possible. Therefore, it’s important for paras to develop appropriate skills while being honest, confident, open, empathetic, and having a sense of humor. This is no small feat.

• Build a toolkit of instructional strategies to engage students in learning.

• Discover ways to set limits.

• Explore ways to use fun, inclusive practices.

• Acquire understanding of learning and behavioral challenges that impact learning.

 

HOT Zone: Elevating Learning with Higher Order Thinking (For teachers K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12)

• Higher Order Thinking (HOT) skills are rooted in critical thinking and are necessary in all that we do. They help us solve problems efficiently and make connections between different ideas. Teachers need to use HOT strategies in order for students to improve their cognitive ability and not just memorize facts.

• Learn about visible thinking routines.

• Practice using various thinking protocols and strategies.

• Design thinking activities to use during lessons.

• Build a toolbox of thinking activities.

 

UDL: Educators are Designers for ALL (For Teachers K-2,3-5,6-8, 9-12)

• Student-centered educators are using UDL (Universal Design for Learning) to help all learners access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. This workshop serves as a lab to help educators design units that use a student-centered approach to differentiate and reach more students while increasing positive and meaningful learning outcomes.

• Learn the tools, methods, and mindsets of UDL.

• Discover new ways to engage students in meaningful learning.

• Engage in activities and games to assess students.

• Design standards-based, student-centered, differentiated units.

 

PBL Edventure: From Ideas to Impact-Transformative Teaching through Project-Based Learning (For Teachers K-2,3-5,6-8, 9-12)

• PBL helps students develop a multitude of skills while engaging them in authentic and deep learning. Teachers will use the State Standards to develop meaningful units in content areas.

• Learn the nuts and bolts of PBL. 

• Build the foundation of a project that is deeply rooted in content standards.

• Construct ways to assess student learning in PBL.