Four pre-conference workshops will be offered in Burlington on Friday, July 26th and Saturday, July 27th in advance of the 2019 Summer Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Burlington.

 

Engaged Learning Online	A Day on the Farm: Experiencing Place & Sustainability in Teacher Education	Supports for the Classroom Mentor	"I am from Here" A Workshop on Racial Equity

1.  Engaged Learning Online (Fri. 7/26/19, 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m., $50)

More and more universities are providing online courses for students.  Teaching and learning online is very different from teaching and learning in a face-to-face environment.  If you have ever thought about teaching online, or want to learn some tips and tricks to improve your online teaching, this 3-hour workshop is for you.  Some topics to be discussed during this workshop include:  designing learning experiences, community building, creating active discussions and activities, creating presence in the online environment.

Presenters:

Jean Kiekel, PhD graduated with a degree in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University.  She is currently a tenured professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.  She holds an active Texas social studies certificate.  At the University of St. Thomas, she teaches courses in teacher education – Curriculum and Instruction, Classroom Management, Adolescent Learning, Essentials of Social Studies, Digital Medial Strategies, and Instructional Technology Methods.  She is the director of the M.Ed. in Instructional Technology and the Master of Arts in Teaching with initial certification.  She has been developing and teaching online courses since 2001 and currently teaches a high school AP Economics course completely online.  Jean has been a member of ATE for four years and has recently joined the Board of Directors.  She has been actively involved in the state chapter of ATE (TxATE) and was secretary of this organization for two years.  She is also active in ISTE and SITE.

Mike Campbell has taught Social Studies at Bellows Free Academy since 1999.  He received is MA in Education in 2007 from SNHU.  He has received a Certificate of Online Teaching degree from Plymouth State University.  He facilitates the online student offering of Honors Psychology Teacher through The Virtual High School (https://vhslearning.org/).   He also teaches the VHS PD course Blended Learning and Teaching, facilitiates OTM as an instructor to new VHS online teaching staff, become a Faculty Advisor to mentor these new teachers in their first semesters, and to serve on the VHS Advisory Board for a two year hitch.  He has been a classroom teacher for the past 20 years, and for the past seven his methodology has been more of a blended classroom model.  He has used a variety of LMS approaches including Blackboard, Moodle, Google Sites and Google Classroom, Canvas, and Powerschool Learning.  Next year his school is using Unified Classroom which is a new product from PowerSchool.  He looks forward to sharing information about online education from the student perspective, the teacher/facilitator perspective, and someone who has delivered PD on this topic to teachers.  Finally becoming an online educator has revolutionized his approach to the classroom and he sees more and more blending of these two educational worlds in the future.

Charlie Burnett has been a Social Studies teacher at Essex High School for 20 years primarily focusing on economics and world history. He has been an AP Economics teacher at EHS for 14 years. He has also served as an AP exam reader for the College Board for three years.  He has also been an AP World History teacher at EHS for six years. He is currently an AP Economics teacher at Virtual High School  and has done so for seven years. He has been a course development contractor for Virtual High School for AP Economics and CERNET Economics courses. He has a BA in History and M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Vermont. He currently lives with his wife and two children in Essex Junction, Vermont, enjoying summers on beautiful Lake Champlain and winters trying to stay warm.

2.  A Day on the Farm: Experiencing Place & Sustainability in Teacher Education (Sat. 7/27, 8:30 a.m.- 3:00 p.m - see schedule below, $75)

Note: transportation and lunch included
Location: Shelburne Farms, Education Center

Total Time: 8:30am to 3:00pm (Bus leaves hotel at 8:30 sharp - see schedule below)

Event Time: 9:00am to 2:00pm

Participant limit: 25

Shelburne Farms and the University of Vermont are working together to envision a new kind of teacher education that is place-based and attuned to global sustainability challenges. In this workshop you will learn the principles, pedagogies, and protocols that are guiding this work as you experience the Shelburne Farms landscape—Forest, Farm, and Garden. Together, workshop facilitators and participants will explore how sustainability concepts, systems thinking, and nature’s principles can be used to transform teacher education and PK-12 schooling at a time of rapid climate disruption and societal change.

Agenda:

8:30 am - Depart hotel

9:00 am - Welcome and place-based introductions

9:30 am - Connecting to and Exploring Place-based Curriculum Connections

Forest, Farm and Garden experience and exploration

(short walk from Education Center; small hill but can get access to site via farm vehicle if needed)

We’ll explore Big Ideas of Sustainability and how these concepts come alive in place - concepts include diversity, systems, cycles and social justice/equity.

11:00 am - Overview of Place-based Education and EFS - especially as it relates to teacher education and between community partners and higher education institutions

11:45 am - Farm fresh lunch (outside picnic if nice out)

12:30 pm - Systems Approach to Transformation in Teacher Education and PK-12 schools. Explore using a systems approach and nature’s principles as a way to re-imagine teacher education and PK-12 schools. This will be a combination of small group conversations and sharing tools for helping apply a systems approach.

1:45 pm - Reflective Close

2:00 pm - Departure -Shelburne Farms, Education Center

3:00 pm - Return to hotel

Presenters:

Simon Jorgenson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Vermont. He worked as a classroom teacher and Instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School before earning a Ph.D. in the social foundations of education and sustainability from the University of Cincinnati. Currently, he teaches courses in social studies, science, and sustainability education. His courses are designed to model place-based and experiential approaches to instruction and feature regular trips to Shelburne Farms and other field sites. His research focuses on the convergence between STEM and environmental education--past, present, and future. His publications include articles in the Journal of Environmental Education, Elementary School Journal, Journal of STEM Teacher Education, and Bank Street Occasional Paper Series.

Aimee Arandia Ostensen is a Professional Learning Facilitator at Shelburne Farms. She embraces learning as a life-long process. Her own pathway has been a spiral of explorations into art, nature, movement, and community. Aimee has spent most of her teaching career at Manhattan Country School guiding students through adventures in interdisciplinary learning in many elementary grade levels. Most recently, she has held the position of Founding Teacher at The Hudson Lab School and Farm Curriculum and Outreach Coordinator at the Manhattan Country School Farm. Additionally, Aimee has had the privilege of partnering with a range of teachers, schools, and districts in the Northeast as a professional learning consultant in the i of Education for Sustainability.

Jen Cirillo, Shelburne Farms, Director of Professional Development After working in integrated art sustainability programs, city government, and small scale farming, Jen firmly planted herself in the world of education. Since 1996 she has worked in education for sustainability and now leads Shelburne Farms’ EFS professional development programs for K-16 educators. Jen holds a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont, an M.S. in Environmental Education from Lesley University’s Audubon Expedition Institute, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Vermont.

 

 

3. Supports for the Classroom Mentor by NEA (Sat. 7/27/19, 9:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m., $50)

Join us for an interactive exploration of three support programs for cooperating teachers/mentors and other site-based clinical faculty.  Participants will work through selected modules that address topics including providing meaningful feedback to candidates, deepening understanding of our cultural lens, and exploring access to many resources available free online.  ATE’s Task Force sponsors this session featuring the extensive program offered by Vermont NEA, a blended learning support model being piloted in multiple states AND a program developed in response to new policy requirements in Louisiana.  Participants will be given a certificate of completion for the content of their professional development workshop and options for gaining a micro-credential with NEA in preparing for a student teacher and engaging in reflective practices as a cooperating teacher. 

Presenters:

Blake West, Ed.D., Senior Policy Analyst, NEA Center for Great Public Schools - Teacher Quality, Washington, DC. 

Blake West has been an educator for over 40 years, teaching mathematics, computer science, and helping teachers integrate 21st century skills into teaching. Dr. West has publications in the areas of computer science, teaching with technology and the development of leaders in our schools. From 2006-2012, he was President of Kansas National Education Association where he led the development of their Teacher Leadership Academy and fostered collaboration as chair of Kansas Learning First Alliance.

Blake returned to teaching in his Kansas classroom in 2012 until summer of 2015 when he extended his teacher leadership as Senior Policy Analyst in the National Education Association’s Center for Great Public Schools.

Juliette Longchamp, NBCT, EdD, is the Director of Professional Programs for Vermont-NEA. 

As part of her role, she supports educators in improving their professional practice, working with both members and school districts.  She is the NBCT Network Lead in Vermont, coordinating and facilitating National Board Cohorts throughout Vermont.  She supports teacher leadership through Mentoring and Coaching Courses and works with districts to strengthen New Educator Practice.  Juliette is a 30 year teaching veteran, teaching the last 25 years in Williston, Vermont, where she was one of the founding facilitators of Swift House, a fifth through eighth grade team that embraces Personalized Learning Plans, Standards-Based Grading, Project-based Learning, Integrated Learning and Student Voice in the development of curriculum, beginning in 1991!

4. "I am from Here" A NEA workshop on racial equity. (Sat. 7/27/19, 1:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m., $50)

The Vermont-NEA Racial Justice Task Force was established in 2015 as a response to the National Education Association’s initiative to eradicate institutional racism in our nation’s public schools. The Task Force is composed of representatives of Vermont’s education agencies, legislators and government agency representatives, school employees, parents, and students from around the state. Vermont-NEA’s task force decided that a virtual toolkit, “Advancing Racial Equity Vermont’s Public Schools” would be the best way to reach every school district in the state. The toolkit includes information and resources for staff, administrators, and students. Within the toolkit is a 30-minute instructional film designed for school staff to view at in-service or staff meetings. Other components include: reading lists, for students and adults; links to organizations in Vermont; links to national organizations; and, sections for students, educators, and administrators.  In this session, participants will view the video, experience some of the activities in the toolkit, and consider ways one might bring this to your school or institution.  All the materials in the toolkit are free and encouraged to distribute widely.

Presenters:

Juliette Longchamp, NBCT, EdD, is the Director of Professional Programs for Vermont-NEA. 

As part of her role, she supports educators in improving their professional practice, working with both members and school districts.  She is the NBCT Network Lead in Vermont, coordinating and facilitating National Board Cohorts throughout Vermont.  She supports teacher leadership through Mentoring and Coaching Courses and works with districts to strengthen New Educator Practice.  Juliette is a 30 year teaching veteran, teaching the last 25 years in Williston, Vermont, where she was one of the founding facilitators of Swift House, a fifth through eighth grade team that embraces Personalized Learning Plans, Standards-Based Grading, Project-based Learning, Integrated Learning and Student Voice in the development of curriculum, beginning in 1991! 

Merwyn Scott, NEA Director of Community Advocacy & Partnership Engagement

Merwyn Scott is currently the Director of the Department of Community Advocacy and Partnership Engagement at the National Education Association.   He is formally a Federal Lobbyist for the National Education Association where he served as liaison to the Congressional Tri Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and Human Rights (Voting Rights issues), and the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination, and the National Coalition for Public Education.
 
Merwyn began his political career on Capitol Hill serving as Chief of Staff, Legislative Director, and Staff Assistant to Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA). As Chief of Staff to a very progressive Member of Congress, Merwyn was able to build relationships and work successfully on numerous projects with CBC, CPC, and Members of Congress who served in leadership positions.  In addition, while crafting legislation and advocating for equality, Merwyn developed personal relationships with leadership and staff of organizations such as NAACP, National Urban League, SCLC, Black Voter and Civic Participation, LCCR, Rainbow/PUSH, National Action Network, the Black Leadership Forum, the Pan-Hellenic Council, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist, the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Presidents of HBCU’s, and editors of major Black news organizations.  He has successfully transitioned his relationships with Members of Congress and organizations to his advocacy work at the NEA as a federal lobbyist.

Before moving to Washington, DC, Merwyn was an International Representative (Union Organizer) for the Clothing and Textile Workers Union where as a lead organizer he successfully organized 550 Chipman Union employees.  In addition, Merwyn was in the first graduating class of the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute where he later served as an organizing trainer and recruiter.  In addition, before law school, he served under Regional Manager/International Vice President and Minority Community Outreach Director George Gudger as Business Manager for the Laborers' International Union of North America for the Southern Region.  He is a former Congressional Candidate for the 12th Congressional District of Georgia.

Merwyn Scott received his BA degree in Political Science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and his JD degree from The University of the District of Columbia School of Law.  While in attending law school full time, Merwyn also worked full time as a Legislative Assistant for the Congresswoman and upon completion of law school rising to the position of Legislative Director/Office Manager; then Chief of Staff.

He has appeared on FOX national news network and the British Broadcast International News Service as a guest speaker on school vouchers.  Merwyn has lectured at the American University and at Georgetown University on the importance of collective bargaining rights and the process of a union election under the National Labor Relations Board.  Merwyn is married to Dr. Necole D. Scott and has two children, Madison Lyden and Miles Langston.