Would you like your students to be citizen scientists? The Alaska Depratment of Fish and Game engages classes across Alaska to map grouse and ptarmigan populations. Despite the Willow Ptarmigan being our state bird, little is known about grouse and ptarmigan species. Biologists need your help gathering information on age and gender composition of these birds. Why can't we collect this data ourselves? Alaska is too big and there are too few scientists.
That's where your class comes in! Students gather hunter harvested grouse and ptarmigan wings. Using these samples they work with scientists to determine the age and gender of each bird. In the process, they explore bird ecology, anatomy and physiology, and the cultural importance of game birds. Intrigued? Come learn about grouse and ptarmigan ecology, identify the age and gender of birds using father patterns, and learn to input your data on our citizen science data collection website.
Explore five essential instructional shifts that emphasize the mathematical practices and the content they support. Engage with high cognitive demand tasks and how to support them during instruction. Enhance your understanding of the shifts through the use of authentic video in classrooms.
Of focus will be these five essential instructional shifts:
1. Students provide strategies rather than learning them from the teacher
2. Teacher provides strategies “as if” from students
3. Students create the context
4. Students do the sense making
5. Students talk to students
The OneTree Alaska teacher research collaborative will present an interactive session, including an overview of the project, research methodology, and initial themes emerging from participant Grinnell Journals. Each teacher will then lead a discussion of how she adapted lesson plans based on her classroom's experiences with the Grinnell System of Nature Journaling.
Juli, Alex, and Jessica provide a unique perspective on how to support ALL students to learn. Juli, a university mathematics educator, provides the viewpoint of both the educator and the parent of children with special needs. Alex, a college freshman, shares her story related to both medical and educational struggles. Jessica, a high school junior, provides the position of both the sibling and student with a disability and connects her experiences as a high achiever to a new perspective on Universal Design for Learning.
***THIS SESSION WILL REPEAT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30.***
Participants will learn WHY Math Workshop is a valuable model for instruction and HOW to establish routines & procedures that help get differentiated guided groups & learning stations up and running. Participants will gain a solid understanding of the different structures within Math Workshop and be able to see how it fits into a K-5 math class.
Participants will learn about the different models of Math Workshop, explore ways to increase student engagement, & take part in math routines that will get Math Workshop up and running in the classroom. Tips to begin & maintain this successful structure that creates a classroom environment where students engage in deep discourse, meaningful learning stations, rich problem-solving tasks, & guided groups will be discussed. Finding this model of instruction worthwhile, participants will want to start immediately.
Our objective for the afternoon is to provide leaders with ideas of what needs to be considered when implementing “big” change at the school or district level. Participants will look at ways leaders can advocate at the state level by seeing examples of how other states have approached change initiatives, and then bring it specifically to Alaska. Leaders can see how the pieces fit together and identify actions that can be taken to support school improvement.
Part 1: 1:30-2:30
Presenter - Scott Johns, Education Elements
Topic: Scott Johns will discuss practices to consider when leading a shift or implement change in a school or district toward personalized learning. Participants will engage in a personalized model as they identify specific strategies to apply in their own settings.
Part 2: 2:45-3:45
Presenter - Jim Lewis, Silverback Learning/Milepost
Topic: Dr. Jim Lewis will explain how a small idea about individualizing instruction became a district and regional effort prior to developing into both an in-state and multi-state movement of personalized learning. Both Idaho and Montana created legislation to help fund this concept and it continues to grow across the Intermountain Region and most recently into Alaska. At the same time, a simple solution to provide on-line classes for students on an international ski team in his district emerged as a co-concept to provide personalized learning for students on the road. See how it has become an intra-state success story of quality on-line instruction for students as well as professional development for educators. It is now ready to expand into a multi-state offering with all secondary classes from 6-12.
Part 3: 3:45- 4:30
Presenter: Bob Williams, AK DEED
Topic- Bob Williams will provide an overview of the strategic planning work of Governor Walker’s Alaska Education Challenge which is being led by Commissioner Johnson and the State Board of Education. Bob will also share the work of the Division of Educator and School Excellence and the strong need for teacher leaders to increase capacity, build trust, and improve the quality of public education for all Alaska students.
Digital forms of quick writing invite new opportunities for students to generate text across the curriculum to summarize, question, or synthesize thinking. You’ll learn strategies you can use to engage students to produce, revise and publish online.
This session will provide an overview of district provided digital content, as well as highlight the following resources:
All participants should bring their laptops.
Participants will learn WHY Math Workshop is a valuable model for instruction and HOW to establish routines & procedures that help get differentiated guided groups & learning stations up and running. Participants will gain a solid understanding of the different structures within Math Workshop and be able to see how it fits into a K-5 math class.
Participants will learn about the different models of Math Workshop, explore ways to increase student engagement, & take part in math routines that will get Math Workshop up and running in the classroom. Tips to begin & maintain this successful structure that creates a classroom environment where students engage in deep discourse, meaningful learning stations, rich problem-solving tasks, & guided groups will be discussed. Finding this model of instruction worthwhile, participants will want to start immediately.
Juli, Alex, and Jessica provide a unique perspective on how to support ALL students to learn. Juli, a university mathematics educator, provides the viewpoint of both the educator and the parent of children with special needs. Alex, a college freshman, shares her story related to both medical and educational struggles. Jessica, a high school junior, provides the position of both the sibling and student with a disability and connects her experiences as a high achiever to a new perspective on Universal Design for Learning.
***THIS SESSION WILL REPEAT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29.***
Students often think that the ability to math is something with which you are born. Learn math strategies and routines that promote a growth mindset in math, where students discover that they have ability to learn math. We will learn about specific routines such as Number Talks and Which One Doesn’t Belong as well as specific strategies such as connecting representations that promote a growth mindset.
