Presentation Topics

Leading the Implementation of a Schoolwide Vocabulary for Increased Student Achievement and Engagement
Learn how to boost the academic performance of all students through focused instruction in vocabulary. Understand the difference between general and academic vocabulary and how vocabulary learning relates to building background knowledge. During this session, you will learn a process for creating a list of essential academic terms and phrases within a content area and a six-step process for teaching academic vocabulary. You will also learn how to utilize a list of basic and advanced vocabulary terms with students who are deficient in the English language, as well as specific vocabulary games to enhance student engagement with vocabulary instruction.

Grab Student Attention and Connect Students at the Emotional Level: How Do I Feel? Am I Interested?
This session will highlight the research and theory behind connecting with students at the emotional level. Learn about effective pacing, the importance of physical movement, and building positive teacher-student relationships—those effective for clearly linking student feelings within the classroom. You will also gain strategies for connecting student interest, including using games and inconsequential competition, friendly controversy, unusual information, and questioning.

Engage Students Through Self-Efficacy: Is This Important? Can I Do This?
This session will highlight the importance of connecting to students’ lives, students’ ambitions, and application of knowledge. Some specific technology tools will be shown to enhance student interest. Additionally, you will understand the importance of tracking student progress, using effective feedback, and teaching self-efficacy. Combining these efforts into common, systemic practice is shown to engage students in the learning process.

Formative Assessment and Grading for Increasing Student Engagement
Re-engage students through the use of formative assessments and grading practices. This session will use the framework described in Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Grading to articulate specific strategies for designing and scoring formative assessments and using them as the basis for grading and reporting practices. Topics addressed include involving students in the assessment of their learning, specific and timely feedback to motivate student learning, the inadequacy and the inaccuracy of the 100-point scale, a practitioner-friendly template for scale (rubric) design, computing final evidence of learning about topics, grading practices in a standards-based system, and new forms of report cards for formative assessment.