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Throughout my tenure at Bloomfield Hills High School, I have had the opportunity to attend a variety of conferences and pursue specialized training in a multitude of subject areas. The following is a list of select conferences or training in which I have participated along with a brief exploration of how the conference contributed to my learning and teaching. Where available, links to either the conference/organization homepage or notes/artifacts collected during the conference will be posted alongside the explanation of the event. If you have any questions about these conferences or would like to share your experience with these subjects, please get in touch!
Restorative Practices Training 2015
As our understanding of discipline and its short and long-term impact on students changes, my district has sought alternate methods of discipline and new ways to effectively communicate with students. In adopting restorative practices as our primary model, our district has invested in training as many teachers as are willing. I came to restorative practices in a roundabout way. One of my administrators spoke of it passionately and the potential that it had to build and repair relationships. After hearing her speak of the strategies employed by restorative practices, and participating in a few conferences at school to help seek alternate solutions to suspension for students, I quickly understood that these practices would be beneficial not only in discipline but also in building and maintaining positive, durative relationships. The training itself helped me better understand restorative practices, learn strategies to immediately employ in my classroom, and encouraged me to seek continued education in this area. Following the training, I became part of a cohort of teachers from my district who had also been trained; we meet monthly to discuss successes within the program, questions or struggles we are having, and ideas for future success.
Global Learners Initiative 2014-2015
A few years ago, our school district leadership made the incredible decision that one of the primary areas of focus for our district initiatives should be the equity and inclusion of all students. As such, we invested in the Global Learners program which consists of a Healing Racism institute, Global Champions workshops/training, and Global Learners Initiative program for students. The overall program brings together teachers, administrators, parents, counselors, bus drivers, support staff, and students to discuss issues of equity and inclusion in our buildings and changes that can be made to improve the experience for our students in the district. I have been part of this program from the beginning and can say wholeheartedly that it has changed the way I think, teach, and design experiences in my classroom. The program combines honest conversation with strong introspection and asks participants to consider disparate points of view. Significant changes have been made in our district (as well as seemingly small changes) that have worked to our students' benefit. Now that a group of staff/parents have finished the program, we have formed a Global Education Team within each building which meets monthly to examine issues of equity and inclusion. For example, last year we changed the long-standing tradition of students wearing gender-specific gowns at commencement. Prior to last year, male students wore black gowns and female students wore purple; however, we have an increasing number of transgender or non-binary students in our building and the process of selecting a gown color or being forced into one was becoming increasingly troublesome for some students. Deciding that we wanted to present all graduates as equals, rather than distinguishing them by gender, we made the decision that all graduates would wear black gowns and be presented as one cohesive class. This is just one example of the decisions that the Global Education Team is responsible for. The following video provides a strong overview of the program, its goals, and its potential benefit for students.
Effective Strategies for African American Male Literacy 2014-2015
This conference, held monthly over a six-month period, was sponsored by Oakland Schools and was connected to their overarching mission of building cultural competency among teachers. The program discussed some of the reasons that African American males historically struggle in reading and literacy, including cultural barriers, lack of positive peer influence in school, and lack of support or encouragement from teachers. The conference featured specific programs and suggestions for building literacy among African American males, working off of the premise that strategies that will be beneficial for this demographic will ultimately benefit all students. The conference was attended by teachers from around the county, allowing for significant interaction with colleagues and the potential to build a bank of instructional strategies, assessment ideas, and contacts. Strategies learned at the conference led to my creation of a study-hall book club in which I recommended texts to a group of my students and met with them during lunch or our study hall time to discuss the books. This is a program I have continued for the last two years and while it has expanded beyond African American males, they are still the primary demographic of the group.
Buck Institute: Project Based Learning Conference 2013
This conference, held over a four-day period in Indianapolis, Indiana was designed to introduce educators to the idea of Project Based Learning (PBL) and offer strategies for incorporating PBL into your classroom. The workshops were organized by subject area and level (i.e. primary and secondary) so that teachers/attendees could get the most out of each session. The goal of the conference was to allow teachers to work in a hands-on manner, creating lessons, units, or projects that would be immediately useful in the classroom. While the program materials and overall ability to collaborate with my subject-area peers were much appreciated (a group of 10 teachers from my building all attended), the conference itself left much to be desired. Unfortunately, the individual who was supposed to run the ELA workshop missed her flight, so an assistant instructor filled in. We felt that we did not yet have a solid understanding of PBL and its possibilities, so jumping into creating lesson plans and assessments was a challenge. Over the two years that followed, my colleagues and I have continued to do research on PBL and have attended other training to support our efforts. We also formed a PBL cohort/professional learning community (PLC) in our district to support our own development and the inclusion of PBL at all levels.
Learning Conference: Think, Imagine, Create 2013
I attended this conference in Birmingham, MI on a whim--my principal e-mailed me a few weeks before the conference and said there were a few open spots if I was interested. Little did I know, three years later it would still resonate as being the single most impactful conference I have ever attended and would spark a deep interest in educational technology that would shift the momentum of my teaching and learning. The conference, hosted by Birmingham Public Schools (BPS), featured keynote speakers Tony Wagner and Heidi Hayes Jacobs, two individuals who have been instrumental in my embracing technology in my classroom and rethinking my pedagogical practices. Along with the keynote addresses, the conference featured breakout sessions with teachers from BPS who were using technology in an innovative manner in their classrooms. It was through these breakout sessions that I learned about student blogging with EduBlogs, course management systems such as Edmodo, and integrating technology into my classroom in a meaningful way, rather than tacking it onto an assignment to meet a standard or requirement. There are still resources I use and techniques I embrace because of this conference and I am so appreciative that I was able to attend. My hope is to encourage my district to host a conference like this in the near future and ideally serve as one of the breakout session leaders.
AP English Language & Composition Summer Institutes 2012-2014
These institutes, sponsored and organized by the College Board, were instrumental in my understanding and development of the AP English Language and Composition curriculum. When I first attended, I was a month away from teaching AP for the first time with no resources, no textbooks, and nobody in my building who had taught it before. We were offering the course for the first time and it was all on me to develop the curriculum. Through this week-long training, I was supported in understanding the design and structure of the exam, creating a syllabus and overview of materials students would require,
The first time I attended, I was a recipient of information. I asked questions, took diligent notes, and soaked up the advice from the instructor like a sponge. The following two years, armed with a co-teacher and experience, I took a more active role in contributing to the workshop and was able to offer advice, materials, suggestions, and feedback for new teachers who were now where I began my AP journey. Through this workshop I also formed many collegial relationships with educators from around the state with whom I share materials and experiences. Finally, one of the most valuable aspects of the conferences was forming a strong working relationship with the leader of the conference. I have gotten in touch with her many times to bounce ideas off of her or seek her advice. She has an incredible website of resources (linked via the image above) that continue to support my learning and teaching.
The first time I attended, I was a recipient of information. I asked questions, took diligent notes, and soaked up the advice from the instructor like a sponge. The following two years, armed with a co-teacher and experience, I took a more active role in contributing to the workshop and was able to offer advice, materials, suggestions, and feedback for new teachers who were now where I began my AP journey. Through this workshop I also formed many collegial relationships with educators from around the state with whom I share materials and experiences. Finally, one of the most valuable aspects of the conferences was forming a strong working relationship with the leader of the conference. I have gotten in touch with her many times to bounce ideas off of her or seek her advice. She has an incredible website of resources (linked via the image above) that continue to support my learning and teaching.