
Panel Discussion: Challenges of School Leadership
Nigel Pugh Nigel graduated from the University of London, Goldsmiths College with a Post Graduate Certificate of Education in Theater-in-Education, from Hunter College, CUNY, with a Master of Arts, and from the Principals’ Institute, Bank Street College of Education, with a Master of Education. His early teaching was influenced by the works of Paulo Freire while he was facilitating a rural literacy program in India. He taught Theater and English for the Inner London Educatio

2017 Keynote Speaker
Dr. Yohuru Williams is a passionate education activist, as well as History Department Chair and Director of Black Studies at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT. He is also Chief Historian for the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Museum in New York. Dr. Williams is the author of numerous books including, Teaching U.S. History Beyond the Textbook: Six Investigative Strategies, Grades 5-12. He is a regular media commentator on U.S. education policy and African American history,

Vocabulary Primary!
This conversation aims to bring educators together to discuss the problem of vocabulary acquisition, especially among disadvantaged students, and to engage with an approach for embedding vocabulary within their content areas through the use of primary sources. The workshop is especially useful for language arts and history teachers, but all are welcome. Marisa began as a New York City Fellow and has been teaching for 13 years. She's worked with kids here in the city, in the s

Planning with ELLs in Mind
This session will explore using multiple strategies to support our English Language Learners in the classroom. I will be using an open forum of discussion that encourages participation by all attendees. We are discussing the latest changes to the ENL program in New York City and will be crowd sourcing best practices and ideas. Franklin Santana has been a teacher at Hudson High School of Learning Technologies for 4 years and a teacher in New York City schools far longer. As an

Digital Portfolios as a Means to Increase Student-Led Reflections and Discussions
Digital portfolios can foster opportunities for students with disabilities to showcase their growth in academic, social, and vocational domains. When integrated correctly, they can also provide meaningful ways for students to reflect on their work and progress in a variety of traditional and non-traditional domains, as well as take ownership over their work. Most importantly, digital portfolios provide a starting point for student led discussions with peers, staff, family and

Expanding Access to Advanced Mathematics Through Inquiry
I will preview open-ended investigative PBL projects I have used in Precalculus and Calculus and facilitate brainstorming sessions to generate new ideas to fit everyone's curriculum, classroom model, and population. The projects include discovering trigonometric identities, uncovering the properties of polynomials, exploring the galaxy with exponential functions and antiderivatives, rewriting the book on physics, uncovering the history of infinity, and inventing calculus. Con

Network Weaving for Educators
Join us to think together with a network mindset. We will learn to be aware of, identify and map networks around us, and explicitly work to tap their energy and make them healthier. We will practice helping others (from our learners to our colleagues) to identify their interests and challenges, and we'll consider how to best connect people strategically where there's potential for mutual benefit. Network weaving serves as a catalyst for self-organizing groups and creates oppo

Right to Read: Literacy, Social Justice + a Whole-School Literacy Acceleration Project
Everyone has a right to read well. When literacy suffers, students lack choices and access to opportunities. Strong literacy is a key that opens doors, and literacy goes beyond classroom reading. Hudson High School of Learning technologies prioritized literacy as its instructional focus, creating a literacy acceleration program for all students, steeped in social justice, called Right to Read. This program creates an opportunity for every student, regardless of current level

"Why Do I Need to Know This, Miss? A Guide to Writing Relevant PBL Curriculum
FMHS was founded on problem-based learning model of education where core classes are co-taught and integrated. This lends itself to exciting and ever-changing curricula. This workshop will offer a glimpse into how we define PBL at our school and some strategies we've tried to make PBL authentic and timely. We invite educators to engage in a dialogue and brainstorming session as a tool to create authentic inquiry-based and relevant learning experiences for students. Our conver

Teachers as Catalysts for Change
In many schools, teachers assume leadership roles. These teacher-leader roles vary greatly in their selectivity, responsibilities, and authority from school to school, and in some cases teacher-leaders do not have a formal title. Teacher-leader roles do have a common purpose, however: to enable teaching peers to improve and ultimately increase their students’ academic achievement. Research has shown that in schools where teachers share leadership with administrators, school i

Get Out of the Classroom Using Community Resources to Support Learning
In this discussion we will focus on how to support classroom learning through community experiences (field trips) and partnerships. We will discuss how community based learning can support and enhance lesson objectives and share the best ways to reach out to organizations that don't have formal education programs when necessary. We will talk about the types of organizations that partner with schools, effective ways participants have engaged with schools in the past and possib

#Math Games
Come explore games that help kids think about mathematics at all levels. In this session we will play a variety of games designed for students at different levels. Participants will rotate through different game stations and then share their thoughts and ideas for games with the group. We will also discuss different ideas that support reflection and assessment through game play. Shaun mathematics for over ten years and is happy to share the things that work well in his classr

Creating a Marker Culture in The Elementary School
Makerspaces: where students design & tinker collaboratively. More than physical space, a mindset that's a necessary component of learning. Creating the physical makerspace is the easiest part of the process. Developing and growing the culture, however, takes finesse. While the makerspace may be one room in a building, it encompasses a mindset that encourages exploration, imagination and prototyping. This room symbolizes a change where problem solving and creativity are at the

There's Never Enough Time! Making Time for Real Science Using the 5E Instructional Model
Not enough time for science?!? The 5E instructional model helps re-introduce elements of surprise and discovery into science classrooms. This 90-minute session is designed to introduce the 5E instructional model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate” through teacher immersion followed by a reflection. The first 45 minutes would include “Engage” and “Explore” and would represent one complete class period, with teachers participating as students. This “class” includes

Breakout EDU: Immersive Collaborative Learning
Collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking are extremely important skills students need in the 21st-century world. In a Breakout EDU game, students are given a scenario where they need to analyze and interpret a variety of information to break into a locked box in a limited amount of time. Immerse yourself in this exciting learning platform and student engagement tool as you try to beat the clock and BREAKOUT! Lee Araoz provides job-embedded professional developmen