by Cody Claver of the Danielson Group
Pre-Conference Indepth Session - Wednesday, October 19
With the educational landscape changing significantly; schools are under greater pressure than ever to achieve results with all their students and everyone recognizes the pivotal importance of good teaching. Charlotte Danielson's The Framework for Teaching has been adopted by thousands of educators in the US and around the world. This highly interactive workshop will take educators through the roadmap of what good teaching is through the lens of the Framework. It will give participants a “minds on” sensible understanding of the Four Domains, 22 components and 76 elements that describe the complex work of teaching.
Cody Claver has been a life long educator for the past 24 years with well-rounded experiences in the teaching, administrative, training and policy realms. Cody served as a classroom teacher at the secondary level. He served as an administrator at all three levels as an elementary principal, middle school principal and high school assistant principal. Cody has also served as the Head of School for the Idaho Virtual Academy, the largest charter school in Idaho.
Cody has worked directly with the work of Charlotte Danielson on effective teaching training other administrators in districts across the country since June 2000. Cody is part of The Danielson Group, a think tank that works directly with Charlotte Danielson on effective teacher initiatives across the country.
Cody has extensive experience in implementation of the Framework for Teaching as an evaluation tool in urban districts such as Prince Georges County, MD, St. Louis Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools. Cody was instrumental in the statewide adoption of the Framework for Teaching in Idaho as the standard for teacher evaluation. He presently serves as Vice President of School Development for K12 Inc.
Learn more about Cody HERE.
by Ernest Green
Thursday, October 20 - 8:15 am
Description Coming soon.
Ernest Green was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 22, 1941 and was the first African American to earn his high school diploma from Central High School. At the age of seventeen he was awarded the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, as one of the Little Rock Nine. In 1995, he was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Mr. Green is also a recipient of the Urban League’s Frederick Douglass Freedom Medal, and the John D. Rockefeller Public Service Award. On November 9, 1999, with the Little Rock Nine, he was presented by President Clinton with the Congressional Gold Medal.
Several books, movies and documentaries have chronicled Mr. Green and his eight classmates’ historic year at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas -- the most recent being the “Ernest Green Story”, produced and distributed by the Walt Disney Corporation.
Mr. Green holds a B.S. in Social Science and Masters in Sociology from Michigan State University, and honorary doctorates from Michigan State University, Tougaloo College, and Central State University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Fisk University, Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network, Clark Atlanta University Board of Trustees and the African American Experience Fund Board of Trustees among other distinctions.
Mr. Green and his wife Phyllis live in Washington, D.C. He is the proud father of Adam, Jessica and McKenzie Ann.
Learn more about Ernest HERE.
Riseby Cheryl Conley, 2011 National Teacher of the Year Finalist
Thursday, October 20 - 6:00 pm
Words of support and inspiration for teachers encouraging them to believe in themselves and in their students as they work to rise above today's challenges and to reach for the stars.
Cheryl Conley is an elementary/middle school Science teacher with a love for learning that is contagious. “I get excited about learning and that excitement generates a positive energy and an enthusiasm in my students.” Her classroom is a student-centered, activity-filled base of learning and she can often be seen dressing in crazy outfits, rapping lessons or assignments or conducting hands-on science activities. She even rewrites the words to popular songs in order to teach new ideas or concepts. “I’ll try anything to keep the students in my class actively engaged. Taking chances is part of teaching!” Whether she is hobbling around the room dressed as a Florida pirate from long ago or sharing science secrets dressed as Albert Einstein, Cheryl guides her students as they learn, explore and discover.
Cheryl has an enthusiasm for science that she is eager to share with others. “From rock and bone collections to breeding, hatching and raising angelfish, I immerse my students in science and technology. Much like whole language immersion, I believe that scientific “literacy” is fostered from seeing and appreciating the natural world.” Serving as science coordinator for her school, she formed a popular afterschool science club that has grown to include half of all fourth and fifth grade students in its membership. “Learning is a process, not a product. I want to enable my students to construct their own knowledge, not just memorize it.”
Cheryl feels the perfect formula for reaching students is a blending of creativity, passion and positive energy. “When I get creative and energetic, so do my students.” She maintains high expectations for all students and she provides opportunities for them to include their families and communities in their education. Cheryl strives to find the hidden talents and gifts in each of her students while offering innovative opportunities for them to participate in community service projects and organizations. “It is important to teach students to think with an open mind while encouraging them to look for opportunities to give back to their community. The students are our success stories…they are our legacy.”
Learn more about Cheryl HERE.
Fostering 21st Century Capacitiesby John Barell
Friday, October 21 - 8:15 am
What are 21st Century capacities, why are they important and how do we foster them within schools? In this interactive session, we will focus upon key roles of inquiry and problem-based learning.
John Barell became an explorer at age thirteen when he first read Admiral Richard E. Byrd's book, Little America. From this story of intrepid adventurers camped out on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 1928, Barell developed so many questions about the heroes who risked their lives to conquer the south pole: Why did they sail south to explore? How did they survive? What kept them safe and secure? What did they discover and what is the future of this southern continent enshrouded in mystery, snow and ice? He wrote Admiral Byrd who not only answered with four letters, but the Admiral also invited him to visit and urged him to explore Antarctica.
Barell sailed to Antarctica on board Admiral Byrd's flagship, USS Glacier, and served as Operations Officer during Operation DeepFreeze '63 and '64. Subsequently, Barell became an educator attempting to explore the many possibilities for educating young people in non-traditional settings in New York City and at Montclair State University (NJ). His published writings reflect an attempt to challenge students and their teachers to take risks by adventuring into complex problematic situations there to inquire, solve problems and think critically. Antarctica, once a dream for a young reader, has become a metaphor for all educational adventuring.
Now professor emeritus at Montclair State University, Barell worked for several
years as a consultant to The American Museum of Natural History in New
York City helping teachers and students develop their inquisitiveness
about the wonders of earth and space.
Current research involves taking the issues raised in Developing More
Curious Minds and asking how we can work to develop communities of
inquiry at home, in school, in places of work and within our democracy.
Learn more about John HERE.