The Virginia-School University Partnership (VSUP) has multiple conferences with registration deadlines that are coming up this Friday, September 30:
1. We are excited to announce that we now have a cohort of 39 coaches, administrators, instructional specialists, and teacher leaders registered to participate in our two-part “Instructional Coaching” offering. We can still accommodate a few additional participants, so we will keep registration open through this Friday, September 30.
Reflective Practice: Integrating Instructional Coaching Strategies to Support Professional Growth (Grades K-12)
Presented by Jennifer Sublette and Cyndi Wells
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 AND Tuesday, March 14, 2017
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This two-part workshop will give participants the chance to explore, implement and evaluate various approaches for encouraging continued professional growth in their own schools and divisions.
2. As the excitement of the opening of school wears off, teachers as well as students may find themselves in need of a bit of boost. Two of last year’s most popular presenters (who both received “very satisfied” ratings from 100% of attendees!) have conferences coming up in two weeks that will re-energize all participants and provide them with a wealth of strategies for increasing student engagement in their classrooms and schools. We do still have space for additional participants in both of these great PD opportunities, but registrations need to be submitted by this Friday, September 30.
Seatwork to Feetwork: Engaging Students in Their Own Learning (Grades K-12)
Presented by Ron Nash
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This workshop will have participants moving, sharing and laughing as they practice communication, collaboration, and critical-thinking strategies that can be used to engage students at any grade level and in any subject area. Ron Nash will model think-write-pair-share, paired verbal fluency, priming, elaborative rehearsal, distributive practice, convergent/divergent thinking, give one/get one, along with showing how to create physical and mental state changes using movement, music and humor in this fast-paced day of fun and learning.
Visible Learning: Seeing Learning Through the Eyes of Your Students (Grades K-12)
Presented by John Almarode
Friday, October 14, 2016
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This highly-engaging, highly-interactive workshop will focus on the most up-to-date research from John Hattie, Jim Knight, as well as John Almarode, on what works best in our schools and classrooms. Participants will take an in-depth look at specific factors that have the greatest impact on student learning and achievement and how teachers can employ strategies that foster lifelong learners in their classrooms.
3. At this point, we have not yet received enough registrations to hold the following three conferences, which focus on improving instruction in Science and Social Studies:
Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate: The Student Brain Using Scientific Inquiry (Grades 3-8)
Presented by Ann Miller
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
During this conference, participants will explore ways to engage students in scientific investigation in order to promote deeper learning. The conference will focus on how to actively involve students in the scientific process of prediction, exploration and observation. It also will examine how students can best demonstrate what they know by focusing on performance tasks that are meaningful real-world learning experiences in which students have the opportunity to investigate, collect evidence, and draw conclusions. This workshop, filled with thinking, collaborating and learning, will offer strategies to use scientific investigation to increase engagement, develop relevancy, and maximize retention in the classroom.
Critical Thinking in Action: Using Sources as Evidence in Teaching History (Grades 6-11; US I, US II, WH I, WH II, VA/US)
Presented by Stepahnie Van Hover
Tuesday, November 3, 2016
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The new SOLs require that social studies instruction focus on teaching critical thinking and the skills of historical analysis, rather than on just the memorization of facts. During this conference, participants will examine a wide variety of different sources that can be used as evidence and explore how students can best be taught to model the different components of historical analysis. A wide variety of different teaching approaches will be explored, with an emphasis on how writing and discussion can be used most effectively to enhance learning in middle and high school social studies classrooms.
Writing and Thinking Through Performance Based Learning: A Toolbox for Social Studies and Science (Grades 3-8)
Presented by Barb Aszbach and Stephanie Hammer
Friday, November 18, 2016
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
While writing and thinking about content in social studies and science, learners develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can be applied across the curriculum. During this workshop, participants will explore easily differentiated lessons, examples of writing assignments, thinking routines, and tasks and rubrics for projects using the performance based assessment model. Participants will leave with a Performance Based Learning Toolbox that will enhance content area knowledge while supporting 21st century skills.