innovate25

Learn: Discover how perfectionism can hinder your ability to be present and enjoy the process. Explore the benefits of focusing on the present moment and how releasing the stress of striving for perfection can enhance your overall well-being and effectiveness. 

Engage: Participate in grounding exercises to reset your senses and connect with the present. In the main activity, you’ll engage in an "Imperfect Art Practice"—creating a drawing without worrying about perfection, followed by adding color or details using your non-dominant hand. This creative exercise will challenge you to focus on the journey, not the outcome. 

Apply: Reflect on how letting go of perfection can alter your approach to tasks. Consider how you can apply this mindset in your professional and personal life to reduce stress, increase creativity and cultivate more mindful, enjoyable experiences. Gain practical strategies for embracing imperfection and staying present in the moment. 

Objective: Help participants focus on the present moment through practical, engaging exercises while releasing the stress of striving for perfection. 

Learn: Discover Cisco’s Global Problem Solvers (GPS) program as a powerful framework for Genius Hour, guiding students to tackle real-world issues. Learn how GPS cultivates critical thinking and digital storytelling to address local, national and global challenges.

Engage: Through live polls, collaborative brainstorming and Q&A, actively explore digital storytelling techniques and educational tools to enrich student-led projects. Small group discussions will foster idea-sharing and practical insights.

Apply: Gain ready to implement Genius Hour projects with Cisco's GPS resources, using digital storytelling to empower students to address contemporary challenges with creativity and precision.

Learn: Explore an introduction to labor-based grading, an innovative assessment model that shifts focus from outcomes to student effort and growth. Discover the educational advantages this approach offers for both students and educators, grounded in research by Joe Feldman, Asao B. Inoue, and Matthew Gomes.

Engage: Participate in online polls and Q&A sessions designed to facilitate a deeper understanding of labor-based grading practices. Engage with peers and ask questions as you explore real-world applications of this grading model.

Apply: Gain actionable knowledge and initial strategies to implement labor-based grading in your own classroom fostering a more equitable and supportive assessment environment for all students.

Learn: Gain a comprehensive understanding of Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities Theory and its relevance to the characteristics of exceptional learners. Delve into each overexcitability, connecting theoretical concepts to real-life experiences.

Engage: Actively discuss overexcitabilities and identify your own, experiencing "OE Breaks" to understand the energy release associated with each type. This session emphasizes experiential learning over passive listening.

Apply: Move beyond theory to practical insights on creating conducive learning environments that support emotional well-being and concentration. Gain strategies for fostering self-awareness and emotional regulation in gifted students, including routines, activities and tools to manage overstimulation and enhance learning experiences for those with overexcitabilities.

Learn: Explore the findings of our nationwide survey involving 119 high school English teachers regarding their attitudes toward ChatGPT integration in instructional practices. Gain insights into ethical concerns, common usage patterns and current perceptions of ChatGPT in the classroom.

Engage: Learn how English teachers are utilizing ChatGPT for personal planning and classroom instruction as you are guided through the process of creating a ChatGPT account. Learn how to differentiate lesson plans for various learning levels, develop new lesson plans and streamline administrative tasks. Depending on compurter availability, work independently or interact with demonstrations.

Apply: Get hands-on experience with ChatGPT as you explore its capabilities using your own classroom materials. Gain practical strategies for integrating ChatGPT into your teaching, along with take-home materials such as printouts and access to our presentation to support future application.

Learn: Discover how teachers can leverage their unique position to positively influence students' brain development. This session will explore research in mind, brain, and education, providing practical strategies to enhance learning, memory, critical thinking, and confidence in the classroom.

Engage: Participants will be actively involved through movement, curiosity, humor, play, music, and interactive discussions, making the learning experience enjoyable and memorable.

Apply: Walk away with a wealth of immediately applicable, low-cost strategies to nurture every student's brain and engage their interest daily. Understanding how the brain learns will transform your teaching practice and enrich your own learning experience as well.

Learn: Discover the impact of family and community involvement on student success and explore various strategies for fostering meaningful connections. Explore effective, actionable methods for welcoming parents and community members into schools in a way that is both frequent and productive.

Engage: Participate in activities designed to map out your current family and community engagement efforts. Identify what is working well, uncover areas needing improvement and collaborate with colleagues to share insights and ideas. Use planning tools and resources to develop ideas that build upon your school’s existing practices.

Apply: Gain a framework to create or enhance a family engagement plan tailored to the unique needs of your school and a clear path for strengthening partnerships that support growth, belonging and the overall success of your students.

Learn: Discover strategies for engaging SPED students through innovative methods and technology. Explore approaches to making lessons accessible and engaging for all learners, focusing on inclusivity and adaptability.

Engage: Participate in hands-on adaptive innovation lessons that demonstrate how to effectively engage diverse learners. Through these interactive examples, you’ll gain insight into techniques that make technology and innovation accessible to SPED students.

Apply: Gain strategies to transform your own lessons for SPED students, enabling you to integrate innovative tools and approaches that meet the needs of all learners in your classroom.

Learn: Explore the five stages of design thinking—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—to understand how they can be applied to encourage creativity, collaboration and problem-solving in K-12 education. Gain insights into how design thinking connects with your content to create deeper, more engaging learning experiences.

Engage: Participate in interactive discussions and activities that model the design thinking process. Collaborate with peers to brainstorm ways to incorporate design thinking into your classroom, while sharing ideas and challenges with fellow educators.

Apply: Develop a plan to integrate design thinking into your curriculum. Gain actionable strategies, resources, and a clear vision to make this innovative process a cornerstone of your teaching practice.

Learn: Discover the five stages of the design thinking process and their relevance to fostering creativity, problem-solving and collaboration in K-12 education. Explore real-world examples of how design thinking can transform learning experiences and inspire student engagement across various subjects and grade levels.

Engage: Participate in hands-on activities that will guide you through the design thinking process, from identifying problems to brainstorming solutions and creating prototypes. Work collaboratively with peers to experience how the design process builds student stamina, critical thinking and innovation.

Apply: Create a personalized plan to integrate design thinking into your existing curriculum. Gain practical tools, strategies and resources to turn your classroom into a dynamic makerspace where students can explore, create and solve problems in meaningful ways.

Learn: Discover how the five stages of design thinking—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—can transform learning experiences in the classroom. Gain insights into how this process fosters creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Engage: Participate in an interactive classroom example, where you'll work with fellow educators to develop innovative solutions to a real-world problem using the design thinking framework. Collaborate, share ideas and explore strategies to make this approach meaningful for your students.

Apply: Discover actionable strategies and inspiration to integrate design thinking into your teaching practice. Gain the confidence and tools to design engaging, student-centered learning experiences that empower and excite your learners.

Learn: Explore the fundamentals of design thinking, including the five stages—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. Understand how this process promotes creativity, collaboration and problem-solving to address real-world challenges in the classroom.

Engage: Participate in interactive discussions and activities designed to generate practical ideas for integrating design thinking into your classroom. Share experiences and brainstorm solutions with fellow educators as you explore ways to guide students through innovative problem-solving.

Apply: Discover actionable strategies and resources to launch or enhance your design thinking or makerspace journey. Gain confidence to create dynamic, engaging learning experiences that inspire students to think like innovators.

Learn: Explore how cognitive engagement shifts the learning responsibility from teacher to student, fostering deeper understanding and retention. Understand the impact of active learning on student achievement and classroom energy.

Engage: Experience a variety of high-impact, low-prep strategies that can be applied across all content areas. Participate in hands-on activities that model these techniques in action.

Apply: Gain a toolkit of practical strategies to implement immediately, ensuring your students take an active role in their learning while you reclaim your energy and enthusiasm for teaching!