Mentor Session

Despite the myth of “digital natives,” most of my students have very little experience using technology as anything more than a consumer device. It doesn’t have to be this way. By using a design thinking framework, teachers can foster creative thinking in every content area and help students develop a maker mindset.  

A 21st Century administrator effectively models digital-age skills and leadership to communicate and interact digitally with their constituents. These administrators always redefine ways to infuse technology for inspiring staff and students in the transformation of school culture and learning environments. Administrators in school districts all over America are learning to leverage and integrate multiple forms of digital tools and media and are role models and game changers in school transformation! 21st Century Administrators are also utilizing many skills and strategies such as visionary leadership and servant leadership to create a culture and vision that leads to boundless innovation. Dr. Adams will share his experiences and techniques that has led him to being one of the most influential 21st Century leaders in America! 

Arkansas has a team of digital learning support specialists (Team Digital) to assist schools with student-focused learning. The session will include introductions to Team Digital members, areas of the state we cover, and services we provide.  This session also includes a brainstorming activity centered around student-focused learning. In turn, this will provide topics for discussion pertaining to specific guidance areas provided by Team Digital Specialist. Schools can share their dream with the audience and then be provided feedback regarding the steps for achieving that dream. The purpose of the activity is to assist and explore building a foundation for their vision of the future. Team Digital will provide resources and next steps for planning and implementing student-focused learning in their district.

• Participants will be able to identify the building blocks for implementing student-focused learning. 
  
• Participants will be able to describe their vision of the future for personalized learning at their school. 
  
• Participants will be able to utilize the resources provided and begin discussions to develop a plan for implementation.
  
• Participants will be able to arrange a personalized envisioning meeting for their district to begin building their remixed school of the future.

1)      Participants will investigate the five components of Competency Based Education (mastery of standards, meaningful assessments, kid friendly language, customized pedagogy and deeper learning DOK and executive skills) and explore the “What Why and How” of culture change. Each participant will gain a personal interpretation of CBE based upon CCSSO and iNACOL definition and understand how student voice and choice and agency can strategically evolve into the culture of a district. Each participant will be provided an opportunity to share and develop their own interpretation as well as share/assess those realities with colleagues.

FIRST is an international organization dedicated to the promotion of STEM education and careers thru competitive robotics activities. FIRST operates four K-12 robotics programs including FIRST LEGO League Jr. (ages 6-10), FIRST LEGO League (ages 9-14), FIRST Tech Challenge (junior high and high school), and FIRST Robotics Competition (high school). FIRST LEGO League and FIRST LEGO League Jr. both emphasize the FIRST ideal of #morethanrobots. In both programs, students conduct a scientific research project and build a robot using a LEGO Education platform (WeDo and/or MINDSTORMS in FIRST LEGO League Jr. and MINDSTORMS in FIRST LEGO League). Both programs also require students to present and defend their research and robotics work to a panel of judges/reviewers. Therefore, these programs develop students' skills in mechanical design, computer programming, research, and communication. In addition, FIRST is the only robotics organization that has developed materials for K-12 educators that are mapped to national education standards. In this session, I will provide an overview of FIRST LEGO League Jr. and FIRST LEGO League. This overview will include a summary of what takes place during each season and a description of what materials are required to manage an in-class or after-school program. I will also describe the ways in which I provide training for and support teachers as they become coaches and coordinators within these programs.

Most professional development for teachers now misses out on a chance to create an embedded model of professional development that is centered on the acquisition of skills and the application of these practices into every classroom. The key to developing a flexible PD model begins with a willingness to break some rules. Be it new teacher development, district priorities, or personalized PD, it is the role of leadership to change the equation to create organizational learning systems that support the primary outcome: learning. Come to this session to challenge yourself, and our system, to create a new equation that resulted in learning for students and professionals.

 Educators will become blended learners.  Participants will engage in blended learning via rotation and self-blend models.  Presenters will lead discussion defining blended & personalized learning using virtual collaboration tools. Participants will experience learning via a rotation model model and will cover session topics: the "WHY", BL models, case studies of various implementations of blended learning, and  education leader, teacher, and student perspectives.  Participants can opt to continue access to a professional learning mini course via a self-blend model. 

Change is a high-reward, high-risk proposition. Creating an innovation culture requires a different approach to leadership, a different way of thinking about yourself, and a different way of being mindful of your school culture.  This session is a predecessor to creating innovative change. Learn from an experienced educator about what can make change "stick".  Jon will create a roadmap for change with concrete steps for leading successful innovation. He will share his experiences in leading two different cultures of change from two different communities. 

Mentor Session

Mentor Session

1)      Participants will dive deeper into CBE and the 48 components of the “Tradition Transition and Transformational Instrument”. Participants will complete the TTT survey instrument, which will provide each participant with a starting point for their school’s journey towards CBE. Change Cycle and Leadership responsibilities, which include: influence, persistence and moral imperative will be shared throughout the presentation. Each participant will reflect upon the complexity of educational systems change and develop a personal strategic plan to engage the community and ensure collegial understanding, acceptance and support as well as a sensitivity of culture change and the “unlearning process”. Each participant will be provided an opportunity the Tradition, Transition, Transformation Survey instrument and collectively critique rough draft strategic plans.

Genius Hour (or 20% Time) has become a popular initiative within some of the most innovative companies in the world. But how do we actually pull this off in the classroom? What does it look like for standards alignment and assessment? What types of structures do we need to create to facilitate meaningful student inquiry? How do we organize it? What changes do we need to make in procedures and classroom management? In this workshop, we explore the nitty gritty details of Genius Hour through design thinking. 

Learn how to use rigorous and meaningful curriculum and formative assessment, with an emphasis on digital tools, to co-create goals with students, identify student learning strengths and needs, to close the achievement gap. Wynne has been a School of Innovation for two years now and has identified some best practices for using a variety of multi-purpose digital tools.

Access to high-quality teaching and learning opportunities should be a rite of passage for all American children. Instead, we see varied and disparate gaps not only in academic achievement across our nation’s public education system, but gaps in life outcomes as well. This session will leverage educational equity documents produced by national organizations such as the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) in order to help teachers, school leaders, and district leaders create a common ground about what is and what isn’t educational equity as well as how we can advance it in a way that benefits all children. 

Leadership/Personalized Learning/Transformation Processes Mentor Session

Anxious to get started to put your ideas for innovation into action? Don’t leave your stakeholders behind - learn some ways to leverage stakeholder ideas into opportunities! In this session, you’ll engage in identifying the key concerns of your major stakeholder groups to proactively plan for engagement, communication, and innovation.

Young learners make big strides when allowed to work in multi-age settings with a keen focus on meeting students where they are.  Enhancing student self-confidence and leadership skills while capturing our young students’ excitement and love of learning, makes our “Nest” a unique elementary learning opportunity.  We will share our structures, instructional practices and successes as well as lessons learned. Focus on data driven reflective practice is an integral part of the success of our program.

Teachers to Teachers: Transform your Professional Development through Classroom Learning Labs

 Classroom Learning Labs (Part 1):

Come to discuss how a dedicated group of individuals can learn to lead their own professional development. Teachers have so much collective wisdom to share; in opening the doors of the classroom ALL become leaders of learning! This session will focus on what a Learning Lab is, and how you can structure it to fit every unique circumstance. It is a structure that allows teachers to learn directly from other teachers through the use of structured protocols. A focus on data collection and sustainability of practice are key components of successful classroom learning labs.

Teachers to Teachers:  System approach to yearlong professional development

Classroom Learning Labs and Cohort groups (Part 2) Come to learn about the systematic approach we have in place to deepen learning and community; dream about possibilities that will allow you to grow and sustain your own collaborative communities. Classroom Learning Labs help teachers see and understand great learning practices. To sustain and grow the learned practices, an individualized learning community supports all levels of learning. We will discuss the components of successful implementation district wide.

Leadership for project based learning (PBL) happens across a continuum of support.  A key component for taking PBL to scale is creating building level capacity. This workshop will focus on processes for implementing, supporting and sustaining PBL at the campus level.   Participants will leave with practitioner tools for PBL capacity building including protocols, processes and timelines that can be modified for your setting.  They will be shared from the context of the ongoing College Hill Academy of Design PBL story.

Student Panel - Moderated by Crystal M. Beshears, Ph.D.

Join Pangburn and Newport High Schools, two pioneering Schools of Innovation from Arkansas, for a heartfelt conversation on the impact of student focused learning. Both schools put students at the center-encouraging students to use their voice and increasingly make choices about their learning - with the support of encouraging adults. These schools allow learners to co-design their learning. Learners at both schools are taking greater ownership of their learning, finding meaning and purpose, and are becoming increasingly independent.

Research clearly demonstrates the value and need for skills that promote successful engagement.  CASEL, NDPN, ASCD, etc. continue to publish relevant articles, research and information concerning the whole child and developing coordinated efforts to promote success.  AR Personal Competency Initiative through the development of Goal # 3, has innovative work occurring around the topic.  Connections with competency-based and student focused personalized learning systems will be demonstrated.  Survey results, guiding principles, resources, practices within AR and so much more.

This session explores the role of teacher leaders in sustaining innovation.  Join Blytheville School District, Blytheville High School and Blytheville Middle School leaders to learn how they assessed their approach to teacher leadership then built a system that nurtures and engages teacher leaders and supports adult learning.

Overview of the current pedagogical shift in education. Attendees will establish a common language and gain a basic understanding of what it means to personalize the learning for students in their school.

Learn about the do’s and don’ts as you begin to transform your classroom and school. Attendees will discuss the idea of change vs. transformation and perceived vs. real barriers in school redesign. Attendees will also have an opportunity to consider how they can incorporate aspects of personalized learning in their classrooms and school wide.

Join Dr. Ryan Krohn, Director of the Institute for Personalized Learning, for an interactive conversation centered around the relationship between function and design.  Explore how improvement and efficiency efforts, instead of core purpose, contributed to the decline, and even extinction, of major companies/organizations. Connect the why behind personalized learning to an intentional how. Participants will learn about how schools and districts across the nation are building an infrastructure for the learner. Leave the session with practical strategies for re-framing your personalized learning vision and for shifting your organization's paradigm.

What are the characteristics of a strong SOI application?

You will receive the latest information on the 2017­18 School of Innovation (SOI) Application Process, as well as tips on how to strengthen your proposal based on lessons learned in the first two rounds of applications. Learn more about how ADE and the OIE can help you based on where you are in the application process.

The 21st Century Whole Child “RESET” transforms a student’s inward and outward vision of themselves and their future by focusing on world cultures, acquisition of a second language, technology for learning and sharing, development of soft skills, community service, and creative problem based learning. This RESET, and our SOI, believes that each child deserves the opportunity to live the life they choose --not a life determined by their circumstances.

 Keys to Transforming to a Digitalized 21st Century School Environment for All!

Digital equity and access in the 21st century are crucial to students being able to compete on a global level and teachers and parents must also be a part of the progress forward! There are few places in society where technology is not utilized or playing an important role. As a result, it’s more critical than ever that students graduate with the 21st-century literacy and technology skills they need to navigate and succeed in our increasingly interconnected, digital world. It is just as important that teachers and parents understand their role! Dr. Darryl Adams will share the story of how one of the poorest school districts in America helped to lead in the transformation of education in America by including students, teachers and parents in the process and the vision of educational equity for all! Future Ready because the Future is Now!

Following the design set forth in John Kotter’s book Leading Change, our team will discuss the process of leading change using an innovative design. The presentation will guide you through Decatur Middle School’s change process and will discuss the three key principles necessary to drive change in schools: developing a sense of urgency, forming a guiding coalition, and promoting leadership over management.  We will also discuss the importance of having a vision and empowering action among the teachers.  You will leave the presentation with the foundational knowledge to build a positive culture through innovation, as well as, 10 innovative ideas for teachers to implement in and out of the classroom.  

Inspired and informed by work with the National Task Force on Assessment Education, work with schools across Arkansas and the nation, and the new flexibility provided by ESSA, Dr. Sarah McKenzie will offer insight on how assessment can support accountability and student learning, while honoring student and parent rights. Expect to expand and integrate your understanding of assessment literacy (including formative assessment), major shifts present in ESSA, and ways we can ensure students understand both where they are in their learning and what they need to do to grow their understanding.  

Leadership for the Systematic Implementation of Personalized Learning Elements - Mentor Session

Flexible learning environments and personalized education are front and center when it comes to innovation in the classroom. But simply creating flexible learning environments is not enough. Utilizing student voice to create the learning space is critical to establishing a successful program. Flexible learning environments must focus on supporting the 4 C's of 21st Century Learning: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity.  When schools involve students and focus on the right work innovation in the classroom soars!

Competency-based learning is gaining significant traction throughout the United States and the world.  Jonathan Vander Els has spent the past decade facilitating this change process as a building principal, and now supports educators throughout the nation in transitioning to a model of learning based upon what students know and are able to demonstrate.  In this session, participants will learn how the four questions of a professional learning community provide the foundation to transitioning to a competency-based model, and will provide the structure to reflect on your school's progress.

Districts and schools are faced with a variety of challenges, inherently. To compound the issue, challenges, especially challenges that are difficult to overcome, are complex and often appear unsolvable. In this session, you will join the leaders of CCHS as they elaborate on their journey overcoming a challenge: building a college and career access program through the lens of implementing internships in a school located in a town with a population of 700. Challenge: rural location. Solution: 41 authentic, personalized virtual internships with professionals from 17 states and 2 countries. If you value personalized learning experiences, student engagement in professional mentorship, or if you have a challenge you are ready to overcome — this session is for you!

In a time of constant change and pressure, districts are faced with rethinking education to better meet the needs of the many diverse learners in their schools. Join Kate Sommerville, Professional Development Specialist for the Institute for Personalized Learning, as she shares one elementary school’s journey in creating, scaling, and implementing a personalized, blended learning model. Through team teaching, innovative spaces, and technology use, Swanson Elementary transformed from a legacy school environment to one that promotes collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking, and student voice and choice. As a former classroom team-teacher, Kate Sommerville will share her personal roadblocks, data results, and what a day is like for a teacher and an engaged student as part of TEAM Togetherness. She will also share the various technology tools she found most successful within her learning environment.

For those that haven't heard about the introduction to the School on F.I.R.E. philosophy (from last year's keynote), this session is for you! Dr. Buddy Berry will take us through his journey in reimagining Eminence Independent Schools to design a next generation “Dream School” rooted in personalized learning, and centered around innovation and creativity. The Eminence Independent school district has redesigned its instructional experience for kindergarten through 12th-grade students with its Framework of Innovation for Reinventing Education model using online, blended and competency-based education in their quest to be the Disney World of Schools. Eminence has utilized technology as the main driver for their success combined with Yes, And thinking; Surprise and Delight; and starting to Think Differently about solutions..  

Mentor Session

Mentor Session

Calling all World Changers! Blue Lobsters only occur in one out of every two million lobsters due to a rare genetic trait. What traits, habits, and dispositions can schools or teachers focus on to grow one in a million ideas. This session will be inspirational, humorous, and practical. Everyone will leave with ideas for immediate implementation

Micromessages allow students to obtain information about your dialogue.  In the STEM disciplines it's imperative that we seek language to motivate all students in these fields.  The focus of this workshop will be on Coding using Innovation with Micromessages that support all students, especially girls in the classroom. Taking a stance with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), we highlight the Principles to Actions -Access and Equity Guiding Principle in order to promote that all students have: access to a high-quality curriculum, effective teaching and learning, high expectations, and the support and resources needed to maximize their learning potential” 

How can schools work to meet the increasing need for alternatives, flexible environments, and provide service for long-term suspended, expelled or medically/psychologically fragile students? How can content be creatively embedded in advanced electives to provide flexibility for 9th and 10th grade students to explore or advance? Hear how a County-Wide ISD in Michigan has provided options and flexibility to hundreds of students and helped to keep students connected to their LEA and community by utilizing online content, blended learning environments and local community partnerships to provide alternatives to traditional brick and mortar classrooms. Parent feedback: "Thank you for having the courage to stand against the chaos eating away inside so many families these days!  Thank you for providing a place for the square-pegs-in-the-round-holes of the public school system-- not just to fit in -- but thrive!"

What are the essential elements of a K-12 education system capable of preparing all students to succeed in higher education, flourish in a 21st century workplace and participate effectively as citizens? How can policymakers support a vision of transformation to personalized, competency-based education to help all students to succeed? Maria Worthen, Vice President of Federal and State Policy at iNACOL will provide a national overview of policy opportunities and trends, and engage participants in an interactive workshop to identify the issues that policymakers will need to tackle to make this vision a reality.

At the high school level, flexible scheduling opens up new doors for students and teachers and their learning journey. Such changes, however, also require leadership capacity school-wide. It is imperative to have building leaders, beyond administrators, for a solid and successful implementation of flexible scheduling. By building capacity as part of your flexible scheduling innovation, you will ensure ownership and support for one of your most valuable assets, your teachers. 

This session will introduce attendees to the topic of social-emotional learning (SEL), provide recent examples of SEL measurement in action, and explain how ESSA enables the advancement of SEL at the state and local levels. In particular, the session will address the following questions: What is SEL and why does it matter? How can SEL be assessed? What steps can local educators take to embed SEL measures in schools? What policies are states pursuing to incorporate SEL within their systems? How can SEL measures work to support all students and advance equity? 

Is personalized learning a passing fad, or is it a legitimate means to provide educational excellence and equity for all students? The

This session will focus on how to implement a "best practice" approach to teaching through "next practice" systems. Highlights will include how to use technology to drive student engagement, blended classrooms, prescribed learning, student collaboration, critical thinking, and much more!

This session will feature a brief introductory presentation on the history of the Institute for Personalized Learning and practical strategies on how to use Tapping to Power of Personalized Learning. The remaining time will feature an extended conversation about the issues, opportunities, skills and strategies associated with introducing and growing personalized learning. Bring your experiences, questions and insights.  

Assessment is an integral part of effective teaching and learning.   Being innovative in assessment can move student performance to a whole new level.   Participants will see examples of innovative assessment from around the state and nation as well as learn about supports available from ADE.  

Team teaching; Personalized learning in an elementary setting; Assessment in elementary PL classroom

 The dynamics of public schools traditionally reflect the model in which adult educators are assigned the responsibility of creating, designing and leading the educational journey for the students in the school.  Adults make the majority of decisions based on what is determined paramount through the adult perspective.  Traditionally, student views and opinions are discounted as having less legitimacy than the views of adults, but as attitudes toward students and young people change, different views
have arisen associated with these changes (Manefield et al., 2007).  As student voice becomes defined, the meaning does not merely suggest that students have the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions, but also have the power to influence change (West, 2004).  Fletcher (2005) describes student voice as “validating and authorizing students to represent their own ideas, opinions, knowledge and experiences throughout education in order to improve our schools” (p. 5).  Students become active participants in their education, including making decisions about what and how they learn and how their learning is assessed. Mitra (2009) defines these student-teacher partnerships as “relationships in which both youth and adults have the potential to contribute to decision making processes, to learn from one another, and to promote change.”  Mitra (2009, p. 409) suggests that “providing youth the opportunity to participate in school decision making that will shape their lives and the lives of their peers, and increasing student voice in schools offers a way to re-engage students in the school community.”  Increasing student voice in our public schools means there will be a cultural change where traditional, ineffective practices no longer exist.  The culture will be one of collaboration, trust, and mutual respect between teachers and students.  

Many traditional assessments rely on students' ability to memorize and regurgitate facts.  So how do collaborative teams develop performance assessments that actually measure students' competency, or ability to transfer their learning in and across subject areas.  Jonathan Vander Els led his own school in rethinking assessment practices and in developing performance assessments to help determine who was truly proficient.  Because of his district's success, they were one of the original four nation-wide granted a waiver by the USED to utilize teacher-created performance assessments as an integral component of their assessment and accountability model.

Are your students partnering to tackle your community’s challenges?  Arkadelphia High School will present their award-winning micro-shelter project, developed for the Students Design for Change challenge through Arkansas Tech University.  Students will be joined by teachers and district officers, who will talk about the value of authentic community connections as a vital component of student engagement and the drivers for shifting instructional practices to ensure more learners are designers.

"Personalized Learning For the Whole Child: Helping Them Find Their Passion in Life So They Never Have to Work A Day in Their Life!" 

Special education students have had Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for decades. It is way past time to allow all students to have the same specialized attention and program. Many school districts are changing the script and changing the game from a traditional 20th century education system to a truly 21st century personalized individualized education system based on student interest, talent and passion. I call it the “Help them find their passion in life and they never have to work a day in their life" system. Personalized learning  programs and plans, done correctly, prepare students to become who they want to be as opposed to what we want them to be! Dr. Adams will discuss and explore his experience with this innovation prospect for systemic change!  

21st Century Whole Child

Want to add some super powers to your assignments, classroom, or professional learning community by adding a digital component?  Join us for this interactive workshop in which we explore how digital tools can increase engagement and allow for students to have voice and choice in responding and completing assignments. We will be diving into Flipgrid, Pic Collage, See Saw, Twitter, and Snapchat (Yes, really!).  In fact, you will learn how the #BookSnaps sensation is sweeping across the country.  Use your superhero technology skills to create a Twitter and Snapchat account before you come.

If your students could design their school, what would it look like? If you could design a school, what would it look like? Attendees will find out what happened when a school asked these very questions and then had the courage to implement them! 

The Lincoln Middle School has a very personalized educational approach that is based on adventure activities and getting our students "outside" of their comfort zones. We have an amazing resource in Lincoln, Lincoln Lake, a 130 acre recreational park that has rock climbing, hiking, canoeing, mountain biking, and fishing. It's located just 6 miles from our campus and provides our district with an opportunity to take our students out of the classroom and incorporate core educational concepts with any of the available adventure activities. We have intertwined leadership skills, team building, academic integration and physical challenges to help further develop personal relationships with our students that we believe is vital to their success. Lincoln Personalized Adventure Education is enriching lives, developing relationships, and leaving memories that reach far beyond classroom walls.  Rethink the 4 walls of your school and learn some ways to build powerful and meaningful relationships with your students.