STLinSTL 2025: Full Schedule

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9:15am CDT

Brain Moves

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Brain Moves is an innovative educational program designed to transform classrooms into spaces where students are actively engaged and empowered in their learning. Rooted in the Fundamental Movement Patterns of Total Body Connectivity developed by Irmgard Bartenieff and Peggy Hackney, the program equips teachers with effective strategies to integrate movement into their daily teaching, creating an environment that values the whole child. By incorporating dynamic movement activities, Brain Moves strengthens the body-mind connection, supporting not only physical health but also cognitive development, emotional regulation, and social-emotional growth in young learners. By incorporating movement into the classroom, Brain Moves helps improve focus, attention, presence, and self-awareness, while encouraging positive social interactions and relationships among students. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and movement activities that they can implement in the classroom right away.

Speakers

Summer Beasley

PE Faculty, MICDS

Summer Beasley received a BFA from Webster University and a MFA from Lindenwood University. She has performed and choreographed across the U.S. and she has performed internationally with Karlovsky & Company Dance. Summer completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training with Pam Schulte... Read More →

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

9:15am CDT

Personalizing Learning by Design

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

When we clearly identify desired results and carefully consider the necessary evidence, we are able to design the most relevant and engaging learning experiences. Our decisions about what to teach and how to teach are guided by the priorities in Stages 1 and 2 of the Understanding by Design framework and by what we know about the learner in terms of readiness, interest, and learning profile. In this session, we will explore resources and tools to support creativity and innovation in designing learning experiences that honor and amplify learners’ interests and passions while equipping them for success.

Speakers

Charity Meyer

Director of Elementary Learning, School District of Greenfield

Charity Meyer serves as the Director of Elementary Learning in the School District of Greenfield. In her role, she works side by side with leaders and educators, delivering coaching and professional learning experiences, emphasizing deep implementation of modern curriculum, assessment... Read More →

Patrice Ball

Director of Secondary Learning, School District of Greenfield

Patrice Ball serves as the Director of Secondary Learning in the School District of Greenfield where she facilitates the professional learning, curriculum, assessment, and instruction in grades 6-12. Previous roles include instructor of assessment courses in the graduate program at... Read More →

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

Project Based Learning for the Traditional Classroom

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Do you work at a college prep or traditional model school but want to push the envelope a little? ARTIful (Authentic, Relevant, Transferable, and Impactful) teaching by integrating authentic projects into student experiences has the capacity to move students from compliance to genuine interest. You can start small without sacrificing weeks of your class time and see the results of students’ critical thinking skills applied to your content. Authentic projects give students genuine opportunities to practice future ready skills such as cooperation and communication, and they allow students to push their creativity to the limits by creating a virtual museum exhibit for Cahokia Mounds, learning chemistry by creating a food truck business, or discovering energy and circuitry by wiring a basement or presenting to the St. Louis city planners about green energy. Participants of this workshop will learn the basic foundations of ARTIful project learning and how to find an authentic audience, choose a meaningful project, and create an assessment that holds students to your high standards.

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 →

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

9:15am CDT

The Depth is in the Discussion: Making Learning Visible with Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

What does deeper learning look, sound, or feel like? How could you ensure your students are learning at the level demanded by academic standards, activities, and assessments? Examine how Depth of Knowledge establishes and evaluates the depth and extent students must demonstrate and discuss their learning. Understand how Depth of Knowledge categorizes and clarifies the complexity and demand of academic standards, activities, and assessments. Analyze which part of a learning expectation determines its DOK Level. Use the language of DOK to specify what exactly and how deeply students must comprehend and communicate their learning to demonstrate proficiency or perform successfully. Most importantly, discover how Depth of Knowledge ensures teaching and learning experiences are actionable, measurable, and visible.

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 →

Friday June 6, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

10:30am CDT

Classroom- and School-based Strategies to Support the Whole Learner

Friday June 6, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

Our district focuses on the WHOLE Learner. As leaders, educators embrace the opportunity to enrich our approach to bolster students’ academic and affective needs. Research has shown that since the COVID-10 Pandemic, students’ social-emotional needs have multiplied. While colleges and universities prepare general education teachers to facilitate academic learning, equipping educators to support students’ social-emotional needs is something that many pre-service programs do not fully address. This session will focus on adding effective strategies to classroom- and school-based instructional environments to better support students’ academic buoyancy and grow 21st century skills and dispositions.

Speakers

Charity Meyer

Director of Elementary Learning, School District of Greenfield

Patrice Ball

Director of Secondary Learning, School District of Greenfield

Friday June 6, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

10:30am CDT

Empowered Learning: Lessons from Implementing ARTI-ful Learning (ABL) to Elevate Engagement and Teacher Practice

Friday June 6, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

When students are placed at the center of learning – given choice, voice, and real-world relevance – engagement soars, ownership deepens, and learning becomes more meaningful and lasting. However, shifting to student-centered learning through ARTI-ful Learning (ABL) requires a fundamental change in teacher practice.

This session, led by an educator who has implemented ABL across multiple grade levels and a school leader who guided elementary faculty through this transition, will explore what it takes to shift from teacher-directed to student-driven learning. Participants will gain practical insights from our experiences, including:

The Why of ABL - Why Authentic, Relevant, Transferable, and Impactful learning leads to deeper engagement and 21st century skill development.
How We Supported Teachers - Strategies we used to help teachers transition from traditional instruction to student-centered facilitation.
What Was Hard - The biggest stumbling blocks in shifting to ABL and how we overcame them.
What We Would (and Wouldn’t) Do Again - Lessons learned, missteps to avoid, and key actions that made the biggest difference.

Speakers

Rissa Arens

Principia School

Rissa is a career long elementary educator and classroom teacher. She thrives in leading teachers through change helping them develop a responsive classroom and techniques to inspire and engage students. She currently coaches teachers at Principia Lower School to create classrooms... Read More →

Peter Dry

Director, The PDL Group

Dr. Peter Dry is an educational leader focused on innovation in schools and organizations. He specializes in strengths-based leadership and future-ready education. He works with schools and teams to improve engagement and effectiveness.His experience includes leading strategic innovation... Read More →

Friday June 6, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

10:30am CDT

Structuring Group Projects for Student Success

Friday June 6, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

If group projects can be a powerful educational tool, why do so many teachers (and students) groan when the topic is brought up? After years of trying different tactics, I realized that I need to teach the collaboration skills needed right along with my content. This session will cover six ways to change how you structure your group projects that will increase accountability, engage everyone in a meaningful way, and assess each individual student's contribution and skills.

Speakers

Mark Russo

Integrated Studies Teacher, Principia School

Friday June 6, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

1:45pm CDT

Designing Future-Ready Schools Through Authentic, Relevant, Transferable, and Impactful Learning

Friday June 6, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

The traditional classroom model is outdated. Instead, we need schools that prioritize ARTI-ful learning – where students engage in real-world problem solving, meaningful projects, and community-based learning.

Key Takeaways:

What ARTI-ful Learning is and why it matters in the AI age
How experiential learning, project-based approaches, and emerging technologies support deep learning.
Success stories from work in ARTI-ful units.
How educators can start shifting their classrooms today.

Speakers

Peter Dry

Director, The PDL Group

Friday June 6, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Schools of the Future

1:45pm CDT

Enhancing Student Engagement Using Instructional Practices in Learning By Scientific Design Principles

Friday June 6, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

In this case study, the post-doctoral fellow collaborated with a K-5 Urban school to investigate the impact of instructional practices on student engagement. Due to consistent student behavior, the school generated the problem of practice that focused on developing the school-wide classroom management plan and social-emotional learning curriculum for students so that students can regulate their emotions effectively and teachers can deliver engaging lessons by building a conducive learning environment. The fellow partnered with the school leadership team to develop an instructional cycle that consisted of observing and providing feedback to the teachers on their goals set up using the Learning By Scientific Design Principles. In this instructional cycle, the teachers watch their GoReact videos and select the goals for themselves using teacher actions from Learning by Scientific Design Principles. The instructional coach and the post-doctoral fellow observed the teacher using the two observational rubrics that measured the teacher's instructional practices and student engagement. The feedback shared with the teachers was based on the implementation of those practices and the number of students engaged in the classroom with a focus on planning and preparing rigorous and challenging lesson plans that are aimed at improving student engagement and, thereby, increasing student outcomes. The student outcome was assessed by the exit card data for each lesson and the student engagement rubric, which played a crucial role in developing and enhancing different instructional practices as per the academic needs of the students.

Speakers

Natalie Bolton

Associate Professor, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Natalie Bolton is an associate professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis within the College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Preparation. She earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Louisville. She has an M.A. in secondary education... Read More →

Friday June 6, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

1:45pm CDT

Practical, Effective Ways to Foster Connection in the Classroom

Friday June 6, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

Building strong, authentic connections in the classroom is essential for student engagement, well-being, and academic success. This session explores practical and effective strategies to cultivate meaningful relationships between students and educators. Participants will learn how to integrate restorative techniques into their academic rigor to create a classroom culture of trust, respect, and belonging.

Speakers

John Converse

Director of Restorative Practices, EducationPlus

John Converse is a restorative practitioner who brings 19 years of educational experience to life in his interactions with others. He has a set of skills that foster belonging and connection through the art of restorative practices. He is a certified trainer with the International... Read More →

Friday June 6, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Knowing and Valuing Students

3:00pm CDT

Cognitive Strategies to Increase Student Achievement

Friday June 6, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Are you exhausted at the end of each day, while your students seem to leave with boundless energy? It’s time to turn the tables and empower your students to take charge of their own learning! Discover effective strategies to actively engage your students at a cognitive level throughout your lesson, with minimal preparation required. In this dynamic session, you’ll learn a variety of techniques, all of which are adaptable to any content area. Leave this workshop armed with practical, tangible strategies that will invigorate your classroom and empower your students to thrive.

Speakers

Tanya Garcia

St. Louis RPDC Educational Consultant, EducationPlus

Tanya Garcia serves our member districts by developing tailored learning opportunities and professional development programs and working with area districts to provide supports for effective teaching and learning. Throughout her 15 years in education, Tanya has served in various roles... Read More →

Friday June 6, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Student-Centered Best Practices

3:00pm CDT

Leading Change: Transforming Schools for an Unpredictable Future

Friday June 6, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

Schools must evolve to prepare students for a rapidly changing world, but meaningful change is often met with resistance. This session equips school leaders with practical strategies to drive innovation, overcome barriers, and create buy-in for new educational models. Drawing from expertise in leadership development, strengths-based coaching, and Appreciative Inquiry, this session will provide actionable insights to help administrators and educators navigate change effectively.

Key Takeaways:

Understand the psychology of change: Why educators resist and how to engage them.
Learn how to use Appreciative Inquiry to foster a culture of innovation.
Explore Strengths-Based Leadership and how it can develop a growth mindset in staff and students.
Discover practical strategies to create buy-in for new pedagogies, including ARTI-ful learning, AI integration, and interdisciplinary approaches.

Why This Session Matters: This session blends leadership best practices with real-world applications for transforming schools. Designed for administrators, education leaders, and instructional coaches, it offers the tools needed to lead change with confidence, ensuring that innovative practices take root and thrive.

Speakers

Peter Dry

Director, The PDL Group

Friday June 6, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

1-Hour Session

Category Schools of the Future

STLinSTL 2025

From $250.00