How can space influence and accelerate interdisciplinary making and student agency? In this session we will dive into the theory of practice behind MakerEd. Fly through the design for Studio (i) / HIVE. Learn how our new spaces can remove obstacles to interdisciplinary work. Take away ideas of how we can uncover maker superpowers in ourselves and with our students.

8:45 - 10:00a: Humanities Think Tank: Part I

Location: Art Gallery, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Emily Breite and Blair Peterson

In this session, we’ll not only learn through readings, case studies and example syllabi how an integrated team-taught approach could make learning more meaningful for students, but we will create the framework for Humanities at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School. This conversation around developing a Humanities course has been going on for several years, and we want you to be part of the think tank of creators to help make a reality for the 2016-2017 school year that our grade 9 students will no longer take separate English and history courses, but instead a course that honors the fact that the human experience is not siloed and separated.

8:45 - 10:00a: PBL + DT: a focus on recycling

Location: Media Center, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Bo Adams and Anya Smith-Roman

Are you tired of using styrofoam plates at lunch? Do you wonder what happens to your recyclables after you put them in the blue bin? Have you been involved in design challenges in the past where your kids come up with new ways to make our school a more sustainable community but the solutions never fully evolve? Be part of this school-wide effort to engage all divisions, teachers, students and administrators in the biggest design challenge yet!

8:45 - 10:00a: Assessments + Mindsets + SBG

Location: Activities Building, Room 107, Founders Campus

Facilitators: Meghan Cureton and Nicole Martin

We want students to love learning, right? But how do you assess joy? How do you assess the mindsets? Assessment is a narrative that unfolds over time rather than an event that occurs in a class period- so how can we better assess our students? Spend some time with colleagues across all divisions refining how we assess our students, learning about new ways to assess and continuing some conversations we’ve been having cross-divisionally about our philosophy on assessment practice.

8:45 - 10:00a: Design Thinking 101

Location: Kindergarten Commons, Founders Campus

Facilitators: Trey Boden and Liz Aull

Why is design thinking such an integral part of our work at Mount Vernon? What are the purposes of the tools in our playbook? How can you use the methodology to support and amplify the work you do with your students everyday? Learn more about the foundations of our DEEP Design Thinking methodology and learn about specific ways your colleagues have used the tools in the past. Come to this session to learn more about design thinking as a theory of practice that you could use in your classroom both in small bites and in the form of larger design challenges.

8:45 - 10:00a: Using Our Campus: Blending play and learning outside

Location: The Frontier, Founders Campus

Facilitators: Kelly Kelly

What is the value of play in learning? Amidst the whirlwind of assessments, learning outcomes, and accountability, how might play fit into our daily experiences? What does research around play teach us about learning, and how might we use our new preschool playspace, The Frontier (and other spots around our campuses!) as an incubator to find out about our students and their learning in a more active and engaging way?

8:45 - 10:00a: Instructional Rounds

Location: MSAB, Room M101, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Chip Houston and Shelley Clifford

How might we enhance our practice and learn collaboratively, like doctors do in medical rounds? Did you know that we’ve been practicing “Instructional Rounds” for years? Come tell your story and share your wisdom if you’re already practicing… Come learn more about IR if you haven’t yet. Learn about the 3 types of feedback and how to give and receive each one. Help us iterate the observation instrument we use during instructional rounds. Look at the data that’s been collected so far and questionstorm what we can learn from collective observation and case study.

10:30 - 11:45a: Maker FC (PRACTICE/theory)

10:30 - 11:45a: Maker FC and Maker GC (these two 10:30a sessions have been combined!)

Location: Studio(i), Founders Campus

Facilitators: Jim Tiffin and T.J. Edwards

Turn it! Spin it! Move it! Nothing brings smiles to a child’s face quite like the magic of motion. This workshop will consist of multiple laboratories, each with an opportunity to incorporate small motors into your projects. Come explore classroom ideas that are sure to put a smile on your face too. Our goal is to build your creative confidence with these supplies in order to imagination new learning experiences for your students, no matter the discipline.

10:30 - 11:45a: Humanities Think Tank: Part II*

Location: Art Gallery, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Emily Breite and Meghan Cureton

Let’s stop talking and start building Humanities! Be part of this Think Tank to actually co-create a Humanities course that is launch-ready for the 2016-2017 school year.

10:30 - 11:45a: Teachers Guild: prototyping ideas

Location: Media Center, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Bo Adams

How might we create rituals and routines that establish a culture of innovation in our classrooms and schools? Did you know IDEO has been crowdsourcing teachers to help tackle this how might we? What if we dedicated our time to creating the next iteration of some of the prototypes that have been submitted so far. This session will have you building and creating with the intention that you will have a new way or a better way to set the conditions for our students and teachers to be innovators.

10:30 - 11:45a: Future Assessment & Badging

Location: MSAB, Room 103, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Chrissy Levinson, Amy Wilkes, Trey Boden, Chip Houston

Is badging a fad? Is it the newest buzz word? How does badging connect with the learning that goes on inside my classroom? Badges could provide an authentic record of a learner’s pathway of exploration and understanding, and truly empower self-directed learners to own their progress. Through reflection and detail provided in a digital portfolio of badges, a parent, potential employer or college admissions officer would even be able to see evidence of the journey towards mastery of certain skills. In short, badges provide us the opportunity to have a clear record of specific learnings beyond traditional methods like percentages and averages to help us further articulate growth and progress in distinct areas.

10:30 - 11:45a: Reimagine Teaching With Tech

Location: Blackbox, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Brian Mahabee

Not sure how to incorporate technology in your curriculum? Think that technology use is using up precious time for learning? With the proper use of technology, we can collaborate and create interdisciplinary projects that highlight relative subject areas for your students. Project based learning alongside an inquiry based atmosphere can create a comfortable environment for both students and teachers.

10:30 - 11:45a: Design Thinking 201

Location: Art Room 114, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: James Campbell and Alex Bragg

Familiar with design thinking? Do you know the basics, but wonder how you can apply the whole or parts of the dt process to your work? Attend this session that will focus on breaking down the tools available in our playbook as well as some other visible thinking routines that could enhance what you do in your classrooms or at your team meetings. Leave this session with a new design challenge and the framework to tackle it, or plans to implement certain tools and DEEPdt pages to what you already do.

10:30 - 11:45a: Curiosity-based Learning - Community Connections

Location: Lightbox, Glenn Campus

Facilitators: Becky Tussey and Katie Cain

How might we help students use their curiosities to drive their own learning? How might we engage the community in generating potential problems/opportunities for our students to work through as part of school? Rather than preparing our students for work in the future, let’s invite them to do work now that matters by harnessing their curiosities and exposing them to real problems that are presented to them from someone other than their teacher. What if our students felt empowered to help solve some of the pressing problems because they were deeply curious and genuinely wanted to make a difference now? We have iProject and iProject Mini developing. Come learn more about those and how we might further tap into curiosity to drive learning.

10:30 - 11:45a: ePortfolio Tools Alignment (Curiosity Conversation) -

10:30 - 11:45a: ePortfolio Tools Alignment (Curiosity Conversation)

Location: Kindergarten Commons, Founders Campus

Facilitators: Angel Kytle

How might we foster students’ capacity to share their learning journey? What tools will we provide them to do so? We have some experience with student ePortfolios in different areas of the School. Join your colleagues throughout the divisions and engage in dialogue about how digital storytelling can capture a child’s learning journey. Start with Questions about how this might flow from one division to another and what tools (digital, paper, etc.) might we use? Share the Well about your experiences thus far using ePortfolios (or portfolios of any kind!).

Draft Email for Kick-Off:

Hello Learning People! We’ve got exciting news about October 9 - that morning when we all have professional development together…

We’ve given it a complete overhaul. It’s like a conference. No...it is a conference. But better! It’s called Collider...

Have you ever been to a professional learning day that got you so excited you couldn’t wait to get back into your classroom to actually test and try out some of what you learned? Do you ever wish you could bring your entire grade-level or content team with you? Do you ever wish you could choose the sessions you attended, rather than folks all doing the same thing? Do you ever wish for more time with people from multiple divisions to “think tank” some of the bold work we’re tackling as a faculty of superheros?

Well, you’re in luck! Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation aims to bring you your wildest PL wishes on October 9th (well, at least on the way to your wildest dreams). MVIFI’s mission is to enhance the transformational learning experience of Mount Vernon students and learners worldwide, and we believe you are all linchpins to that mission being accomplished.

Our half day together will provide you plenty of opportunities to collide with colleagues across all divisions to forward some of the work that you’ve already been tackling in your classrooms and schoolwide. We’ve designed a schedule that allows plenty of choice and that has you building and creating rather than passively consuming. Each dynamic session will help us increase cohesion and interconnectedness among all faculty so that we continue our journey to seek to be the best in developing and delivering a 21st century learning experience.

WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW!

Browse our conference catalogue on Eventbrite
Sign-up for TWO sessions you want to attend - space is limited, so act fast!

Sign up for ONE 8:45-10:00 session
AND ONE 10:30-11:45 session

NOTE: ELC faculty will be going on school site visits on Oct. 9
REMEMBER: As previously announced, no Faculty Kids Camp provided on Oct. 9

SCHEDULE

8:00-8:30 Continental Breakfast

8:45-10:00 Course One

10:00-10:30 “Collision Course” (a break for various human moments...and sharing what you just did)

10:30-11:45 Course Two

12:15-1:15 Optional BBQ Debrief (Trey & T.J. cook on Big Green Eggs and we chat about what just happened)

-Team MVIFI