Overview of Elementary Sessions
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Special Seminars
9:00 - 10:25 A.M.
Weaving Faith Formation & Technology
Special Seminar for Catholic Elementary Teachers
How could technology possible support Faith Formation? Well, our current Pontiff has broken new ground with his daily tweets! Twitter is just one example of how technology connects people in the global community which can help us share our Faith with others and provide the opportunity to come together around social justice for all. This course will give you exposure to new ideas and tools to use in your classrooms that will help learners develop themselves within and share their Faith with others. Specific tools include iMovie and iPhoto as well as several links to support your planning.
Ali Dutson, Mission Grammar School
Location: Stokes Hall S109
Student Support for Every Child - Seminar for Elementary Teachers
Special Seminar for All Elementary Teachers
As new teachers, you will want to maintain a focus on teaching and learning so that all of your students achieve. As you already know, in addition to good and relevant instruction there are many out of school factors that affect a student’s ability to come to school each day ready to engage in your classroom. This workshop will address a framework for identifying students' strengths and needs across academic, health, family, and social-emotional-behavioral domains. By understanding the City Connects model of optimized student support, participants will learn about reviewing students holistically to determine what prevention/enrichment, early intervention, and intensive or crisis services can be put into place for students. The workshop will explore what community-based and in-school resources can be leveraged.
Jenna M. Lehane, City Connects - Boston College
Location: Stokes Hall S113
Student Engagement for Urban Public Schools
Special Seminar for Urban Teachers of All Levels
One of the most common misconceptions of students in high poverty, urban schools is that they are uninterested in school. Too often, this assumption seeps into a teacher’s mindset when beginning work in schools in these settings. This session will offer advice and practical strategies for combating this negative, deficit-oriented assumption. Also, this session will allow teachers an opportunity to explore what positive student engagement in high poverty urban settings looks like and how such engagement can be fostered from the first day of school.
Catherine Wong, Director of Urban Outreach Initiatives & Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars, Boston College
Joe-Joe McManus, Rootstrong
Location: Stokes Hall S213
Special Seminar for Catholic Elementary Teachers
How could technology possible support Faith Formation? Well, our current Pontiff has broken new ground with his daily tweets! Twitter is just one example of how technology connects people in the global community which can help us share our Faith with others and provide the opportunity to come together around social justice for all. This course will give you exposure to new ideas and tools to use in your classrooms that will help learners develop themselves within and share their Faith with others. Specific tools include iMovie and iPhoto as well as several links to support your planning.
Ali Dutson, Mission Grammar School
Location: Stokes Hall S109
Student Support for Every Child - Seminar for Elementary Teachers
Special Seminar for All Elementary Teachers
As new teachers, you will want to maintain a focus on teaching and learning so that all of your students achieve. As you already know, in addition to good and relevant instruction there are many out of school factors that affect a student’s ability to come to school each day ready to engage in your classroom. This workshop will address a framework for identifying students' strengths and needs across academic, health, family, and social-emotional-behavioral domains. By understanding the City Connects model of optimized student support, participants will learn about reviewing students holistically to determine what prevention/enrichment, early intervention, and intensive or crisis services can be put into place for students. The workshop will explore what community-based and in-school resources can be leveraged.
Jenna M. Lehane, City Connects - Boston College
Location: Stokes Hall S113
Student Engagement for Urban Public Schools
Special Seminar for Urban Teachers of All Levels
One of the most common misconceptions of students in high poverty, urban schools is that they are uninterested in school. Too often, this assumption seeps into a teacher’s mindset when beginning work in schools in these settings. This session will offer advice and practical strategies for combating this negative, deficit-oriented assumption. Also, this session will allow teachers an opportunity to explore what positive student engagement in high poverty urban settings looks like and how such engagement can be fostered from the first day of school.
Catherine Wong, Director of Urban Outreach Initiatives & Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars, Boston College
Joe-Joe McManus, Rootstrong
Location: Stokes Hall S213
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
10:30 - 12:00 P.M.
A1. Building a Bridge: Making Conferences Work for Families & Teachers
Congratulations - you’ve made it through the few first months of school! You are planning exciting curriculum, getting to know your students, assessing student skills and developmental levels, and opening the lines of communication with families. Now, it is time for parent conferences. YIKES! For many new teachers, parent conference time may elicit feelings of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety. You may feel well prepared and excited to work with your students, but not so prepared and confident working with their parents and families. Believe it or not, many parents are having similar feelings about the upcoming meeting with their child’s teacher. This session will discuss your uncertainties and explore the expectations that parents have for these meetings. By understanding the point of view of both participants, parent-teacher conferences can be less stressful and more readily result in a cooperative, effective, and reciprocal relationship that benefits everyone.
Karen Cristello, Boston College Children's Center
Location: Stokes Hall S109
A2. Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Classroom Management
This is not an ordinary top ten list you might see on a late night TV show. It’s a set of ten practical skills and strategies that will help keep your classroom and your students well managed during the procedural, comical, or challenging moments in your teaching career. In this session participants will learn methods for promoting positive student behavior and how the classroom environment and instruction can contribute to student behavior. Preventative classroom practices will be emphasized, however, prevention does not always suffice. Almost every classroom has students who do not always respond to the most thoughtful classroom management. Participants will enhance their knowledge about how to react when students act out by discussing actual scenarios, sharing insights into student behavior, and adding to their skill set of classroom management tactics. Through both prevention and effective reactions, a healthy classroom community can be created and maintained.
Liz Byron, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
A3. Breaking the Mold of Guided Reading - Using the C.A.F.E. System in Grades 3-6
CAFE is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary, and the system includes goal-setting with students in individual conferences, posting of goals on a whole-class board, developing small group instruction based on clusters of students with similar goals, and targeting whole-class instruction based on emerging student needs and fine tuning one on one conferring. There have been a dozen different ways to teach reading over the decades, but you have not lived as a teacher of reading until you try the C.A.F.E. by Boushey and Mosher. As a classroom teacher who has used the traditional guided reading model and been buried in book levels, the C.A.F.E. system is a breath of fresh air. You can empower students to choose all their own books, listen to others’ excitement about reading, and watch the brush fire catch as each learner finds his/her reading genre niche. Students thrive when they have choices, but you need to monitor them closely. This system has fundamentally changed my teaching practice and renewed my passion for helping children to enjoy reading, even the ones who say they hate it!. In this session, you will learn the basics and receive a TON of resources. All you need to try this out is a good classroom library and patience of course. Please join me to learn about a great system that uses all your current teaching skills and gives you more time to meet with your students.
David Stubbart, Southborough Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115
Congratulations - you’ve made it through the few first months of school! You are planning exciting curriculum, getting to know your students, assessing student skills and developmental levels, and opening the lines of communication with families. Now, it is time for parent conferences. YIKES! For many new teachers, parent conference time may elicit feelings of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety. You may feel well prepared and excited to work with your students, but not so prepared and confident working with their parents and families. Believe it or not, many parents are having similar feelings about the upcoming meeting with their child’s teacher. This session will discuss your uncertainties and explore the expectations that parents have for these meetings. By understanding the point of view of both participants, parent-teacher conferences can be less stressful and more readily result in a cooperative, effective, and reciprocal relationship that benefits everyone.
Karen Cristello, Boston College Children's Center
Location: Stokes Hall S109
A2. Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Classroom Management
This is not an ordinary top ten list you might see on a late night TV show. It’s a set of ten practical skills and strategies that will help keep your classroom and your students well managed during the procedural, comical, or challenging moments in your teaching career. In this session participants will learn methods for promoting positive student behavior and how the classroom environment and instruction can contribute to student behavior. Preventative classroom practices will be emphasized, however, prevention does not always suffice. Almost every classroom has students who do not always respond to the most thoughtful classroom management. Participants will enhance their knowledge about how to react when students act out by discussing actual scenarios, sharing insights into student behavior, and adding to their skill set of classroom management tactics. Through both prevention and effective reactions, a healthy classroom community can be created and maintained.
Liz Byron, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
A3. Breaking the Mold of Guided Reading - Using the C.A.F.E. System in Grades 3-6
CAFE is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary, and the system includes goal-setting with students in individual conferences, posting of goals on a whole-class board, developing small group instruction based on clusters of students with similar goals, and targeting whole-class instruction based on emerging student needs and fine tuning one on one conferring. There have been a dozen different ways to teach reading over the decades, but you have not lived as a teacher of reading until you try the C.A.F.E. by Boushey and Mosher. As a classroom teacher who has used the traditional guided reading model and been buried in book levels, the C.A.F.E. system is a breath of fresh air. You can empower students to choose all their own books, listen to others’ excitement about reading, and watch the brush fire catch as each learner finds his/her reading genre niche. Students thrive when they have choices, but you need to monitor them closely. This system has fundamentally changed my teaching practice and renewed my passion for helping children to enjoy reading, even the ones who say they hate it!. In this session, you will learn the basics and receive a TON of resources. All you need to try this out is a good classroom library and patience of course. Please join me to learn about a great system that uses all your current teaching skills and gives you more time to meet with your students.
David Stubbart, Southborough Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014
1:00 -2:20 P.M.
B1. Writing Through Literacy
Come to this session to take a look at writing in connection with literacy. We will take a look at the new Common Core expectations, rubrics that can help to inform and assess student work, and how to incorporate meaningful written responses to what students are reading both with fiction and informational text. Writing is such an important form of communication within the curriculum, lets start with literacy!
Amanda DeForest, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
B2. Daily Differentiation: How to Effectively Adapt and Modify Curriculum
Ever wonder how teachers are able to modify and design work to meet the needs of a diverse population? This session will provide you with information on the most effective ways to differentiate lessons and assignments. Participants will be able to see samples of classroom modifications as well as have an opportunity to adapt assignments which have not been designed with special education or English language learners (ELLs) in mind.
Heather Anza & Erin Donovan, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
B3. Classroom Management & Positive Support Strategies for the Beginning Teacher
One of the most important skills any teacher can possess is effective classroom management. Without it, all potential learning is affected and students’ needs may not be met. Come to this session to obtain some great ideas to help you in your first few years of teaching. You will learn time saving tricks and good communication practices that will have you well on your way to running your classroom the way you want. We will discuss designing effective classroom management routines and interventions for an inclusive classroom environment. You’ll get ideas to use for many years.
David Stubbart, Southborough Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115
Come to this session to take a look at writing in connection with literacy. We will take a look at the new Common Core expectations, rubrics that can help to inform and assess student work, and how to incorporate meaningful written responses to what students are reading both with fiction and informational text. Writing is such an important form of communication within the curriculum, lets start with literacy!
Amanda DeForest, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
B2. Daily Differentiation: How to Effectively Adapt and Modify Curriculum
Ever wonder how teachers are able to modify and design work to meet the needs of a diverse population? This session will provide you with information on the most effective ways to differentiate lessons and assignments. Participants will be able to see samples of classroom modifications as well as have an opportunity to adapt assignments which have not been designed with special education or English language learners (ELLs) in mind.
Heather Anza & Erin Donovan, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
B3. Classroom Management & Positive Support Strategies for the Beginning Teacher
One of the most important skills any teacher can possess is effective classroom management. Without it, all potential learning is affected and students’ needs may not be met. Come to this session to obtain some great ideas to help you in your first few years of teaching. You will learn time saving tricks and good communication practices that will have you well on your way to running your classroom the way you want. We will discuss designing effective classroom management routines and interventions for an inclusive classroom environment. You’ll get ideas to use for many years.
David Stubbart, Southborough Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014
2:30 - 4:00 P.M.
C1. Don’t Get Lost in Translation! Basics for Reaching English Language Learners in Your Classroom
The number of English Language Learners in U.S. schools continues to grow. Most teachers today can expect to have at least one ELL in their classroom. Teachers can feel helpless when they have a student that doesn’t speak English when they don’t speak the student’s native language. There are lots of strategies that teachers can use to help these students have a successful school experience. This interactive workshop will provide teachers with the information necessary to understand the needs of English Language Learners. An experienced teacher of ELLs will share tips and concrete strategies on how to reach students with limited English in the classroom. Participants will leave with lots of ideas to help their ELL students access content, including examples of real lessons, helpful tools, and multimedia resources.
Dr. Erin Egan, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
C2. Hit the Ground Running! How to Successfully Start the School Year
Teachers spend countless hours planning the organization of their classroom. How will students sign out for the bathroom? How will students sit on the rug? How will these art supplies last the entire school year? These are all thoughts we, as educators have when planning for our first year as a teacher. The magic to making the transitions smooth, student eyes remaining focused on you, and your markers last the whole year, lies in the first few weeks of school. Learn language and techniques used in these crucial days in order to create a level of student investment that will last the year.
Heather Anza & Erin Donovan, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
C3. EdTech for Teachers: Classroom Organization through Evernote
Does anyone look forward to getting buried in binders? Evernote is both a note taking app and web tool that allows students, teachers, and administrators to capture anything, access it anywhere, and find things fast! This app will help you keep track of everything you need in your classroom. Your time is so limited and you don’t want to waste it looking for files or recreating something you already have. This is a cross platform free app that is so versatile for today modern educator. In this session Dave will show you how he has used it in his 5th grade classroom, but everything he shares could easily be adapted to K-12 teachers. You will see how to easily take photos, record audio, and create student data folders. Another huge benefit is “sharing” notebooks with other teachers who work with your students. You add notes, they add notes, it’s all in real time and you both get to see what the other teacher added! This is just the tip of the iceberg, just come to this session to learn all about Evernote.
David Stubbart, Southborough Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115
The number of English Language Learners in U.S. schools continues to grow. Most teachers today can expect to have at least one ELL in their classroom. Teachers can feel helpless when they have a student that doesn’t speak English when they don’t speak the student’s native language. There are lots of strategies that teachers can use to help these students have a successful school experience. This interactive workshop will provide teachers with the information necessary to understand the needs of English Language Learners. An experienced teacher of ELLs will share tips and concrete strategies on how to reach students with limited English in the classroom. Participants will leave with lots of ideas to help their ELL students access content, including examples of real lessons, helpful tools, and multimedia resources.
Dr. Erin Egan, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
C2. Hit the Ground Running! How to Successfully Start the School Year
Teachers spend countless hours planning the organization of their classroom. How will students sign out for the bathroom? How will students sit on the rug? How will these art supplies last the entire school year? These are all thoughts we, as educators have when planning for our first year as a teacher. The magic to making the transitions smooth, student eyes remaining focused on you, and your markers last the whole year, lies in the first few weeks of school. Learn language and techniques used in these crucial days in order to create a level of student investment that will last the year.
Heather Anza & Erin Donovan, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
C3. EdTech for Teachers: Classroom Organization through Evernote
Does anyone look forward to getting buried in binders? Evernote is both a note taking app and web tool that allows students, teachers, and administrators to capture anything, access it anywhere, and find things fast! This app will help you keep track of everything you need in your classroom. Your time is so limited and you don’t want to waste it looking for files or recreating something you already have. This is a cross platform free app that is so versatile for today modern educator. In this session Dave will show you how he has used it in his 5th grade classroom, but everything he shares could easily be adapted to K-12 teachers. You will see how to easily take photos, record audio, and create student data folders. Another huge benefit is “sharing” notebooks with other teachers who work with your students. You add notes, they add notes, it’s all in real time and you both get to see what the other teacher added! This is just the tip of the iceberg, just come to this session to learn all about Evernote.
David Stubbart, Southborough Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014
9:00 - 10:20 A.M.
D1. Getting in Gear for Guided Reading: K-2
Within the first months of school your goal is to get your guided reading groups up and running. This can be a challenge when you're assessing beginning of the year benchmarks while also surviving your first days with a class full of students you're getting to know. How can you plan reading groups that will support your routines and expectations while guiding students to become balanced readers? In this session we will cover the routines of implementing guided reading groups, ways to organize your data and progress to inform instruction, and discuss texts and a variety of activities that are best for your groups. We will also discuss what everyone else is doing while guided reading groups are meeting. Come to this session to get guided reading going!
Amanda DeForest, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
D2. Super Kids! Building Classroom Community by Igniting Our Own “Real Life Super Qualities”
Are super heroes a hot topic in your classroom? Do you ever wonder how to address this type of attention and play in your classroom? This session will show how a preschool class used their love for imagination, learning, and play to build self-confidence, encourage self-reflection, and establish a caring classroom community all while tapping into their “super “ selves! Materials, props, pictures, and children’s work will be used to show how this unit evolved and came to life in a classroom of dynamic young children. Learning and curriculum goals will be addressed, as well as, concerns about commercialism, “pre- scripted” play, aggression, and weapon play. Resources provided will help get you thinking more about these important topics. During this session attendees will be able to discuss and brainstorm ways that the ideas and materials can be adapted for use with other age groups and grades.
Karen Cristello, Boston College Children's Center
Location: Stokes Hall S113
D3. Digital Storytelling: Weaving Technology into the Classroom
In this session you will learn about digital storytelling apps and tools that allow for creativity in the classroom and enable students to produce beautiful works. The shared technology, which aligns with the Common Core State Standards, is designed to facilitate the integration of digital storytelling techniques and strategies into daily lessons and activities. Whether you are teaching young children or those in later grades, you will explore how to adapt tools for appropriate use in the classroom. If you have a device, a laptop or an iPad, please bring it with you. Don't have a device? We have you covered! You will have access to a classroom set of iPads and will be presented with opportunities to explore different tools throughout the session.
Rachel Rumely, Saint Columbkille Partnership School
Location: Stokes Hall S115
Within the first months of school your goal is to get your guided reading groups up and running. This can be a challenge when you're assessing beginning of the year benchmarks while also surviving your first days with a class full of students you're getting to know. How can you plan reading groups that will support your routines and expectations while guiding students to become balanced readers? In this session we will cover the routines of implementing guided reading groups, ways to organize your data and progress to inform instruction, and discuss texts and a variety of activities that are best for your groups. We will also discuss what everyone else is doing while guided reading groups are meeting. Come to this session to get guided reading going!
Amanda DeForest, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
D2. Super Kids! Building Classroom Community by Igniting Our Own “Real Life Super Qualities”
Are super heroes a hot topic in your classroom? Do you ever wonder how to address this type of attention and play in your classroom? This session will show how a preschool class used their love for imagination, learning, and play to build self-confidence, encourage self-reflection, and establish a caring classroom community all while tapping into their “super “ selves! Materials, props, pictures, and children’s work will be used to show how this unit evolved and came to life in a classroom of dynamic young children. Learning and curriculum goals will be addressed, as well as, concerns about commercialism, “pre- scripted” play, aggression, and weapon play. Resources provided will help get you thinking more about these important topics. During this session attendees will be able to discuss and brainstorm ways that the ideas and materials can be adapted for use with other age groups and grades.
Karen Cristello, Boston College Children's Center
Location: Stokes Hall S113
D3. Digital Storytelling: Weaving Technology into the Classroom
In this session you will learn about digital storytelling apps and tools that allow for creativity in the classroom and enable students to produce beautiful works. The shared technology, which aligns with the Common Core State Standards, is designed to facilitate the integration of digital storytelling techniques and strategies into daily lessons and activities. Whether you are teaching young children or those in later grades, you will explore how to adapt tools for appropriate use in the classroom. If you have a device, a laptop or an iPad, please bring it with you. Don't have a device? We have you covered! You will have access to a classroom set of iPads and will be presented with opportunities to explore different tools throughout the session.
Rachel Rumely, Saint Columbkille Partnership School
Location: Stokes Hall S115
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014
10:30 - 12:00 p.M.
E1. Managing Classroom Chaos & Fostering Family Participation
Your all-in-one guide to reigning in the kids and adults that will make (or break) your year!
How are you ever going to organize that classroom library? What kind of materials will be left for you from the previous teacher's debris? The answer is: not much. Come see some pictures and examples of basic classroom organization and learn some new ways to tidy up centers, manipulatives, and books without spending a small fortune on shelving and drawers. You will also receive key advice and tips on how to organize students at the beginning of the school year and throughout the coming months. You will also participate in a "Make and Take" experience - a chance for you to create something useful for your future classroom and to leave with a tool to start your year off with positive behavior management in mind. And, don't forget about those parents! Pesky, overzealous, or seemingly uninterested, it's your secondary job to create rapports with the adults in your students' lives. Come and get some fresh ideas to manage parent interest, lack there of, and everything in between!
Vanessa Elliot-O'Leary, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
E2. Manageable Differentiated Instruction to Meet the Needs of ALL Your Learners
After spending days setting up your classroom, meeting your new students and your families, the real work begins. You assess each student and realize that each student has different needs. Some students need to review skills from the previous grade, some students are where your district expects them to be, and some are grade levels above. How in the world can you teach all of these kids what they need to know? (You are only one person after all!) In this session, we will walk you through what differentiated instruction is and why we have found so invaluable in our classrooms. We will share with you how we have organized our classrooms around this idea. We will even have some time for you to begin to plan out what differentiated instruction could look like in your room.
Abigail Bannon & Melanie Guarrera, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
E3. Teaching in a 21st Century Catholic School: Tips for a Successful Year
Teaching in a Catholic school is a uniquely rewarding, yet challenging experience. The climate and culture of a Catholic education is distinctive, but lack of resources and specialized personnel can make the already difficult job even more demanding. This session is designed for Catholic educators to receive resources and ideas in several areas, which your school may or may not already have. We will discuss some of the joys and challenges of teaching in a Catholic school. Other topics discussed will be special education and Individual Education Plans, English Language Learners, overcoming different ideas of best practice within the staff, teaching the sacraments, how to afford to stay in a Catholic school, being an effective teacher with limited resources, and how to weave faith and religion into your classroom culture.
Rachel Rumely, Saint Columbkille Partnership School
Location: Stokes Hall S115
Your all-in-one guide to reigning in the kids and adults that will make (or break) your year!
How are you ever going to organize that classroom library? What kind of materials will be left for you from the previous teacher's debris? The answer is: not much. Come see some pictures and examples of basic classroom organization and learn some new ways to tidy up centers, manipulatives, and books without spending a small fortune on shelving and drawers. You will also receive key advice and tips on how to organize students at the beginning of the school year and throughout the coming months. You will also participate in a "Make and Take" experience - a chance for you to create something useful for your future classroom and to leave with a tool to start your year off with positive behavior management in mind. And, don't forget about those parents! Pesky, overzealous, or seemingly uninterested, it's your secondary job to create rapports with the adults in your students' lives. Come and get some fresh ideas to manage parent interest, lack there of, and everything in between!
Vanessa Elliot-O'Leary, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
E2. Manageable Differentiated Instruction to Meet the Needs of ALL Your Learners
After spending days setting up your classroom, meeting your new students and your families, the real work begins. You assess each student and realize that each student has different needs. Some students need to review skills from the previous grade, some students are where your district expects them to be, and some are grade levels above. How in the world can you teach all of these kids what they need to know? (You are only one person after all!) In this session, we will walk you through what differentiated instruction is and why we have found so invaluable in our classrooms. We will share with you how we have organized our classrooms around this idea. We will even have some time for you to begin to plan out what differentiated instruction could look like in your room.
Abigail Bannon & Melanie Guarrera, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
E3. Teaching in a 21st Century Catholic School: Tips for a Successful Year
Teaching in a Catholic school is a uniquely rewarding, yet challenging experience. The climate and culture of a Catholic education is distinctive, but lack of resources and specialized personnel can make the already difficult job even more demanding. This session is designed for Catholic educators to receive resources and ideas in several areas, which your school may or may not already have. We will discuss some of the joys and challenges of teaching in a Catholic school. Other topics discussed will be special education and Individual Education Plans, English Language Learners, overcoming different ideas of best practice within the staff, teaching the sacraments, how to afford to stay in a Catholic school, being an effective teacher with limited resources, and how to weave faith and religion into your classroom culture.
Rachel Rumely, Saint Columbkille Partnership School
Location: Stokes Hall S115
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014
1:00 -2:20 P.M.
F1. Managing Classroom Chaos & Fostering Family Participation
Your all-in-one guide to reigning in the kids and adults that will make (or break) your year!
How are you ever going to organize that classroom library? What kind of materials will be left for you from the previous teacher's debris? The answer is: not much. Come see some pictures and examples of basic classroom organization and learn some new ways to tidy up centers, manipulatives, and books without spending a small fortune on shelving and drawers. You will also receive key advice and tips on how to organize students at the beginning of the school year and throughout the coming months. You will also participate in a "Make and Take" experience - a chance for you to create something useful for your future classroom and to leave with a tool to start your year off with positive behavior management in mind. And, don't forget about those parents! Pesky, overzealous, or seemingly uninterested, it's your secondary job to create rapports with the adults in your students' lives. Come and get some fresh ideas to manage parent interest, lack there of, and everything in between!
Vanessa Elliot-O'Leary, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
F2. Meeting the Needs of Everyone In the Inclusive Classroom
Picture this…Your classroom is beautifully organized, you have thought of everything. You have 20+ smiling faces standing with their smiling families. You have plans for the first few days of school ready to go routines to teach, games to play, friendships to help create. Fast forward to October when the full academics hit. You realize that in your one classroom you have some drastic differences in need. You have students who need help with social pragmatics, students who need additional academic support, students who need individualized behavior plans, and students who need specialized instruction because they are only beginning to learn English. How can you make your instruction fit the needs of all of these kids? You have come to the right place! We are here to help you though it. We will be sharing strategies we use in our classrooms to help English Language Learners succeed from day one. We will be talking with you about ways you can incorporate some social pragmatic activities into your whole class and ways to use these strategies with specific students. We will talk about ways we accommodate work to meet the needs of our special education students and we will talk about different individual behavior plans that we have used with success. You will leave this session with a wealth of resources ready to use!
Abigail Bannon & Melanie Guarrera, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
F3. Getting Organized, Inside and Out!
Getting organized and staying that way can make or break a teacher’s success in the first year. Being on top of things is crucial in the classroom, but equally important is the teacher’s work beyond the classroom walls. Planning and assessing learning, collecting data and communicating with families is an essential part of the educator’s job. In this session, participants will be introduced to several technological (and many old school) instructional and organizational tricks, tools and strategies that are easy to launch and easy to manage all year long. Learn to use simple website platforms, coordinate scheduling, manage parent communication, and even try connecting with families using social media. Explore interactive tools that provide different ways to interface with students. View examples of popular and successful tools and tricks, and then try them out. Bring your computer! Participants will get time to set up accounts and begin building their own toolbox of tricks to start off the school year right!
Jeffrey LaBroad, Brookline Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115
Your all-in-one guide to reigning in the kids and adults that will make (or break) your year!
How are you ever going to organize that classroom library? What kind of materials will be left for you from the previous teacher's debris? The answer is: not much. Come see some pictures and examples of basic classroom organization and learn some new ways to tidy up centers, manipulatives, and books without spending a small fortune on shelving and drawers. You will also receive key advice and tips on how to organize students at the beginning of the school year and throughout the coming months. You will also participate in a "Make and Take" experience - a chance for you to create something useful for your future classroom and to leave with a tool to start your year off with positive behavior management in mind. And, don't forget about those parents! Pesky, overzealous, or seemingly uninterested, it's your secondary job to create rapports with the adults in your students' lives. Come and get some fresh ideas to manage parent interest, lack there of, and everything in between!
Vanessa Elliot-O'Leary, Boston Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S109
F2. Meeting the Needs of Everyone In the Inclusive Classroom
Picture this…Your classroom is beautifully organized, you have thought of everything. You have 20+ smiling faces standing with their smiling families. You have plans for the first few days of school ready to go routines to teach, games to play, friendships to help create. Fast forward to October when the full academics hit. You realize that in your one classroom you have some drastic differences in need. You have students who need help with social pragmatics, students who need additional academic support, students who need individualized behavior plans, and students who need specialized instruction because they are only beginning to learn English. How can you make your instruction fit the needs of all of these kids? You have come to the right place! We are here to help you though it. We will be sharing strategies we use in our classrooms to help English Language Learners succeed from day one. We will be talking with you about ways you can incorporate some social pragmatic activities into your whole class and ways to use these strategies with specific students. We will talk about ways we accommodate work to meet the needs of our special education students and we will talk about different individual behavior plans that we have used with success. You will leave this session with a wealth of resources ready to use!
Abigail Bannon & Melanie Guarrera, Newton Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S113
F3. Getting Organized, Inside and Out!
Getting organized and staying that way can make or break a teacher’s success in the first year. Being on top of things is crucial in the classroom, but equally important is the teacher’s work beyond the classroom walls. Planning and assessing learning, collecting data and communicating with families is an essential part of the educator’s job. In this session, participants will be introduced to several technological (and many old school) instructional and organizational tricks, tools and strategies that are easy to launch and easy to manage all year long. Learn to use simple website platforms, coordinate scheduling, manage parent communication, and even try connecting with families using social media. Explore interactive tools that provide different ways to interface with students. View examples of popular and successful tools and tricks, and then try them out. Bring your computer! Participants will get time to set up accounts and begin building their own toolbox of tricks to start off the school year right!
Jeffrey LaBroad, Brookline Public Schools
Location: Stokes Hall S115