STLinSTL 2025: Full Schedule

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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

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

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