As class sizes increase, maintaining high levels of student engagement—and ensuring that every student is intellectually accountable—becomes even more critical. This session revisits cold calling and wait time—time‑tested strategies for preventing student opt‑out—and explores how to implement them with greater precision and impact.
Participants will analyze classroom video examples, examine effective rollout plans, and learn habits‑of‑attention techniques that support focus, confidence, and thinking in larger groups. Teachers will leave with practical tools for using cold calling and wait time intentionally so every student is thinking, participating, and ready to learn from the start of the lesson.
This session is designed to help teachers move from knowing about cold calling to using it confidently and consistently to ensure all students are thinking, participating, and learning—no matter the class size.
This session introduces educators to strategies that encourage deeper student thinking through conceptual exploration and thoughtful questioning. Participants will engage with Socratic Questioning Circles, a collaborative method that promotes inquiry-driven dialogue and critical thinking, supported by Depth and Complexity Thinking Tools. Using the concept of power as a focus, the session highlights ways to help students make meaningful connections and develop a richer understanding across disciplines through structured questioning techniques. Educators will gain practical ideas to facilitate student-led discussions and promote reflection in their classrooms, fostering thoughtful and transferable learning through the power of purposeful questioning.
Discover how Microsoft Teams can transform your Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) into dynamic, collaborative spaces that save time and strengthen instructional impact. In this session, you’ll learn practical strategies for organizing PLC conversations, sharing resources, and streamlining communication - all in one place. Explore how to use Teams channels, files, and built-in apps to support goal-setting, lesson planning, and continuous improvement. You’ll leave with ready-to-use ideas to enhance collaboration, increase accountability, and keep everyone connected and focused on student success.
Teachers in any subject can empower their students to demonstrate their knowledge independently using choice boards! In this session, participants will learn how to create a choice board in which students select the activities they engage in based on the options the teacher provides. Teachers will leave the session with a choice board they created as well as ideas for choice boards in the future!
You already know that Canva is a great tool for designing flyers and creating cool graphics, but did you know that Canva is a also a fantastic tool to use for engaged learning?
Join me as I share new and fun ways to use Canva to visually present your materials to students, as well as ways students can use Canva to share what they've learned.
This will be a hands on presentation and you will walk away with ideas that you can use starting the first day of school.
This session is designed to equip campus leadership teams with actionable strategies to elevate teacher professional development. Focused on leveraging data and structured support plans, this session will provide tangible insights into integrating Ellevation's proven strategies and modules. Leaders will gain concrete approaches to foster the professional growth of their teachers, aligning closely with Ellevation's support framework. Attendees can expect to leave with practical methods for implementing impactful development initiatives that directly advance their teachers' professional growth goals. Through this presentation, campus leadership teams will be empowered to unleash their teachers' potential, creating an environment where excellence is cultivated through targeted, data-informed support strategies.
Ready to make grading feel less like a chore and more like a conversation? Join us to see how Kami's AI and multimodal tools can spark a culture of growth in your classroom! We'll get hands-on with Questions AI for instant assessments and practice using voice, video, and screen capture to give feedback that actually resonates. Plus, we'll show you some awesome Kami and Canvas mashups for both you and your students to keep things running smoothly. You'll leave with everything you need to turn "grading" into a meaningful dialogue that inspires students to take charge of their own learning!
Discover what the buzz is all about: hexagonal thinking and how it can transform student engagement, deepen understanding, and build meaningful connections across any content area. In this session, participants will explore how to facilitate hexagonal thinking both on paper and digitally, using tools such as Google Slides and Lucidspark. Teachers will leave with ready‑to‑use templates, classroom examples, and practical strategies for implementing this versatile activity in their own instruction. Participants will also explore how AI tools can support the planning process for building hexagonal thinking activities.
Key topics: -What hexagonal thinking is and how it builds deep conceptual connections -Hands‑on implementation with physical hexagon tiles -Digital facilitation using Google Slides and Lucidspark -Strategies for structuring student collaboration and discussion -Examples of hexagonal thinking across different content areas -Ready‑to‑use templates and activity models -How AI tools can support the planning process for hexagonal thinking activities -Classroom tips for pacing, grouping, and student reflection
Learning Objectives Participants will: -Understand how hexagonal thinking deepens engagement and promotes meaningful connections across content areas. -Explore hexagonal thinking activities using both hands‑on materials and digital platforms (Google Slides and LucidSpark). -Participate in a hexagonal thinking activity to experience how collaborative discussion and shared reasoning unfold. -Use ready‑made templates and examples to plan for implementation in their own classrooms. -Explore how AI can support planning, generating ideas, and preparing materials for hexagonal thinking experiences. -Design their own hexagonal thinking tasks that foster critical thinking, creativity, and structured collaboration.
Want to make every minute of math count? This session explores how short, intentional math routines can transform your classroom into a space for deep thinking and joyful learning. From Number Talks to Which One Doesn't Belong? and Notice & Wonder, you'll learn how to use 5–10 minute routines to build number sense, confidence, and student discourse. Leave with a bank of ready-to-use routines and tips for easy implementation in K–4 classrooms.
Join us for an interactive session where you'll learn to harness the power of IXL to boost student engagement and track progress. Experience IXL from a student's perspective, navigate key engagement features, and seamlessly assign skills through IXL or Canvas LMS. Discover how to use Score Reports to monitor student proficiency and integrate IXL into your lessons using the PDSA cycle. Elevate your teaching with these essential tools and strategies!
Take student engagement to the next level. We'll dig into how the research defines "engagement" and then analyze it in action in a classroom. Lastly, we'll craft a flexible protocol that can infuse the qualities of engagement into just about any lesson.
Imagine a classroom where every student gets what they need… without you creating 15 different lesson plans. In this interactive session, teachers will explore how to use Canvas Mastery Paths to differentiate instruction, personalize learning, and increase student engagement—all within a single assignment. Participants will walk through real classroom examples, learn how to set up mastery-based pathways, and discover how to use data to guide student learning automatically. Whether you're brand new to Canvas or ready to level up your course design, this session will give you practical tools you can implement immediately. 🔑 Key Topics • What are Mastery Paths and why they matter for differentiation • Setting up Mastery Paths using quizzes, assignments, and modules • Using data (scores & outcomes) to automatically assign student pathways • Creating advanced, on-level, and support tracks without extra overwhelm • Real classroom examples: o Reading differentiation o Writing/revising & editing pathways • Tips for managing grading, student expectations, and workflow • Common pitfalls + time-saving hacks
🎓 Learning Objectives By the end of this session, participants will be able to: • Design a Canvas assignment that uses Mastery Paths to differentiate instruction • Create at least two differentiated learning pathways based on student performance • Use quiz or assignment data to automatically guide students to appropriate content • Implement strategies to manage and sustain Mastery Paths in a real classroom setting • Identify ways to increase student ownership and engagement through personalized learning
Our campus is preparing to implement a schoolwide Social Thinking program that equips all students and staff with a shared vocabulary for supporting emotional regulation. This initiative will empower general education teachers with the same tools and language used in special education, allowing them to more effectively support students—including those without identified services—within their classrooms.
Session Description: Organizing a Canvas Course for Clarity, Canvas/Skyward Sync, Google Integration & Communication Tools
Overview In this focused 50‑minute workshop, teachers will learn high‑impact strategies to organize a Canvas course for clarity and share in a sandbox with colleagues, sync grades with Skyward, integrate Google Drive and Google Sheets (calendar) resources, and streamline family communication using Canvas Announcements and ParentSquare. The session combines brief demos with guided hands‑on time so participants leave with a ready module, embedded Google resources, announcement workflows, and a plan to verify grade syncing and parent communication.
Intended outcomes (participants will be able to): Create a streamlined course homepage and navigation checklist to reduce student confusion. Build a reusable module template (objectives, resources, formative check, assessment) that includes an embedded Google Sheets calendar and linked Drive resources. Apply consistent file‑naming and module naming conventions. Create a Canvas sandbox page for sharing and collaboration with colleagues. Configure Canvas gradebook categories and assignment settings aligned to Skyward, and run a basic Canvas→Skyward sync test (or coordinate with SIS). Utilize Google Sheets calendar and Drive files for uploading in Canvas. Create clear, timely Canvas Announcements with course module links and copy and paste to ParentSquare posts for students and family communication. Troubleshoot common permission, sync, and communication issues and identify District Incident IQ and tech support contacts for SIS/ParentSquare support.
What participants can expect to take away for classroom use: A completed homepage wireframe and one ready‑to‑use Canvas module with an embedded Google Sheets calendar and linked Drive resources. A one‑page Canvas organization checklist and file‑naming guide. A Skyward mapping worksheet and quick-reference steps to test grade syncing. A Google Sheets calendar template and step‑by‑step job‑aid for uploading Google Drive files to Canvas. Announcement templates (daily/week‑at‑a‑glance/emergency) and a workflow to post in Canvas and push to ParentSquare (including best practices for timing, audience selection, and message content). Quick troubleshooting checklist for sharing permissions, ParentSquare integration, and grade sync verification. A 15‑minute implementation plan to finish setup and contact points for SIS/IT/ParentSquare support.
Format & timing (50 minutes): 0–6 min: Welcome, goals, and overview of Canvas→Skyward, Google Sheets/Drive, and ParentSquare integration considerations. 6–16 min: Demo — homepage structure, module template, and gradebook category setup. 16–26 min: Demo — create Google Sheets calendar, set Drive sharing, upload files into Canvas. 26–36 min: Demo — craft Canvas Announcement types and map posting workflow to ParentSquare (audience, timing, linking modules). 36–46 min: Guided hands‑on work time (build one module; create Google Sheets calendar and linked Google Drive folder format; create an announcement and prepare ParentSquare post. 46–50 min: Sync & communication checklist (Canvas→Skyward test set assignment category/weight, ParentSquare post test, permission checks, next steps.
This section outlines the implementation of Conscious Discipline strategies to support students' social-emotional development, self-regulation, and positive behavior. Classrooms are intentionally designed to help students identify emotions, make appropriate choices, resolve conflicts, and build a sense of safety and belonging.
Key components include emotional literacy, self-regulation skills, calming tools, conflict-resolution strategies, and a Celebration Center to recognize student accomplishments. Consistent routines and the use of respectful, supportive language ("Tones of Love") guide students toward optimal learning states while fostering a positive and inclusive classroom environment.
