2018 VATE Conference: We Are The Change

This session will begin with a discussion of New Literacies and image use, and the ways that emerging composition formats like Pecha Kucha and Graphic Recordings can be leveraged for student use. Participants will have an opportunity to listen and watch as students demonstrate image rich compositions based on current literature and then will have an opportunity to engage in the composition process and will gain examples of writing prompts and lessons. To end this session, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about issues with implementation of these composition formats.

Embracing "messy research," this session demonstrates several ways teachers can go beyond the traditional research paper to foster a culture of curiosity, personal connection, and academic inquiry in the English classroom with student choice in developing research questions as a foundation. Participants will see examples of student deliverables from year-long projects as well as one-week sessions and will learn strategies for teaching key word searches, annotated bibliographies, and APA format.

The objective of this session is to show the relevance of the classics in today's society and ways to engage modern day students.  We have taken six classic pieces of literature and illustrated the relevance and high interest level.  We will provide practical activities and connections for each text.  Any middle or high school teacher should be able to take these ideas and apply any or all strands of Standards of Learning.  We will use electronic and hands on materials.  Participants will leave our session with a renewed appreciation for classic literature and its relevance to today, as well as practical ideas to immediately implement within their classrooms.  

This session will include a book list of children’s picture books to use when incorporating an interactive read aloud. The objectives include improving students (and teachers) awareness of how to incorporate active listening skills/strategies during an interactive read aloud.  By practicing it in an already implemented activity, it can be more easily integrated into an already full curriculum.  The format of the presentation will include a ppt with specific strategies, activities and resources teachers can easily transfer into their own classroom practices.  The activities will include ‘real world’ practice and modeling for teachers in order to allow them to immediately implement the strategies/skills into their own classroom practices.  Materials include a handout of children’s picture books, activity packet, and websites that might be utilized for ongoing practice.  The intended audience is for all teachers.

Intro:

It’s no surprise that in the age of standardized testing, standardized curriculum, and standardized instruction, students no longer see themselves in their education. Learning has been broken down and atomized in to bite sized bits that can be easily collected, quantified, and politicized. In a system that says results matter more than learning, we shouldn’t be surprised that students no longer excited to learn. 

We’ve forgotten why we learn in the first place: to better understand ourselves and our world, to find and cultivate our passions, to connect with each other, and most simply of all, because it's fun. There’s no shortage of philosophies, methods, tools, and tech at teacher’s disposal to combat the travails of modern education, but what’s missing is a clear, coherent framework to organize when, where, and how to use them. More importantly, it’s a framework that teachers can use regardless of content, level, or cultural context. It’s as universal as the human experience.

The Monomyth Framework is built around Joseph Campbell's Monomyth. Essentially, it's a thematic distillation of best practice pedagogy that provides a sequence and structure to a variety of current best practice methods. At its core, is the Mythic Question: a relatable, engaging question about the human experience that will inform the texts the students read, conversations they engage in, and information they explore over the course of the year.

It’s our hope that our framework will serve as the campfire we gather around to share our experiences—experiences that remind us that though our stories are unique, we are all the same.

Objectives:

-Introduce teachers to our thematic framework 
-Provide them with documents to start utilizing our framework in their own classroom
-Build a community of engaged participants who want to share how they've used, adapted, and innovated our framework so we can all build a better tool together long after our session has ended.

Activities:

Part 1: Introduction to the Framework- My colleague and I will run through our framework with the group. (Time: 30 minutes) 

Part 2: Q&A- My colleague and I will field an general questions, thoughts, or comments about the framework. (Time: 15-20 minutes)

Part 3: Workshop- Educators break up in to grade level groups and see how they can use our framework to either structure their entire year or a single unit using our methodology. My colleague and I will walk around and facilitate learning. 

(If time allows, we would repeat the small group work/large group discussion process)

Intended Audiences: Secondary English Teachers

Resources we use: 
-Prezi Presentation of our Framework
-Hard copies of the "Unit at a Glance" graphic organizer
-Hard copies of "Year at a Glance"  graphic organizer

All attendees will have access to both hard and digital copies of our materials for use in their own classrooms as well as access to our planned website/community where they can connect to other teachers around Virginia (and beyond) to discuss their experiences with the framework.

Students today are bombarded with media messages that include news, not so newsworthy news, and moral outrage disguised as news.  Using the framework painted on the walls of the Salem Witch Museum about how moral panic creates or reinforces the status quo, students can begin to analyze how messages shape our understanding of the news we hear both in mass media and in their real lives.

With heightened concerns regarding mental health in our society, many teachers are searching for ways to help our students (and ourselves!) find balance and develop healthy approaches to managing stress and anxiety. Over the past several years, I have reflected on a number of my own practices and have developed routines and activities that all work towards establishing a safe, welcoming classroom environment where students can develop and practice strategies for managing stress while also working on their reading, writing, and speaking skills. 
By incorporating supplemental day-of-the-week activities such as “Mindful Monday,” “Museday Tuesday,” and “Free Reading Friday” into the class routine, teachers can reflect even more on their practices and actually do more with seemingly less. We want to help students develop both a reading and a writing life, but we must also recognize that students need to be in a healthy place mentally and emotionally before they can focus on the skills we’re teaching. These 15-20 minute supplemental activities integrated in the classroom routine emphasize student choice, mindfulness, and reflection, while also promoting students’ well-being and confidence as well as classroom community. At the same time, they provide low-stakes opportunities for students to practice and strengthen skills.
I will provide research, strategies for implementation, and resources for teachers to use in their schools.Teachers will have the opportunity to reflect and consider their own variations on the routines and activities shared. Time will be provided for exploration and planning. Participants will leave the session with activities they can incorporate in their classrooms immediately as well as possibilities for making connections to current texts and concepts of study.  
The session is intended for high school ELA teachers of all levels. Participants should bring their laptops or other devices so they can explore resources, plan, and collaborate.

I'm teaching English teachers to use Google Draw for formative assessment and to encourage student creativity and communication using alternative formats. Have already delivered this session once to KG English teachers for all levels and got great, very positive feedback. No time to write more now.