Training vs Learning

I recently shared this graphic on Twitter, which resonated with many of you and I wanted to share an excerpt from my book, Learner-Centered Innovation, where this graphic came from.

A school leader shared with me that, although she felt her school offered ample professional development, she was frustrated that they hadn’t seen a dramatic shift in the classrooms. She had hoped to see an increase in students solving authentic problems and using applications for deeper learning experiences. Instead, students used technology to upload and share information or to complete assignments that looked very similar to the work they had done without technology. In response, I asked the leader to describe a typical professional learning day. She told me that, in every after-school meeting, she showed teachers how to use different apps; in fact, she constantly shared tips on new apps and tools she came across. What puzzled her is that the teachers seemed encouraged in the meetings and even shared their own ideas.

As we dug deeper into why the training wasn’t translating into the classroom experience, she realized that her teachers were doing exactly what she had modeled for them: they were using new tools to do the same activities and teach the same content they always had. Although they liked learning about new tools, they hadn’t been modeled or used in a way that connected them to student applications for different or deeper learning.

I always cringe when I hear the word training used to describe educator professional development. Training happens to or is thrust upon people. Learning, on the other hand, is a process of developing knowledge through authentic and relevant experiences. If professional learning is ever going to be effective in bringing about change for students, it must shift away from something done to educators toward a process of creating a culture of continuous learning cycles and problem solving. There is a time to learn new skills or specific programs, but professional learning can’t end with information; content is only the beginning. The following table depicts common experiences that differentiate training from learning.

Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning

In education, we have a lot of systems that run smoothly because we have been doing them for years. The problem is that when we work with the same people, doing the same things, ineffective practices are rarely challenged or changed. Traditions and habits don’t inspire new ways of thinking for educators or for students. Here is an example, and I apologize to any English teachers reading this, but I have been in too many conversations about whether The Outsiders is an eighth-or ninth-grade book and have mitigated arguments between seventh-grade teachers about whether or not to teach Farewell to Manzanar. And if you know English teachers, these conversations can become heated. This same scenario plays out in many contexts, whether it is the play that is done every year or the unit that has to be taught in the fall because it has always been that way. One of many problems with these arguments is they are about territory and preserving the status quo, not kids, what they are learning, and why. If the comfort and preferences of adults become the priority rather than what’s best for learners, students miss out on powerful learning opportunities connected to their goals, questions, and interests.

As a result of doing what had always been done, when I was the literacy coach for our school, we noticed that many students were going through their day without the opportunity or expectation to read. Many students were performing below grade level on standardized tests and struggled to read the textbooks and assigned novels. Attempting to support students, teachers had resorted to creating PowerPoint presentations to summarize and convey key facts; books were read aloud, and teachers played recordings of novels so everyone could follow along at the same pace while short passages and multiple-choice worksheets were widely used to assess comprehension. We came to the realization that, if our students never read on their own or made meaningful decisions for themselves in school, they were going to struggle with these things out of school. While we grappled with this very real issue, our professional learning consisted of disparate events that offered no help. The English language arts department wanted to do better for our students, but I also knew that if they knew a better way, they would have been doing it already. We needed to learn new strategies to improve, and we had to shift the culture to focus on our desired student outcomes and align how we were designing and facilitating the learning experiences.

To achieve our goal of increasing reading practice and ultimately literacy, our English department had to shift our meeting structures from examining what we wanted and what we were teaching to reviewing student work to find out what they were learning. We wrote a proposal to our principal to purchase a copy of the book 7 Strategies for Teaching Reading for each teacher in our department and requested stipends for the teachers to meet regularly after school for eight weeks. The total cost of our request was less than $ 1,000 ($ 100 per teacher and $ 20 for each book). We read the book and came together after school to engage in collaborative conversation that allowed teachers to experience the new strategies in their own reading and learning. We then planned ways to support students in their diverse classes. Each week, we independently read about a new strategy, rotated modeling lessons for our colleagues, and collaborated on a plan to put the new ideas into practice. One distinction here is that we did not create a plan for one specific lesson; we thought about how to integrate the new strategy across various lessons and develop multiple iterations of the strategy to inform our practice. To ensure we were working to close the knowing-doing gap, we partnered up each week to observe each other and learn from the variety of methods we were each putting into practice. At the beginning of our weekly meetings, we shared what we were learning. The open reflection not only allowed us to create a culture of transparency in our team but also pushed us to try out new ideas and build off one another’s successes and challenges.

We shifted our conversations from what content and page number we were teaching that week to what we were learning and how we could impact student outcomes. This also meant that we had to bring evidence of learning from all students connected to our desired outcomes. We had to move beyond the spreadsheets and percentages to actually understand what was happening in our classrooms. We spent our time digging deep into our problems of practice, looking at student work, and interrogating our practices to ensure we were truly meeting the needs of the learners.

While our English department worked together to create better learning experiences for our students, reading about and discussing new ideas was critical for our growth. As we explored these new approaches and ideas, we began to rethink the traditional teaching of a class novel. We created more opportunities for choice and designed opportunities for students to grapple with text to make sense of it. We moved from designing learning experiences based on the content and page number we were teaching that week to how to design learning experiences that empowered our students and helped them develop the skills to become better readers, writers, and speakers. By being willing to make changes in the way reading and literacy had always been taught, we improved outcomes for our students.

Learner-Centered Innovation

Learner-centered innovation is not just about creating something new but doing something that yields better outcomes because of what we have created. With that in mind, we asked questions like, “How do we know that our idea is working?” and “What is the impact on desired student outcomes?” When we focus our efforts on what we want to accomplish, not simply the metrics or data from an isolated test or standards but on the type of student we want to create, we might find that our meetings and our learning experiences become more impactful.I would love to hear about examples of what you are doing to create job-embedded cycles of professional learning and the impact it is having!

To learn more about making the shift from training to learning, check out Katie Martin’s book Learner-Centered Innovation.

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019

Seven Stages in Moving from Consuming to Creating (A Post From John Spencer)

I used to believe that creativity began in the mind. Ideas popped in and people responded externally by making things. I would get frustrated when students came into class having only used technology to consume rather than create. I would beg them to take risks creatively. Make something different. Be bold. Branch out even if you screw up. Just be bold.

However, things began to change when I had my own kids. I noticed that from a young age, creativity was inherently social. It often began by seeing, hearing, and experiencing first. Often, it included copying something that an adult was doing. As the kids grew older, I noticed a similar pattern. Though they were wildly creative, each one of them went through a process of noticing, exploring, copying and finally finding their own way.

It has me thinking about my own experience with creative work. When I first got into drawing, I copied the styles of other artists. When I first got into poetry, I copied the style of my favorite poet. When I first wrote a novel, it was essentially fan fiction — albeit at a time when no one knew that term. I have noticed similar trends among students. They often go through a phase of copying and mash-ups that occur before creating something truly original. As a middle school teacher, I saw this trend in art class, wood shop, in writer’s workshops, and in STEM labs. Now, at the university level, I see this as a progression that often happens as students learn the art of teaching. They often observe and copy before they move into creating from scratch.

The Importance of Critical Consuming

Like I mentioned earlier, creativity doesn’t always happen with a flash of inspiration. When you look at makers, they are often critical consumers of the same type of work they create. Chefs love great meals. Musicians listen to music. Architects often visit new cities and tour buildings to find inspiration. There’s this ongoing cycle of critical consuming, inspiration, and creative work. As they create more, it leads to a deeper ability to consume critically, where they find more inspiration, and the cycle continues.

This is why I reject the idea that students should be creators rather than consumers. Consuming isn’t inherently bad. However, what we want are for students to be critical consumers so that they can become makers. And often, this requires a journey from awareness through critical consuming and then eventually creation. For this reason, I’d love to share the seven stages from consuming to creating that we featured in the book Empower.

The Seven Stages from Consuming to Creating

I’ve been thinking about stages that I notice as students move from consumers of media to creators of media. I admit that this is not very scientific. There might be a better model out there that explains this phenomenon. However, here are seven stages I see students go through as they shift from consuming to creating:

#1: Awareness

Sometimes this is a passive exposure. You hear a style of music being played in the background and it seems unusual. After a few months of it, you find yourself thinking, “I kind-of like this.” Next thing you know, you’re choosing to listen to indie-fused techno-polka. Or maybe not. Other times, it’s more direct. You watch a particular movie or you see a production or you read a book and suddenly you’re hooked. Note that this is why I will never fully embrace completely choice-driven learning. Sometimes students need to be exposed to new media, topics, themes, and skills. And, the things that initially seem odd become intriguing and that when you move into the second stage.

#2: Active Consuming

In this phase, you are more likely to seek out the works that you are consuming (whether it is art, music, food, poetry). You aren’t yet a fan, but you start developing a taste for a particular style and you find yourself thinking more deeply about whatever work you are consuming. Notice that the term “consuming” is pretty loose here. A student might “consume” by playing suddenly getting into a new game they learned in P.E.

Sometimes this phase is more focused on the aesthetics and sometimes it is more focused on practical utility. A student might think, “Wow, that’s actually pretty fun” or she might think, “That’s actually kind of useful.” Either way, they are actively seeking out and consuming in this phase.

#3: Critical Consuming

Here, you start becoming an expert. You see the nuances in both form and functionality. It’s in this phase that your taste becomes more refined. You begin to appreciate the craft involved in making what you are consuming. You are able to distinguish between good and bad quality. When they are consuming media, this is a phase when they are truly becoming adept at how to find accurate and useful information.

#4: Curating

After becoming an expert, you start picking out the best and commenting on it. You collect things, organize things, and share your reviews with others. In this phase of curation, you are both a fan and a critic. curation goes beyond simply collecting items online. The best curators know how to find what is best by immersing themselves in a niche area while also making surprising connections between ideas in seemingly unrelated worlds. Curators find specific excerpts that are relevant at the moment but also timeless. They can explain the purpose, the context, and the necessity of what they are citing.

#5: Copying

This is the part that drives me crazy as a teacher. After developing a level of expertise on a particular work (or artist or style) students will literally copy it. So, a student who is an amazing artist insists in drawing, line-for-line, a manga work. A student who geeks out on bridges decides she wants to make an exact replica of another bridge. A student gets into food and never deviates from the recipe. Until . . . suddenly something changes. A student branches out and modifies the copycat work. There’s this spark of creativity that happens as they start to think, “Maybe I could try something a little different.”

This, in turn, leads to the next stage.

#6: Mash-Ups

Sometimes this looks like collage art. Kids combine elements from various favorite works that they have curated and make something new. Sometimes this looks like fan fiction. Other times, it might mean taking an idea from one area and applying it to a new context — which can often look incredibly creative. So that kid who is copying manga begins to experiment with a few styles and adopt a visual style from multiple sources. That writer whose work seems derivative starts to borrow structures from multiple authors in unique ways. Over time, students begin to find their own unique voice and it leads up to #7.

#7: Creating From Scratch

This is the stage where students start taking the biggest risks and making things that are truly original. While the ideas are often inspired by the previous six stages, this is where a student finds his own voice. It’s the stage where a student grows in confidence to the extent that she is able to take meaningful risks.

The Journey Varies from Person to Person

So what does this look like in a classroom? When I taught middle school, I had students explore and critically consume video games. They debated which games were the best and why. From there, they moved to copying examples of games on Scratch, then doing modifications and mash-ups of games. Finally, they moved to a place where they created something new on their own.

I admit that these aren’t lockstep stages. For example, when he was younger, my middle son got really into Pokemon, and went from the second stage (active consuming) into the third, fourth and fifth stage simultaneously. It wasn’t incremental. It was more of an “all at once” thing. Similarly, people sometimes begin at the second stage by intentionally seeking out a new form of art to consume (second stage) with a critical eye (third stage).

Other times, people skip stages. Someone might go from falling in love with a novel (second stage) to creating fan fiction (sixth stage) without ever copying anything (the fifth stage). On the other hand, I have almost always skipped the mash-up stage, preferring to move from copying a particular style to jumping out and finding my own voice.

This isn’t a formula so much as a general framework that I have used to help me remember that the jump from consuming to creating is more often a journey than a jump. However, the key takeaway is that students need time and opportunities to consume critically and walk through these phases on their own.

Listen to the Podcast

If you enjoy this blog but you’d like to listen to it on the go, just click on the audio below or subscribe via iTunes/Apple Podcasts (ideal for iOS users) or Google Play and Stitcher (ideal for Android users).

To read more from John Spencer, check out his amazing book Empower (co-authored by A.J. Juliani).

March 12, 2019

4 Shifts To Move From Teacher-Centered To Learner-Centered

A Post by Katie Martin, Author of Learner-Centered Innovation

I have been fortunate to visit classrooms around the country over the last 5-6 years in a variety of different capacities (check out what I saw last year). Through these visits, and in conversations with many educators, students and parents, I have seen tremendous shifts in our education system. This paradigm shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered is changing how we see learners and their critical role in their own learning now and throughout their lives. Education Reimagined highlights that in this paradigm “Learners are seen and known as wondrous, curious individuals with vast capabilities and limitless potential.”

Here are 4 shifts that I have increasingly seen in many schools as they move to learner-centered.

Shift 1: From Standardization to Personalization

To be clear, when I say personalization it is not about programs and technology, which can often be conflated. Although technology can and does enable personalized pathways, the power of this shift is when the learner has the agency to make choices and learn in ways that meet their needs, not simply clicking through a program. This shift for me comes down to how we see learners and get to know and value them as individuals rather than a cohort of kids moving through school.

Experiences that change how kids learn in schools today rarely come straight from a textbook or program. They come from teachers who know their learners and design experiences to meet their needs based on the desired learning objectives. In spite of our understanding that no two people are the same, many systems have prioritized (and even demanded) overly structured lessons for every student to meet the same objective at the same time in the year, regardless of the individual’s unique strengths, interests, or questions. As we better understand the learning theory and celebrate the diverse talents and passions that individuals bring to the classroom, I am encouraged to see many systems move away from strictly following the textbooks and one size fits all approach to teaching and learning. I continue to see more educators and systems designed to empower learners to understand their unique strengths, ask more questions, and pursue their goals to chart their personal paths.

Shift 2: From Compliance to Learner Agency

Learner agency is about moving students from passively responding to acting with purpose to reach a desired goal or outcome. When students have an authentic purpose and audience beyond their teacher to share what they are learning, they are more motivated to learn and often go above and beyond. I am excited to see more schools moving toward structures that empower learners to share and drive their learning process through portfolios and student-led conferences. Opportunities for learners to share their work beyond the teacher in student-led exhibitions can be powerful to ensure students have an authentic audience and are doing work that has value.

We can teach necessary skills while creating experiences that allow learners to take ownership of the process. Learners have access to an abundance of resources and experts that enable us all to learn in ways that extend beyond the expertise of one teacher or classroom. By tapping into those resources, we can create more experiences that can allow students to apply their newly learned skill in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them and others.

Shift 3: From Product to Learning Process

Grading is a battle for many teachers and students but this process steeped in tradition and often fails to communicate what a learner knows and can do. I love this reflection from A 7th grader who shared his experience in a blog post, Dear Report Cards, You Suck, that exemplifies a major challenge with assessment procedures and reporting of what students know and can do. He says he realized that he is actually a B student, not a D student because of how he got to show what he knew and how his work was assessed.

The only reason you can easily read this is because of my best friend, spell check. My spelling difficulties make my handwriting hard to read. In the past, I’ve done most of my writing in a textbook without revisions. So, of course, I was going to get a D.

Having access to technology has changed my world. Being able to type my work and click on a red line to fix a wrong word has suddenly made my work correct. Feedback is another extremely helpful tool. When I was stuck or when I’m just finished, I used feedback to fix the things that were wrong or to add things that I may not have thought of. Feedback is an awesome tool!

When we only focus on the end result, we fail to communicate to learners the importance of sharing ideas early, getting feedback, and revising things to improve. If we don’t honor the learning process, we communicate that we either get it or we don’t. And as a result, we are negatively impacting learner’s confidence, creativity, and investment in their own learning and growth. Increasingly, there is a focus on failure in the learning process and it is certainly part of it, but the bigger picture to me is acknowledging that success isn’t black and white. Learning is a process and it takes time, effort, and growth to achieve success, even when we don’t see it.

Shift 4: From Delivering Content to Authentic Application

We all have a finite amount of resources and are accountable to meet specific objectives within a given period. Foundational knowledge and skills need to be developed, but we also need to balance these foundational skills we want all students to attain while allowing for authentic application of those skills and content. I recently shared this example of @msnunenkamp ‘s 5th grade class where instead of completing a packet and filling in worksheets, they did research to better understand the impact that humans are having on the environment and created a Public Service Announcement (check it out here) to help others understand and so something to improve the environment.

In a strictly standards-based paradigm, our learning goals are primarily the standards or subsets of standards. While this is a good start, many employers, vision statements, and basic common sense allude to developing productive and empowered citizens instead of mastering isolated content and standards. We need to prioritize learning experiences that not only develop knowledge but also attend to the skills, interactions, and mindsets we know are critical for students to develop to be successful in our evolving world.

These shifts give me hope as I see so many educators focused on what’s best for learners. Creating the conditions that allow educators to be nimble and create learning experiences that reflect the context and the resources to best meet the needs of all learners is the greatest shift of all.

January 25, 2019July 8, 2019

Take the L.E.A.P.

Take the L.E.A.P. to reimagine learning!

Our schools ought to be places where students explore, inquire, and unleash creative thinking within a supportive, collaborative environment. Too often, however, they feel more like factories that demand compliance and uniformity—a reality that stifles innovation and leaves students ill-equipped for their futures. The good news is that you can help change that when you reimagine learning by sparking curiosity, inspiring creativity, and promoting student agency.

Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation will inspire and support you as you to take steps to grow beyond traditional and self-imposed boundaries. Award-winning educator Elisabeth Bostwick shares stories and practical strategies to help you challenge conventional thinking and create the conditions that empower meaningful learning.

Luminous Culture—Shine a light on every individual’s creative potential.
Empowered Learning—Encourage students to take ownership of their education.
Authenticity in Learning—Tap into passions to create relevant learning experiences.
Potential Soars—Ignite a movement of inspired, confident learners.

Are you ready to L.E.A.P.?

“Elisabeth Bostwick wraps together a wonderful blend of inspirational stories, applicable research, and her rich educational experiences . . . . This book will be a gem in your collection and one you will refer back to often.”

—Todd Whitaker, professor of educational leadership, University of Missouri

“Take the L.E.A.P. will not only challenge your thinking but also provide direction on how to move toward the innovation economy.”

—Don Wettrick, founder and president of STARTedUP Foundation

“Anyone could easily take this book and transform their classroom to increase student empowerment and creative, divergent thinking.”

—Mandy Froehlich, author of The Fire Within and Divergent EDU

Take the L.E.A.P. is available on Amazon! Join the conversation online using the hashtag #LEAPeffect and learn more at Elisabethbostwick.com.

November 29, 2018July 8, 2019

Reclaiming Our Calling

In Pursuit of Learning That Lasts . . .

This genre-busting book captures the heart, mind, and hope of education like no other. Through a series of interwoven stories, award-winning educator and principal Brad Gustafson reminds us of what we’ve known all along: Children are more than numbers, and we are called to teach and reach them accordingly.

Reclaiming Our Calling will empower you to . . .

Talk about learning that lasts in tangible terms
Teach on behalf of the whole learner by tapping into their strengths
Take steps toward meaningful change regardless of your role
Understand and lead with the 4 Passions of the Profession and invite others to do the same
—–

“ . . . an inspiring call to action.”
—John R. Ryan, president and CEO, Center for Creative Leadership

“ . . . powerful classroom stories, reflective-thinking opportunities, and practical strategies.”
—Donalyn Miller, author and literacy advocate

“ . . . a great resource for teachers to get back to the core of great teaching and learning.”
—Josh Stumpenhorst, teacher, librarian, author, and speaker

“Reclaiming Our Calling is a gift to all educators.”
—Jessica Cabeen, author, speaker, and nationally distinguished principal

“ . . . it’s a message many educators badly need right now.”
—Peter DeWitt, EdD, author/consultant, Finding Common Ground blog (Education Week)

“ . . . a physical manifestation of the heart and soul of education.”
—Dr. Tony Sinanis, educator, author, and speaker

“ . . . a rallying cry for all educators . . . and policy makers should take notice.”
—Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia

Reclaiming Our Calling is available on Amazon! Chat with Brad Gustafson on twitter @gustafsonbrad or check out his website for more information about Reclaiming our Calling.

February 25, 2018June 13, 2018

Kara Knollmeyer

Biography

Kara Knollmeyer is a wife, daughter, sister, and administrator in St. Louis, Missouri. Kara is an award-winning educational leader who has been recognized for her contributions to the educational field. In 2017, Kara received the Midwest Spotlight Educator (METC) Award and in 2013 received the Missouri Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award (Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education).

Kara has had the honor of being apart of incredible opportunities throughout her journey in elementary and secondary education. Kara has an abundant amount of experiences as a teacher, Language Arts Team Leader, New Teacher District Facilitator, Language Arts and Social Studies Curriculum Writer and Mentor Teacher. Currently, Kara serves as a Middle School Assistant Principal.

Kara believes everyone has unique gifts that only they can share with the world. Therefore, her mission is to unleash the talent of ourselves and others so we ALL can become who we were born to be, inside and outside of the school setting. She believes that through lifting and building up the people within our school communities, we can ignite a culture of purpose so we can see the strengths of all learners, adult and children alike!

Kara is also a passionate blogger and speaker in the educational sphere. You can connect with Kara on her blog, karaknollmeyer.com and through Twitter on @karaknollmeyer and #UnleashTalent.

Areas of Expertise

Unleashing the Talents Within You, Colleagues, and Students!
Building a Positive and Collaborative School Culture
Inspiring Staff, Teacher, and Student Leadership
Effective Language Arts Instruction
Developing Meaningful Professional Development
Purposeful Technology Tools for Learners
Social Media for Staff, Students, and School Communities

Keynotes and Workshops

Unleash Talent for You, Staff Members, Teachers, and Students!

Talent is underrated. In our school systems, we see our students as talented, but often do not reflect those same thoughts when it comes to ourselves as adults. We often fail to recognize that we as staff members and teachers are the foundation of our school; Our talents, strengths, and passions are valuable and precious, just like our students. Just as we teach and reach the whole student, we need to teach and reach the whole adult. Therefore, we need to start finding, noticing, appreciating, embracing, and supporting the talents that our ADULT learners have. Not only will this radically change the school system by boosting teacher retention and happiness, but it will positively shift the way we interact and teach alongside students. No matter what your role is in education, we each have talents waiting to be awakened.

This keynote is based on Kara’s book, Unleash Talent: Bringing out the Best in Yourself and the Learners you Serve. Based on what you or your group needs, this keynote/session can be centered on how to bring out the talent in all parties, or it can focus on a singular group: Yourself, Staff, Teachers, or Students!

Discover Your T3’s (Passions, Personality Traits, and Skills)
Dive into a guided session filled with learning, journaling, and deep self-reflection. Take a closer look to become one with your passions, personality traits and skills by honing in on T3 you already have, while noticing new T3’s you may have never noticed before. In addition, before leaving the session, you will be guided through ways that you can personally use your T3’s to live a more fulfilled life at school and at home!
Teaming Up for T3’s
Every single person in our school system has T3’s that they are either untapped or could be taken to another level. How we approach our colleagues and acknowledge their unique strengths and abilities will form a direct correlation to true teaming, collaboration and unity. During this session, you will be guided with your teams to determine your own T3’s, and to learn about the specific talents of your team members. You will also be guided through team and reflection hands-on exercises to discover how we can lift one another up while gifting our school with the gifts we have to offer one another and our students!
Showcase Student TalentsOnce we understand our own T3’s, how do we help our students bring our their own talents in their lives and in the school setting? Learn how to guide students into discovering their own T3’s, while exploring and diving into practical and innovative ways to integrate the talents of your students into the school day to help make school a more purposeful place for each student who walks in our buildings.School culture is not one more thing to add it to your day- It is the essential piece that must be woven into everything we do, no matter what our roles are. As staff members and leaders, we each have to take personal accountability for the energy we bring to the spaces we occupy: Hallways, classrooms, and every inch of our building. Our values and actions have to match up in order for our culture to flourish. Whether we realize it or not, we each are currently setting either a positive or negative tone in our building- And our people are taking notice. Within this session, you will learn the top habits of positive educators, how to use your talents to make school a better place for you and those around you, and to learn many practical ideas to embed into your classroom and school. As you leave this session, you will be inspired to cultivate a positive school culture now, while leaving a meaningful trademark for years to follow.
- Developing Engaging and Meaningful Teacher Professional Development
With teacher workloads heightening by the year, every minute of teacher professional development (PD) should be valued in gold! Learn how to: Purposefully build and organize a meaningful PD vision for your school (and how to adjust along the way), properly gain insight from staff members and stakeholders, and how to empower teachers and staff to lead based on their talents so together we can make progress on your school vision, mission, and purpose.This session can be differentiated based on the specific PD needs of your building.
- Engage Students, Staff, and Your School Community with Social Media
Are you wondering how you can use social media in your school or classroom? Would you like to take digital learning and sharing to the next level? Receive an in-depth look at how to use social media in the classroom and school safely to engage students, families, and staff members in ways that will transcend learning! By gaining a focus and following simple strategies and ideas, you can get students and families even more excited about school, build endless connections with the world around you, and boost student learning and performance in more ways than you could ever fathom! This session can be differentiated to focus on different social media platforms and can be catered to staff members, families, students, and/or school leaders.

Paperwork and medial tasks can drown any administrator if they are not careful. It is crucial, that through our hectic and important days, that we build ourselves for efficiency. Within this session, you will see ways to get the biggest bang for your buck, while gaining more of your sanity and happiness back! You will see and receive practical ideas, tools, and a multitude of resources I have created that have helped me, as a current administrator, spend more time on building relationships and making a difference, while spending less time on paperwork!
- Cultivating a Positive School Culture for Today, Tomorrow, and Years to Come
School culture is not one more thing to add it to your day- It is the essential piece that must be woven into everything we do, no matter what our roles are. As staff members and leaders, we each have to take personal accountability for the energy we bring to the spaces we occupy: Hallways, classrooms, and every inch of our building. Our values and actions have to match up in order for our culture to flourish. Whether we realize it or not, we each are currently setting either a positive or negative tone in our building- And our people are taking notice. Within this session, you will learn the top habits of positive educators, how to use your talents to make school a better place for you and those around you, and to learn many practical ideas to embed into your classroom and school. As you leave this session, you will be inspired to cultivate a positive school culture now, while leaving a meaningful trademark for years to follow.
- Developing Engaging and Meaningful Teacher Professional Development
With teacher workloads heightening by the year, every minute of teacher professional development (PD) should be valued in gold! Learn how to: Purposefully build and organize a meaningful PD vision for your school (and how to adjust along the way), properly gain insight from staff members and stakeholders, and how to empower teachers and staff to lead based on their talents so together we can make progress on your school vision, mission, and purpose.

This session can be differentiated based on the specific PD needs of your building.
- Engage Students, Staff, and Your School Community with Social Media
Are you wondering how you can use social media in your school or classroom? Would you like to take digital learning and sharing to the next level? Receive an in-depth look at how to use social media in the classroom and school safely to engage students, families, and staff members in ways that will transcend learning! By gaining a focus and following simple strategies and ideas, you can get students and families even more excited about school, build endless connections with the world around you, and boost student learning and performance in more ways than you could ever fathom!

This session can be differentiated to focus on different social media platforms and can be catered to staff members, families, students, and/or school leaders.
- Tips and Tools for Administrator Efficiency: How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck so you Can Spend Less Time on Paperwork and More Time Making a Difference
Paperwork and medial tasks can drown any administrator if they are not careful. It is crucial, that through our hectic and important days, that we build ourselves for efficiency. Within this session, you will see ways to get the biggest bang for your buck, while gaining more of your sanity and happiness back! You will see and receive practical ideas, tools, and a multitude of resources I have created that have helped me, as a current administrator, spend more time on building relationships and making a difference, while spending less time on paperwork!
How Do I Even Blog?
Blogging is a transformative way to reflect on your own learning, while connecting with the world around you. Learn my process for blogging: How I capture what inspires me, plan and make the time for blogging, and what tools and resources I use along the way. By the end of this session, you will be able to walk away and have a strong sense of how to blog professionally and personally, while being able to transfer these skills and ideas for students as well.Book Kara Knollmeyer