STLinSTL 2025: Full Schedule

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8:00am CDT

Revitalizing Our Curriculum: A Storyboard Approach

Thursday June 5, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am CDT

Storyboards refresh the content foundations and dispositions of our curriculum into a compelling storyline that energizes the curiosity and engagement of our students.

Keynote Speakers

Allison Zmuda

Co-Director; Co-Founder; Educational Consultant; Author, The Institute for Habits of Mind; Curriculum Storyboards

Allison Zmuda is an international curriculum consultant and author with over two decades of experience helping schools design educational systems that are dynamic, engaging, and relevant. Specializing in curriculum, assessment, and instructional planning, Allison collaborates with... Read More →

Dr. Bena Kallick

Co-Founder and Co-Director; Author; Educational Consultant, The Institute for Habits of Mind

Dr. Bena Kallick is an internationally recognized author, award-winning educational consultant, and co-found of The Institute for Habits of Mind. Armed with a deep understanding of the structures of the mind and learning, Dr. Kallick has devoted her career to improving education... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Brauer Auditorium

Keynote

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

Play Matters: the Power of Play in Education

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Play is the purest expression of our humanity. What is happening in our brain when we play? How can we incorporate more play into the lives of our students? And how can we get better at play as adults? Some say we are most alive when we play. Let’s get better at it. In this session, I will share the research on play, how it is a key component of what has made us human from the beginning of our existence, and practical ways we can incorporate play into our day.

Speakers

Denise Ford

Gifted Teacher, Kirkwood School District

Passionate about Gifted Education, innovation, creativity, and learning.

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

The Past, Present, and AI: A Year of Experimentation in the History Classroom

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

What if your most powerful teaching assistant was an AI? This presentation pulls back the curtain on a year-long exploration of AI in a history classroom, revealing how tolls like Gemini are transforming the way we teach and learn about the past. From brainstorming captivating lesson plans to streamlining grading and fueling student-drive projects, we’ll uncover the surprising potential of AI in history education. Learn about real-world examples and practical strategies, with a focus on finding ways to implement ideas immediately.

This session goes beyond the hype, offering a candid look at the realities of AI integration. We’ll share both the successes and the stumbles, discussing how AI can scaffold learning, provide personalized feedback, and ignite student interest. Crucially, we’ll address the ethical dimensions of AI in education, including bias, plagiarism, and the impact on critical thinking. Leave equipped to harness the power of AI responsibly and ethically, creating a richer and more engaging learning environment for your students.

Speakers

Dr. Tanya Roth

Upper School History Teacher, MICDS

Dr. Tanya Roth teaches a wide variety of upper school history classes at MICDS, and is always looking for new ways to help her students see what makes history so fascinating. She earned her Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011 with research on women’s integration... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Schools of the Future

9:15am CDT

The Power of Connection: Let's Chat

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

In this session, we will explore the crucial role of teacher-student connections in improving both academic and emotional growth and student engagement. You will learn how to engage your students in a way that they (and you!) get to know and respect each other. You will learn practical strategies such as using open-ended and personalized questions as check-ins, writing prompts, or group activities to promote interaction, communication, and understanding. You will start with simple, flexible techniques that lead to a better and more supportive classroom atmosphere and how to build on them. You will also gain insight on how to tailor them to fit individual teaching styles, topics, units, and student needs.

Speakers

Eric Richards

World Language Educator - German / Department Chair, Fort Zumwalt North High School - O'Fallon, MO

Eric Richards is an experienced high school German teacher, department chair, author, and presenter. Eric is a 2021 ACTFL Teacher of Year Finalist. He was selected as the FLAM Distinguished Educator in 2019, and went on to be named as the Central States Teacher of the Year in March... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

9:15am CDT

When the Primary Goal is Real World Impact

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Marc Prensky has written books on unlocking the power of students to change the world by prioritizing student-led projects where real world impact is the goal, and learning happens along the way. Letting go of my curriculum, state standards, and my understanding of what education looks like, I dove in with a team of teachers to see what happens when you unleash your students on the world’s challenges. Come live vicariously through my students' experiences to learn about the pitfalls and successes of this approach.

Speakers

Mark Russo

Integrated Studies Teacher, Principia School

Mark Russo began as a naturalist at state parks and outdoor education centers before finding his calling as a middle and high school classroom teacher. He has worked in traditional, non-traditional inner city classroom settings in Saint Paul, Minnesota since 2000, combining his love... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

An Energy Storyline

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Conservation of energy is a fundamental principle of the Universe. Yet, teaching and applying conservation of energy is rife with inconsistencies, unarticulated assumptions, and untenable definitions which leaves students without a strong framework which they can use to analyze any system. In this workshop, we will walk through an "energy storyline" starting with the energy of a particle, then the energy of a system of interacting particles, and then the energy of a macroscopic system. Although I will use a number of examples in physics, this workshop will apply to all physical, life, and earth sciences, and it will be useful for all science teachers.

Featured Speakers

Aaron Titus

Teaching Professor, Department of Physics, North Carolina State University

Aaron Titus is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Physics at North Carolina State University. Aaron’s contributions are at the intersection of undergraduate research, educational technology, computational physics, leadership, and student mentoring. In 1997, Aaron and Larry... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Workshop

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

Blueprint for Learning: Storyboarding Your Curriculum

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

This session will focus on essential components of curriculum storyboard and provide illustrative examples and coaching tips to spark your design.

Keynote Speakers

Allison Zmuda

Co-Director; Co-Founder; Educational Consultant; Author, The Institute for Habits of Mind; Curriculum Storyboards

Dr. Bena Kallick

Co-Founder and Co-Director; Author; Educational Consultant, The Institute for Habits of Mind

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Workshop

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

Developing a Future-Ready Portrait of a Graduate: From Vision to Implementation

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

In an era of rapid technological, social, and economic change, schools must prepare students with the skills, mindsets, and competencies they need to thrive in an unpredictable future. This interactive workshop will guide independent school leaders and educators through the process of developing and implementing a Portrait of a Graduate - a visionary framework that defines the essential skills and attributes students should cultivate by graduation.
Participants will explore best practices for designing a Portrait of a Graduate that aligns with their school's mission, engages key stakeholders, and integrates seamlessly into the curriculum. Through case studies, hands-on activities, and group discussions, attendees will discover strategies for embedding these competencies into classroom instruction, assessment, and experiential learning.
By the end of this workshop, participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to craft, implement, and measure the impact of their school's Portrait of a Graduate, ensuring students are equipped for success in college, careers, and civic life.

Featured Speakers

Connie White

Director of Learning Design & Innovation, Woodward Academy

Connie White is a visionary leader in education, serving as the Director of Learning & Innovation at Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia, since 2015. With a background as an Upper School Physics, Chemistry, and Math teacher, she was among the pioneering Technology & Learning... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Workshop

Category Schools of the Future

9:15am CDT

Differentiating Instruction with Mastery Learning

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

This presentation describes ways to personalize and differentiate instruction for diverse students through the use of mastery learning instructional strategies. The practical issues involved in implementing mastery learning are presented, along with ways to adapt these procedures to personal teaching styles, specific classroom situations, and the needs of individual students. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the theory and practice of mastery learning and explore ways to effectively implement these strategies to help more students learn excellently.

Featured Speakers

Tom Guskey

Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky

Thomas R. Guskey, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education, University of Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Chicago’s renowned Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistical Analysis (MESA) program, he began his career in education as a middle school teacher, served... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Workshop

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

It’s Time for Curriculum Mapping 3.0

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Curriculum mapping is a well-established process for ensuring a coherent and vertically aligned curriculum across the grades. The first generation of curriculum mapping asked teachers to generate diary maps to identify the unit topics and skills they taught, placed on a calendar map to show when they were taught and for how long. Then, grade-level or department teacher teams would meet to share their individual maps and look for gaps or redundancies. The second generation of curriculum mapping emerged as states, provinces, and nations developed standards that teachers were expected to follow. Typically, teachers met in teams to create consensus maps showing the scope and sequence for the curriculum based on the standards.
These two types of curriculum maps basically identify the inputs – the content to be “covered” in a designated time period. While there is a need for a scope of sequence, the focus exclusively on the content to be taught may unwittingly promote a “coverage” orientation to teaching and learning. The third generation calls for a shift to outcomes or competencies by mapping out the performances that we want students to be able to do with their learning.
This session will make the case for curriculum mapping 3.0, show examples of curriculum maps of authentic performance tasks, and share a variety of practical and proven resources for creating such maps at the classroom, department, and school levels.

Featured Speakers

Jay McTighe

Author & Education Consultant, Jay McTighe & Associates

Jay McTighe brings a wealth of experience developed during a rich and varied career in education. He served as director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, a state collaboration of school districts working together to develop and share formative performance assessments. Prior to... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Workshop

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

Justice in the Classroom: Co-creating and Sharing Language with Learners

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

This workshop empowers educators to introduce fairness and justice in their classrooms, focusing on developing shared language around critical topics. Participants will use updated language that reflects the realities of today’s world, ensuring their communication is accurate and inclusive. Tiffany will support participants through introducing complex ideas, honoring what learners already know, and co-creating with your classroom community. Together, we’ll create developmentally appropriate working definitions for words like “justice”, “privilege”, “freedom” (and more!) and work on fostering an environment where learners are truly included and affirmed. You will leave with a clearer sense on how to build and co-create with learners strategies. Our goal is to work together to ensure that the language we use is not only current but also reflective of students’ diverse backgrounds and experiences, promoting a more just, connected, and compassionate classroom and school community.

Featured Speakers

Tiffany Jewell

Author, ABAR Educator, Consultant

Tiffany Jewell is a Black biracial writer, twin sister, first-generation America, cisgender mama, anti-bias antiracist (ABAR) educator, and consultant. She is the author of the #1 New York Times and #1 Indie Bestseller, This Book is Anti-Racist (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Workshop

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

9:15am CDT

The 5 A’s: A Systemic Approach to Cultivating Mental and Emotional Well-being in Schools

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Explore a systemic model for promoting mental and emotional well-being in schools. The "5 A's Approach" offers educators and school leaders a comprehensive guide to embedding well-being into the educational landscape in the face of a pressing youth mental health crisis. Through five key principles, this approach provides tools to create supportive environments and foster a culture of wellness.

Featured Speakers

Diego Estrada

Director of Wellness, The John Cooper School

Diego Estrada was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Journalism. Passionate about holistic well-being, he trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He is a certified teacher... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:15am - 11:45am CDT

Workshop

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

10:30am CDT

AI in Action: Transforming Your Classroom with Purpose

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

Transform your teaching practice through understanding AI literacy and exploring purposeful AI integration. Utilizing AI can enhance student learning and reduce teacher workload. This hands-on session empowers educators to confidently understand the power AI can have in their classroom and allows them ideas of how to navigate AI. Participants will explore practical classroom applications, learn to evaluate AI resources, and develop strategies for meaningful implementation that aligns with curriculum goals. Leave with ready-to-use strategies that make AI work for you and your students.

Learning Objectives - By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Understand tenants of AI Literacy
Create efficient workflows using AI tools to streamline lesson planning, differentiation, and assessment tasks
Design lesson activities that leverage AI to promote deeper learning while developing students' digital literacy and critical thinking skills

Speakers

Shauna Stephanchick

President, STEP Up

At STEP Up, we recognize systemic flaws in Missouri education, particularly in curriculum design. Amidst record-high teacher turnover, we advocate for replacing curriculum frustrations with curriculum innovation, and we're here to guide you through each step of this transformatio... Read More →

Sue Herrera

Educational Consultant, STEP Up Consulting

Sue Herrera’s career in education spans 37 years, during which she has held various roles, including Administrator, Instructional Coach, classroom teacher, mentor and Champion of Students. Her extensive experience in suburban, rural, and urban settings in grades K-6 has equipped... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Schools of the Future

10:30am CDT

Empowering Future-Ready Learners: Building Resilience and Engagement Through Student-Centered Practices

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

Participants will explore how resilience-building practices and student-centered strategies can transform learning environments. By focusing on emotional intelligence, growth mindset, and empowerment techniques, educators will learn how to engage students in meaningful ways and support their personal and academic development. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to create an inclusive, future-focused classroom culture where every student feels valued and equipped to succeed.

Speakers

Leila Lawson

Professional Life Coach, Gottabeme79 Leadership and Training

Leila is a certified life coach with over a decade of experience in personal and career transitions. She uses evidence-based techniques and a compassionate, client-centered approach, focusing on goal-setting, work-life balance, and self-confidence. Before coaching, Leila enjoyed a... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

12:30pm CDT

Empowering Procrastinators Through AI Tools That Address Self-Regulation

Thursday June 5, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

This session will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be harnessed to support students who struggle with task initiation and completion. Drawing from a recent study of procrastination patterns among over 500 secondary school students in grades 7 and 10 from three independent schools, we will delve into the intricate relationships between self-regulation, gender, and age in the components of procrastination.

Attendees will gain insights into:

The differentiated impact of procrastination on students based on age and gender and how AI can be tailored to address these variations.
The alignment of Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT) with low procrastinators’ behaviors and how AI can reinforce these positive patterns.
The connection between Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) and high procrastinators’ experiences, exploring how AI can reshape these students’ approaches to academic tasks.
Practical applications of AI tools in the classroom to support students’ self-regulation and time management skills.
Strategies for implementing AI-assisted interventions that focus on improving students’ approaches to beginning and progressing through schoolwork rather than solely emphasizing outcome satisfaction.

This session will give attendees a unique perspective that builds on foundational theoretical frameworks by exploring connections to technology and innovative practices. Participants will leave with actionable insights on leveraging AI tools to create more effective, personalized interventions for students at different procrastination levels, ultimately fostering a more engaged and self-regulated learning environment.

Speakers

Louis Tullo

Chief Information Officer, Ravenscroft School

Louis Tullo, M.Ed., TLIS, serves as the Chief Information Officer at Ravenscroft School and has extensive experience as a technology leader in corporate and education sectors since 2013. Leveraging his technical background, he has effectively streamlined infrastructure and technology... Read More →

Stewart Peery

IB Coordinator, Upper School Science Teacher, Charlotte Country Day School

Thursday June 5, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

Spotlight Session

Category Schools of the Future

12:30pm CDT

Strengthening Conversations Around Mental Health

Thursday June 5, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

How can we foster a school culture where students feel heard, supported, and empowered to help each other? In this interactive session, we'll explore a simple yet powerful communication strategy that helps students and educators navigate conversations about emotions and mental health with confidence and care.
You'll learn how to respond in a way that makes others feel truly heard and understood while also guiding them toward appropriate support—without feeling like you have to fix everything. Get ready to put these skills into action through interactive activities designed to make every conversation more meaningful.

Featured Speakers

Diego Estrada

Director of Wellness, The John Cooper School

Thursday June 5, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

Spotlight Session

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

1:40pm CDT

Beyond Assessments For Learning: Assessment That Improves Learning

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

Using assessments to improve student learning involves more than simply administering “formative” assessments. It requires teachers to make well-designed classroom assessments an integral part of the instructional process. This presentation describes how teachers can develop clear learning targets, gather useful information on students’ performance, offer effective feedback to guide improvements in teaching and learning, and then accurately document students’ learning progress. Participants will learn how to use classroom assessments as effective learning tools, how to integrate performance assessments with more traditional assessment methods, how to align assessment procedures with important learning goals, and how these procedures will allow them to better meet the needs of diverse learners.

Featured Speakers

Tom Guskey

Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

Workshop

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

1:40pm CDT

Curriculum Storyboarding Design and Feedback Session

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

This session is for those who are energized by the morning session (Blueprint for Learning: Storyboarding Your Curriculum) and would like immersive time to draft their ideas in a supportive environment. There will be opportunities to ask questions, seek out more illustrative examples, and receive feedback from Allison.

Keynote Speakers

Allison Zmuda

Co-Director; Co-Founder; Educational Consultant; Author, The Institute for Habits of Mind; Curriculum Storyboards

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

Workshop

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

1:40pm CDT

Develop Real World Skills Through Authentic Tasks and Projects

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

Authentic performance tasks and projects (PBL) can engage students in applying a variety of life-worthy skills including critical thinking, creative problem solving, group collaboration, and communication through various media. In this workshop, Jay will present examples of authentic tasks along with a set of practical and proven design tools. He will explore the use of Artificial Intelligence tools to generate ideas for such tasks and describe a set of task variables (e.g., time frame, student choice) to consider. Finally, he will share a 23-page hot-linked set of performance tasks and associated resources. These alone are worth the price of admission!

Featured Speakers

Jay McTighe

Author & Education Consultant, Jay McTighe & Associates

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

Workshop

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

1:40pm CDT

Self-Discovery: Narrating the Learning Journey

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

In this session we will explore how the Habits of Mind provide a language for students to become the storyteller of their own learning experiences. There will be many examples of student artifacts, reflections, and prompts to inspire our thinking.

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Bena Kallick

Co-Founder and Co-Director; Author; Educational Consultant, The Institute for Habits of Mind

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 1:55pm CDT

Workshop

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

1:40pm CDT

Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 4:00pm CDT

Session details coming soon!

Featured Speakers

Tiffany Jewell

Author, ABAR Educator, Consultant

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 4:00pm CDT

Workshop

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

1:40pm CDT

Power Carving & Epoxy: Hands-On Making for the Classroom

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 4:00pm CDT

Maker Lab

Join us for an immersive, hands-on experience in power carving and epoxy work, designed specifically for educators and makerspace leaders. This session will begin with an exploration of the foundational principles of maker education and the decade of progress that has shaped today’s learning environments. Then, we’ll dive into practical techniques, providing participants with hands-on experience using power carving tools and epoxy to create stunning projects.
But this session isn’t just about making - it’s about teaching making. You’ll gain insights into how to integrate these tools and techniques into your own makerspace, adapting them for different age groups, skill levels, and classroom settings. Whether you’re looking to refine your own skills or empower your students with new creative possibilities, this session will equip you with both the mindset and the methods to bring hands-on innovation to your learning space.
No prior experience with power carving or epoxy is necessary - just a willingness to create, experiment, and learn!

Featured Speakers

Leigh Northrup

Dean of Innovation & Technology, Cannon School

Leigh Northrup’s lifelong passion for making traces back to his grandfather’s workshop, where he first discovered the joy of creating with his hands. Now, as the Dean of Innovation and Technology at Cannon School for over 24 years, he has built a thriving, nationally renowned... Read More →

Mush Hughes

Makerspace Facilitator, Cannon School

Mush Hughes joined Cannon School as an Upper School Makerspace Facilitator in 2017. Prior to that time, he was an independent consultant for an international nonprofit, where he taught teachers how to use math and reading software, and developed STEM incentive curriculum for schools... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 4:00pm CDT
Maker Lab

Workshop

Category Schools of the Future

1:40pm CDT

Radical Neuroconstructivism: How Generative AI is Changing Thinking

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 4:00pm CDT

Since its introduction on the educational stage in 2022, ChatGPT and other AI tools have catalyzed a review of what it means to be a successful teacher, and how we measure successful learners. The evaluation of learning outcomes have primarily focused on “products” - a test score, an essay, a correct demonstration of work on a math problem - rather than the invisible thinking “processes” that underpin those projects. This workshop will explain the concept of radical neuroconstructivism, or the way humans construct their learning based on the content they receive and the contexts within which they learn. We will look at examples from early math and middle school writing to talk about the thinking behind the learning, the role of human interaction, and the pros and cons of using AI to facilitate this process.

Featured Speakers

Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, PhD

Educational Researcher & Harvard University Educator, Conexiones: The Learning Science Platform

Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D., is a teacher at Harvard College and the Harvard University Extension School where her course, “The Neuroscience of Learning: An Introduction to Mind, Brain, Health, and Education” offers a transformative self-learning adventure. She is the co-founder... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:40pm - 4:00pm CDT

Workshop

Category Schools of the Future

1:45pm CDT

Authentic Research Experiences: A Pathway to STEM Identity, STEM Positionality, and a Sense of Belonging

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

The knowledge and use of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills are essential for thriving in the STEM community. However, the professional STEM community does not accurately represent the community of students present in STEM classes today. Many students, from populations that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM, lack a positive STEM identity, STEM positionality or sense of belonging in STEM classes. Some students do not thrive when it comes to traditional STEM classes in schools in the United States and therefore do not go on to join the STEM community. The overall purpose of this study was to investigate how Authentic Research Experiences (ARE) can be used to disrupt the narrative in the science classroom of what it means to do science and what it means to be a doer of science for students traditionally underrepresented in STEM.

In an effort to disrupt the narrative of traditional science education, this multiple case study determined how Authentic Research Experiences (ARE) influence student STEM identity, STEM positionality and sense of belonging in 6th grade students at one K-12 independent school in the United States. ARE incorporate discovery, original data and information, engagement with research practices and techniques, encourage collaboration, utilize iterative design and process skills, and incorporate mentors and expert knowledge (Burmeister et al., 2021; Gentile et al., 2017). ARE provide authentic opportunities for teachers to empower students and change the narrative on how students learn science. This could lead to an altering of the STEM pipeline in ways that are more inclusive and socially just. In this study, students were observed, surveyed, and interviewed to determine how ARE influence how students perceive themselves as a participant in the STEM classroom or are recognized as a STEM person (STEM identity), how experiences influence a students’ STEM positionality (all of the aspects that position a student as an insider or outsider in STEM), and how these experiences influence a student’s sense of belonging in science courses.

Speakers

Christine Pickett

Upper School Science Teacher, Mary Institute and Country Day School

Christine Pickett is an Upper School Science teacher at Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School as well as a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education at Saint Louis University. Her dissertation research is titled Authentic Research Experiences... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

1:45pm CDT

Deep Education: Transcending Turbulence, Unleashing Creativity

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

“Deep” often signifies profound or universal. What is “deep education”? This response will surprise you. Building on an innovative approach implemented in hundreds of schools worldwide, this concept will be explored from methods for transcending the turbulent surface level of our thinking to revealing insights from ancient wisdom and modern scientific research. Be prepared to stretch your thinking about education, human nature, and how we equip our students to manage stress and realize their innate potential.

Speakers

Richard Beall

High School Member, Maharishi School

I am a passionate educator who over a 40-year career has helped establish two new schools and pioneer an innovative approach called Consciousness-Based Education that has spread from its source in Fairfield, Iowa, to applications across the nation and around the world. As a teacher... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Schools of the Future

3:00pm CDT

Inquiring Minds Want to Learn: Posing Good Questions to Promote Student Inquiry

Thursday June 5, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Explore how to teach and learn through inquiry and by questioning with good questions. Understand how good questions prompt students to demonstrate different levels of thinking and discuss their Depth of Knowledge (DOK). Rephrase learning expectations and targets into good questions that will set the instructional focus, serve as assessments, and personalize learning. Pose good questions that pique student curiosity and promote students to share and summarize their learning. Use generative AI to craft good questions that will engage students in deep inquiry. Most importantly, realize how teaching and learning with an inquiring mind ensures the experience is meaningful, measurable, and motivating.

Featured Speakers

Erik M. Francis

Author / Educator / Presenter, Maverik Education

Erik M. Francis, M.Ed., M.S., is an international author, educator, presenter, and professional development provider with 30 years of experience in education. He is the author of Inquiring Minds Want to Learn: Posing Good Questions to Promote Student Inquiry (Solution Tree), Deconstructing... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

3:00pm CDT

Struggly: Unlocking Children's Unlimited Potential

Thursday June 5, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Neuroscience and growth mindset research says that the best time for our brains to learn and grow is when we struggle! The Struggly program is all about supporting teachers and students to embrace struggle as an exciting and integral part of the learning process. Struggle pairs visual, creative, and conceptual math tasks with an irresistible game-like pull and growth mindset messaging for students in grades K-8. The program is modeled after Dr. Jo Boaler’s Mathematical Mindset approach to mah teaching and learning.

Speakers

Kristina Jones

Middle School Math Teacher, MICDS

Kristina Jones is a part of the 5th grade team at MICDS as the Math Teacher. This is her 4th year teaching at MICDS and previously she has spent time teaching various grades from SK to 8th. She holds a Master of Arts in education. Kristina was born and raised in northern Minnesota... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Schools of the Future

STLinSTL 2025

From $250.00