Keynote and Workshop Menu
Capturing the Essence of Expectation
Life comes at us fast. Within the whirlwind, rarely do we have time to focus on the small, but meaningful moments that make up our days. I'm sure I'm not alone when I admit I've often sat and thought "this isn't the life I expected." For some that's a statement of remorse, disengagement, and longing. For others, it's an affirmation of wonder, hope, and joy. As we go through today I want you to wonder, how can you capture the essence of expectation in your own life? What is your role, as an educator, to consciously boost the hope of your students to expand their sense of personal freedom without denying the realistic constraints we all face. I’ll share with you how I’ve done this, for me the answer has always been found on the page of a book…
The Power of You: Remaining the Decisive Element in the Classroom
The Power of You: Remaining the Decisive Element in the Classroom is an uplifting message of
the importance of fostering positive relationships with three main groups: students, the community, and yourself. In this encouraging presentation, Katie Perez will share personal stories from her own teaching experiences as a catalyst for you to reflect on your own career. During the workshop you will complete several activities to increase the level of rigor and relevance and strengthen relationships with your colleagues and students. You can expect to walk away with a renewed sense of passion for teaching.
Main Topics Covered:
The Power of You: The Hopeful Mindset
How do our language, thoughts, and actions in the classroom impacts student learning? This workshop will be an interactive approach to discussing the difference between a fixed and growth mindset as well as the importance of a hopeful mindset not only with our students but with other teachers and adults we work with everyday. You will leave with a better understanding of how fostering well-being and hope in our students not only increases engagement, but strengthens relationships with students.
Objectives:
Life comes at us fast. Within the whirlwind, rarely do we have time to focus on the small, but meaningful moments that make up our days. I'm sure I'm not alone when I admit I've often sat and thought "this isn't the life I expected." For some that's a statement of remorse, disengagement, and longing. For others, it's an affirmation of wonder, hope, and joy. As we go through today I want you to wonder, how can you capture the essence of expectation in your own life? What is your role, as an educator, to consciously boost the hope of your students to expand their sense of personal freedom without denying the realistic constraints we all face. I’ll share with you how I’ve done this, for me the answer has always been found on the page of a book…
The Power of You: Remaining the Decisive Element in the Classroom
The Power of You: Remaining the Decisive Element in the Classroom is an uplifting message of
the importance of fostering positive relationships with three main groups: students, the community, and yourself. In this encouraging presentation, Katie Perez will share personal stories from her own teaching experiences as a catalyst for you to reflect on your own career. During the workshop you will complete several activities to increase the level of rigor and relevance and strengthen relationships with your colleagues and students. You can expect to walk away with a renewed sense of passion for teaching.
Main Topics Covered:
- Rigor, Relevance, Relationships with students
- Collaboration within the school and community
- Becoming a balanced and reflective educator
The Power of You: The Hopeful Mindset
How do our language, thoughts, and actions in the classroom impacts student learning? This workshop will be an interactive approach to discussing the difference between a fixed and growth mindset as well as the importance of a hopeful mindset not only with our students but with other teachers and adults we work with everyday. You will leave with a better understanding of how fostering well-being and hope in our students not only increases engagement, but strengthens relationships with students.
Objectives:
- Identify the characteristics of a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset
- Learn how to foster a growth mindset in our classroom
- Explain how hope, well-being, and engagement connect to help students become "success ready"
- Reflect upon your own personal mindset, hope, and engagement level
Learning By Doing: Unpacking the NGSS Practices for Science and Engineering for K-2, 3-5, 6-8
The Next Generation Science Standards require a dramatic departure from approaches to teaching and learning science occurring today in most science classrooms. The goal of instruction has shifted from learning facts to explaining phenomena through a lens of inquiry in order to build a coherent storyline across time. In this interactive session, participants will explore how to engage students in the eight practices of science and engineering through hands-on activities and critical thinking experiences tailored for your grade band.
Design With the End in Mind: Planning Units for the NGSS K-2, 3-5, 6-8
During this workshop you will learn how to plan thematic science units using a backwards design model. Units will incorporate ELA and Math standards from the Common Core. Teachers will work together during the interactive session and walk out with a completed unit ready to be taken back to the classroom. Focus Life Science
Making the Makers: Failure is Not an Option...but it should be.
Of the many important lessons to be learned through early exposure to building and creating, the one that stands above the rest is this...making often fails. Yet, while innovative companies recite phrases such as “Fail Early, Fail Often,” schools are hyperfocused on success. How can we expose our kids to this same acceptance of persevering through failure? What happens to our culture of innovation if we stop introducing kids to the art of making things? Come see for yourself how perceived failure can produce great innovation.
The Role of Integrative STEM in the Elementary Classroom
The goal of instruction has shifted from learning facts to explaining phenomena through a lens of inquiry in order to build a coherent storyline across time. In this interactive session, participants will explore how to engage students in the Next Generation Science Standards’ Eight Practices of Science & Engineering through a hands-on activity and critical thinking experiences.
How Do You Know They Know? Developing Balanced Assessments in Elementary Science
In the Next Generation Science Standards students are required to ask questions, analyze and interpret data, construct explanations, engage in argument from evidence, and obtain, evaluate, and communicate information. During this session, elementary teachers will learn how to effectively monitor student learning with interactive notebooks, formative, rubrics, and summative assessments that support the NGSS.
Collaborative Conversations for Critical Thinking
To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in various domains. In this workshop participants will learn strategies for establishing a culture of collaborative conversations in across the content areas to foster critical thinking.
STEAMmaker Jr - www.steammakercamp.org
STEAMmaker Jr is intense and immersed professional learning where K-4 teachers learn how to shift from teaching in a
typical STEM classroom to create and operate a makerspace in their own schools. This is all about being hands-on and learning how to integrate STEAM with our everyday work, as well as creating an elementary-level makerspace.
The Next Generation Science Standards require a dramatic departure from approaches to teaching and learning science occurring today in most science classrooms. The goal of instruction has shifted from learning facts to explaining phenomena through a lens of inquiry in order to build a coherent storyline across time. In this interactive session, participants will explore how to engage students in the eight practices of science and engineering through hands-on activities and critical thinking experiences tailored for your grade band.
Design With the End in Mind: Planning Units for the NGSS K-2, 3-5, 6-8
During this workshop you will learn how to plan thematic science units using a backwards design model. Units will incorporate ELA and Math standards from the Common Core. Teachers will work together during the interactive session and walk out with a completed unit ready to be taken back to the classroom. Focus Life Science
Making the Makers: Failure is Not an Option...but it should be.
Of the many important lessons to be learned through early exposure to building and creating, the one that stands above the rest is this...making often fails. Yet, while innovative companies recite phrases such as “Fail Early, Fail Often,” schools are hyperfocused on success. How can we expose our kids to this same acceptance of persevering through failure? What happens to our culture of innovation if we stop introducing kids to the art of making things? Come see for yourself how perceived failure can produce great innovation.
The Role of Integrative STEM in the Elementary Classroom
The goal of instruction has shifted from learning facts to explaining phenomena through a lens of inquiry in order to build a coherent storyline across time. In this interactive session, participants will explore how to engage students in the Next Generation Science Standards’ Eight Practices of Science & Engineering through a hands-on activity and critical thinking experiences.
How Do You Know They Know? Developing Balanced Assessments in Elementary Science
In the Next Generation Science Standards students are required to ask questions, analyze and interpret data, construct explanations, engage in argument from evidence, and obtain, evaluate, and communicate information. During this session, elementary teachers will learn how to effectively monitor student learning with interactive notebooks, formative, rubrics, and summative assessments that support the NGSS.
Collaborative Conversations for Critical Thinking
To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in various domains. In this workshop participants will learn strategies for establishing a culture of collaborative conversations in across the content areas to foster critical thinking.
STEAMmaker Jr - www.steammakercamp.org
STEAMmaker Jr is intense and immersed professional learning where K-4 teachers learn how to shift from teaching in a
typical STEM classroom to create and operate a makerspace in their own schools. This is all about being hands-on and learning how to integrate STEAM with our everyday work, as well as creating an elementary-level makerspace.
Katie is also available as a professional coach to help take your professional learning goals to the next level. Utilizing effective instructional and professional coaching strategies Katie is skilled in working with educators to identify, plan, and execute goals that will change their classroom practices. Virtual and in-person coaching sessions are available.