Join us March 10-11, at Woodward’s Summit for Transformative Learning (STLinATL) 2025, where the future of education unfolds in an exhilarating two-day journey. This year, we’re thrilled to explore the theme “Embracing the Future of Education,” a beacon for the path ahead in deeper learning.
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The hands-on workshop (concurrent session) “Beyond the Books: Creating Engaging STEAM Activities, 2.0” will provide attendees with the opportunity to experience a variety of activities that can be used in the Makerspace or STEAM classroom. Presenters will share teaching strategies and classroom practices that foster critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity in elementary students. Additionally, there will be an opportunity to explore various technologies including coding and robotics (Root Robot, Ozobots, Sphero Indie, and Spike Prime.). This will be an engaging experience that reflects best practices of STEAM instruction and creative ways to incorporate literature.
Learning is absolutely incredible, but sometimes, like students we teach, we need a little break to process all of this new information or to just chill. In this session we will share a few engaging art brain break activities that are perfect for students of all ages to help them refresh and refocus. A brain break is a short period of time dedicated to engaging in activities that differ from the primary task at hand, often used to help refocus and improve the learning experience. These art brain breaks are quick, creative activities that require minimal materials and setup. Come to this creative session and explore your inner artist! We will offer various art centers where you can explore your creative side. Whether you are seeking to do some creating yourself or use these ideas in your classroom, this session is the place for you. Materials will be provided.
The overarching presentation will emphasize the importance of relationships in education, demonstrating how they are built through stories, hands-on learning, and creativity. Admin asks teachers; teachers ask admin; teachers ask students; students ask teachers; teachers ask parents; parents ask teachers; parents ask admin; admin ask parents... in the never-ending communication cycle, relationships change the dynamic immediately. Each relationship is valued and integral to the educational process. Relationships should always come first.
- Clear/concise communication with admin, teachers, students, and parents - Fear VS Fear - How to build relationships with students - How to build relationships with parents - How to build relationships with teachers - How to build relationships with the admin - How to have uncomfortable conversations with admin, teachers, students, and parents after establishing relationships
Discover how SEE Learning (Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning) can transform the World Languages classroom into a space where language acquisition and emotional growth go hand in hand. In this session, we will explore practical strategies for integrating SEE Learning’s core principles—cultivating self-awareness, compassion, and ethical engagement—into the curriculum to enhance students’ linguistic and cultural proficiency.
Participants will learn how to design lessons that encourage empathy and cross-cultural understanding, helping students build deeper connections with the language, its speakers, and their peers. Examples will include activities that combine mindfulness practices, reflective exercises, and interpersonal dialogue to foster both emotional intelligence and communicative competence.
This session will provide tools for addressing challenges such as student disengagement, diverse learner needs, and cultural misunderstandings, making the classroom a supportive and inclusive environment. Attendees will leave with sample lesson frameworks and assessment methods, to implement SEE Learning within their language instruction.
This interactive workshop empowers K-12 educators to confidently utilize makerspace tools and equipment in their classrooms. Through a small hands-on build project, participants will gain practical experience with essential workshop tools while exploring strategies to integrate engineering, physical computing, and AI concepts into student learning. This session also provides adaptable curriculum ideas, project-based learning strategies, and best practices for creating engaging, real-world learning experiences. With practical demonstrations and step-by-step guidance on operating makerspace tools, attendees will leave equipped with actionable insights and digital resources to inspire their students and enhance their STEM programs. This session is ideal for new and experienced teachers looking to expand their confidence with makerspace equipment, incorporate innovative STEM projects, and empower students to develop the skills needed for 21st-century careers.
Find out how Optima partners with independent schools to support student learning and teacher development through virtual reality. Explore how educators use innovative tools to inspire the next generation. Listen to one of our partners share their experience and their plans for future learning.
In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, securing research funding is critical to driving innovation, supporting student- centered learning, and sustaining transformative teaching practices. Yet, many educators and school leaders find the grant-seeking process daunting, time-consuming, or inaccessible. This session will demystify the research grant process, providing actionable strategies to help educators identify funding opportunities, craft compelling grant proposals, and effectively manage awarded grants to maximize their impact.
Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to: ✅ Identify grant opportunities that align with their educational initiatives and research interests. ✅ Structure a compelling grant proposal using proven frameworks that increase funding success. ✅ Integrate student-centered, research-backed innovations into grant applications. ✅ Leverage data to demonstrate impact and secure continued funding. ✅ Manage awarded grants efficiently to ensure long-term sustainability and meaningful outcomes.
Every learner has different needs--but there are simple strategies that any teacher can use to ensure that every student is appropriately challenged and supported every day. Learn how independent-school teachers worldwide are using the self-paced, mastery-based Modern Classroom instructional model to create classrooms where all learners can succeed.
In this engaging and interactive session, Modern Classrooms Project co-founder (and former independent school graduate and teacher). Robert Barnett will explain how educators can:
-Digitize direct instruction, so they can spend class time working closely with their students. -Design structures for self-paced learning, which keep all students appropriately challenged--and appropriately supported--every day. -Ensure that all students achieve authentic mastery before advancing to more complex content.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins found "overwhelming positive support" for this approach. In this interactive session, led by Modern Classrooms Project co-founder Robert Barnett, you'll see why! In particular, you will:
1) Experience Modern Classroom instruction from the student perspective, by completing a series of brief mastery-based learning tasks.
2) Use classroom-tested guides and templates to identify instructional videos, design collaborative practice activities, and create mastery checks - all of which they can use with their own students, in their own communities.
3) Learn from one another by providing feedback on each others' materials and articulating clear action plans to implement the lessons they have created with their students in the fall.
You'll leave feeling inspired to meet every learner's needs--and empowered to do so!
Explore Flint, an AI platform revolutionizing education, and learn how to create interactive tutors for STEM education. This session will showcase Flint's capabilities, including its latest features and progress over the past year, and provide practical examples of its use in various educational scenarios. Participants will discover how Flint can support innovative teaching methods, leaving them with the inspiration and tools to explore its potential in their own classroom settings. Whether you're teaching algebra, physics, or programming, this presentation will highlight multiple possibilities and suggest ideas for using Flint to enhance the learning experience for your students.
One of the challenges faced by educators who are increasingly trying to move students away from their electronic devices is how to activate them both physically and mentally in positive class participation and discussion. This presentation offers practical techniques for facilitating interpersonal interaction between students to engage them in thoughtful discussion and collaborative problem solving. These strategies incorporate ideas for how to get students up out of their desks and moving while thinking and interacting. Participants will have the opportunity to try some of these strategies firsthand, and will be encouraged to participate in brainstorming and discussion regarding how they might be implemented in their classrooms.
How can students be in the driving seat of their learning experience? And why should they be? In times of generative AI, machine learning, and easy access to knowledge, students cannot be passive recipients of that knowledge anymore. We need to meet the students where they are, not where we think they should be. That means students should be encouraged to be creators of knowledge and to transfer their knowledge to novel situations. As they design their learning experience, they become problem-solvers and critical thinkers, content experts, and collaborators. Students grapple with authentic, non-linear, interdisciplinary work that requires a focus on skills over content. Our student-directed projects are at the core of our student-driven learning approach. Students are active explorers driven to answer an essential question they created. Through this non-linear, interdisciplinary inquiry, students engage in deeper learning as they construct, transfer, and make sense of their knowledge. An approach that promotes student agency, choice, and investigation. Come and hear about our journey to make this change happen, the highs, the not-so-highs, the need to let go of some of our beliefs about how schools should work and students should learn.
The Educator’s Compass: Navigating Compassion Fatigue and Burnout is an interactive session designed to help educators recognize, manage, and overcome the emotional toll of their profession. It provides practical strategies for maintaining well-being, setting boundaries, and reigniting their passion for the field. By addressing stress, self-care, and resilience, this resource empowers educators to navigate challenges while sustaining their purpose and impact.
Monday March 10, 2025 12:00pm - 12:45pm EDT
The LJ
In this presentation, Alexis will share how she has been using LOOM to provide feedback to help improve student writing. She will discuss other uses for LOOM in the classroom, student responses to this method, and ways she plans to push this strategy in the future. participants will leave the presentation with a clear understanding of how Loom works and with ideas for how it might be used in other subject areas.
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms education, educators face unprecedented opportunities and challenges. This forward-looking session explores how emerging AI technologies will reshape teaching and learning in the next 1-3 years. We'll examine practical developments like personalized AI tutoring systems and classroom assistants while discussing the broader implications of advancing AI capabilities. Topics include the evolution of AI from current tools to potentially more sophisticated systems, the growing phenomenon of students using AI as learning companions, and how educators can thoughtfully prepare for these changes. Whether new to AI or already implemented in your classroom, this session will provide valuable insights into preparing students for an AI- integrated educational landscape. Join us for an engaging discussion about empowering teachers and students to thrive alongside AI.
Two takeaways: 1) A practical framework for evaluating which emerging AI tools to adopt in their classroom versus which ones to wait on, based on factors like pedagogical value, student privacy, and implementation complexity. 2) Understanding how to prepare students for a future where AI companions and tutors are commonplace, including the benefits and potential psychological/social considerations.
Tuesday March 11, 2025 12:00pm - 12:45pm EDT
The LJ
This workshop builds understanding about the value of assessing for social emotional competencies and student well-being in a formalized way using the Whole Child Solution. Participants will receive a framework for how to consider implementing the Whole Child Solution in sustainable ways that work for their unique context.
Generative AI provides high school math teachers with powerful tools to design assignments that connect mathematical concepts to real-world challenges. This session demonstrates how AI can support the creation of dynamic, thought-provoking assessments that foster critical thinking and help students analyze global and local issues. Participants will learn strategies to align AI-generated content with high school math curricula, enabling them to address pressing societal questions while empowering students to see mathematics as a tool for meaningful change.
How can we help students identify and focus on important skills and content? Elementary school scientists often struggle to filter the information they receive and focus their answers. By embedding leveled learning objectives into their lab experiments, the task objectives become transparent, and students are empowered to identify their work level and how they can improve. Come see how learning progressions can clarify and enrich scientific writing and empower students to level up.
A team of teachers and Instructional Technology Specialists will share how to implement literacy skills while implementing Design Thinking. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, explore real-world classroom examples, and leave with practical strategies for implementing Design Thinking in reading and writing lessons. Whether designing solutions to a character’s problem, creating storyboards for digital storytelling, or using empathy maps to develop strong narrative voices, educators will discover powerful ways to enhance literacy through innovation and design.
Do you seem to always run out of time to hold small groups or finish class activities before the bell rings? Uncover more instructional class time with a flipped classroom. It's not just for high school and college classes! The focus of this session will be on how and why to implement a flipped classroom for approximately grades 2-8, but the concepts could be adapted for any grade. Laura Briceno & Lauren Hood will walk you through their experience in implementing a "Flipped Classroom Lite" this year in their 4th grade math classrooms. While the focus will be primarily from the perspective of 2 math teachers, a flipped classroom could be implemented in any content area, so teachers from all content areas are welcome! We'll also throw in a few other time-savers as well.
This presentation will explore how Mindset Math, a global nonprofit with over 100 members, is redefining math education through innovative programs that integrate interdisciplinary studies and creative teaching strategies. Founded in November 2023, Mindset Math now reaches diverse student groups across Mexico, Asia, and other underserved communities.
I will share insights from three core programs designed to engage students in unique learning experiences:
Mindful Mathletes: Combines psychology with math tasks to foster a growth mindset and deepen mathematical thinking. STEM & Stitches: Blends math, crochet, and science to raise climate change awareness, support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and promote the importance of interdisciplinary studies. Around the World in 80 Math Problems: In partnership with the National Math Foundation, this program incorporates movement mats and kinesthetic learning to teach real-world math applications. Participants will gain insights from my teaching experiences at Woodward Academy’s Lower and Middle Schools, Horizons summer camp, and virtual classes, along with evaluations of program outcomes. I will also provide practical strategies for incorporating these methods into traditional classrooms, fostering creative STEM education practices.
The session will conclude with key takeaways on launching a student-driven nonprofit, project development, and creating engaging STEM curricula. Sample presentations and hands-on resources will be shared to support classroom implementation.
Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for enhancing STEM education and promoting interdisciplinary learning.
Last school year, the 6th grade transition team analyzed assessment data regarding our students. We found that our students struggled with reading comprehension of informational texts, specially with identifying the main idea of a passage. By late elementary school, most students are no longer “learning to read”, and begin “reading to learn”; our students are expected to read and comprehend texts across academic settings to learn new concepts. Our students with diagnosed and undiagnosed reading disorders can struggle to attain grade-level reading comprehension, and their knowledge gap grows over time. The goal of this session is to prepare teachers, grades six and up, to integrate reading instruction into their classroom instruction. Teachers will leave with intentional, research-based strategies and activities they can try in their classrooms to aid their students’ reading comprehension. They will also have an opportunity to explore digital resources to supplement these strategies. This session will be most helpful to teachers who work with students from the transition program or who receive accommodation plans. Teachers who frequently feature, or would like to increase their usage of informational text, will find this session beneficial.
This session highlights an innovative collaboration between technology leaders and classroom educators to transform learning by integrating STEM and literacy. Using the novels A Rover's Story and The Wild Robot as inspiration, students were immersed in a dynamic educational experience that bridged reading comprehension with hands-on STEM activities. Through robotics scenarios tied to the narratives, students tackled challenges that enhanced their critical thinking, mathematical skills, and logical reasoning, while deepening their understanding of the novels’ themes and characters. Attendees will learn how a cohesive partnership between IT professionals and teachers can create engaging, cross-disciplinary opportunities that inspire students and cultivate a lifelong love of learning.
Goals: This presentation seeks to give an overview, based on my personal experience, on strategies to use to bring SEE learning and a focus on compassion into our teaching by modeling behaviors and sharing stories from our personal lives to enhance what I call the student's HQ (happiness quotient, an area I explore in my Maymester course on "Happiness and Well Being").
Content will largely revolve around first defining "compassion" and why it is needed in the world now more than ever and then, second, asking participants why they teach as a way to get at their core beliefs. I will then collate these core beliefs and compare to my own 9 core beliefs (listed below), which will be displayed in a ppt. I then envision a "roundtable" discussion about how to model/integrate teachers' core beliefs in regards to compassion in the curriculum and how to display them in the classroom.
My core beliefs: 1. Be flexible and courageous/follow your heart 2. Be compassionate/the importance of passion in our lives 3. Be a good person/do the right thing 4. Value friendships 5. Teach how to love as well as how to learn 6. Emphasize long term influence over short term gain 7. Life is about relationships 8. Learn from the past 9. Choose your goals wisely lest you achieve them before age 40 (Dr. James T. Laney, Emory University address)
Takeaways: The main takeaway will be somewhat unconventional. Instead of overloading participants with book and article lists and social media sites, I want to emphasize that the best and often most under-utilized source in this area is YOU!! Know your core beliefs and use those to model compassion, life-long learning, and global citizenship.
Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT®) is a system of contemplative exercises designed to strengthen and sustain compassion. Developed at Emory University, CBCT combines brain science with ancient meditative practices. This secular program has been developed for use by educators, medical professionals, as well as in the business field. CBCT practice has been clinically shown to decrease rates of burnout and anxiety in a variety of settings, including education. Learn more about CBCT and what it has to offer you and your team. This workshop will include guided meditative practice.
Students still learn in silos where knowledge is broken down into small unrelated elements; however, when students are given the opportunity to explore, they draw from different disciplines and go beyond the departmental constraints we created for them to try and understand the issue at hand. In this spotlight, we will share our different approaches to make student learning more of a transdisciplinary inquiry through an action-oriented, collaborative exploration of an authentic task that fosters student agency, choice, and interest. Through this nonlinear approach students engage in deeper learning as they construct, make meaning, and transfer knowledge. They learn to read the world through multiple lenses. Come, hear about, and share ideas that promote student inquiry through an un-siloed approach to learning.
This workshop will teach you to work with Y.A.M.M. (Yet Another Mail Merge), an add-on to the Google Mail and Google Sheets platforms. Using YAMM, you can quickly and efficiently send emails to your students that appear as individualized mail when, in reality, you are sending a form letter. If you are a Woodward teacher and register for this presentation BEFORE FEB. 28, I will build a Google folder for you to practice with during the presentation. Bring your laptop to this presentation!
