BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:ecti26 X-WR-CALDESC:Event Calendar METHOD:PUBLISH CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:-//Sched.com Early Career Teaching Institute//EN X-WR-TIMEZONE:UTC BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260727T170000Z DTEND:20260727T173000Z SUMMARY:Lunch & Check-in DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:BREAK LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:402e02c0a08ab8bbda132631f913dc4d URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/402e02c0a08ab8bbda132631f913dc4d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260727T173000Z DTEND:20260727T190000Z SUMMARY:Welcome & Intention Setting DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:1c9395181998b65887478913e3a69ed8 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/1c9395181998b65887478913e3a69ed8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T130000Z DTEND:20260728T133000Z SUMMARY:Breakfast & Intention Setting DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:24ca8cba5d21530250268ebe313dda00 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/24ca8cba5d21530250268ebe313dda00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Building a Community of Oracy DESCRIPTION:We’ve all had those moments where we wonder how to get our students talking more deeply without adding "one more thing" to our plates. This professional development session was all about finding those "hidden" opportunities for productive talk right within the routines you already have in place. Instead of seeing morning meetings or lesson transitions as mere housekeeping\, we practiced viewing them as perfect windows for student voice and collaborative thinking.The heart of our work focused on intentionality. We explored how to match your specific goal for a lesson—whether it’s building empathy\, brainstorming solutions\, or debating a concept—with the perfect talk structure that fits your unique classroom "vibe." It wasn't just about learning the theory\; we spent time getting our hands dirty with planning. You walked away with a toolkit of multiple\, ready-to-go talk tasks that you can plug into your schedule tomorrow morning.By the end of the session\, the shift was clear: we aren't just managing a classroom\; we are building a community where every student’s idea has a seat at the table. It’s about making the most of every minute and turning our daily habits into powerful engines for student growth and connection. You’ve got the plan\, you’ve got the tools\, and your students are ready to be heard!In this session\, you will:\nIdentify \;daily routines in your classroom where you can incorporate productive talk. \;Connect the desired purpose of a talk task with an appropriate structure within the context of your classroom. Plan multiple possible productive talk tasks for daily routines in your classroom. \;\n CATEGORIES:CT ONLY WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:4d5a7c501e1f10b7c974a1516a648e73 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/4d5a7c501e1f10b7c974a1516a648e73 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Adventures in PD: Exploring National & International Professional Learning Opportunities for PK-12 Teachers DESCRIPTION:Join us in learning about an exciting range of summer and academic year PD and teaching opportunities designed for PK-12 classroom teachers in local\, national\, and international settings. We'll take look at program descriptions\, timelines\, application processes and deadlines\, and funding supports\, and will map out action steps. Tips\, advice\, and inspiring stories will be shared.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nLearn about a range of summer and academic year professional development and teaching opportunities that are available for PK-12 classroom teachers across local\, national\, and international settings. \;Explore related resources\, materials\, and schedules\; map out timeline and strategies for applying and participating.Hear perspectives and advice from UW alums who have participated in the past\, and build connections with ECTI peers who similarly wish to expand their professional development options. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:84d1171bd27af9c8d78aca8af07dedb1 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/84d1171bd27af9c8d78aca8af07dedb1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Beyond the Language Barrier: Using Mixed-Reality Simulations to Prepare Teachers of Multilingual Learners DESCRIPTION:Step into the future of teacher preparation! This presentation describes the challenges of teaching science to multilingual learners and proposes innovative technology to create safe environments where future and new teachers are able to practice new skills. Using science education as a context\, pre-service and novice teachers in the study engaged in a structured\, two-cycle research process designed to refine their teaching techniques in a risk-free\, mixed-reality environment. The presentation will share preliminary findings and invite participants to interact with student avatars in a mixed-reality environment.Participants will also explore the advantages and limitations of the use of such technologies in teacher preparation. \;Those who join the session can expect an interactive opportunity to discuss\, explore\, and gain knowledge of strategies that support the instruction of multilingual learners in ways that integrate language and content.In this session\, you will:\nExplore the use of innovative technologies in teacher preparationIdentify strengths and challenges in the teaching of science to multilingual learnersGain knowledge of strategies that support the teaching of multilingual learners CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:b44c9544711085646974df40357b62e8 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/b44c9544711085646974df40357b62e8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Constructing Age-Accessible Learning about Mass Violence Though Students Perspectives DESCRIPTION:This session\, co-led \;with student presenters\, will support educators in teaching difficult histories of mass violence and/or genocide in ways that are accessible for their students. Participants will explore this new concept and students' understandings of it to consider how their own values\, contexts\, students\, and assumptions shape their ideas. Then\, by analyzing and reflecting on student-generated data\, participants will consider the connections and tensions between their conceptions and students’. Finally\, they will work together to create or modify part of a lesson to make it more age-accessible. This session aims to empower teachers in their capacity to facilitate the learning of complex and emotionally-provocative histories more broadly by centering the voices of students in their decisions-making. \;\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nReflect\, discuss\, and identify what age-accessible learning looks like in your classroom.Compare and contrast your notions of age-accessibility to students’.Modify or draft learning opportunities about/through difficult histories that are age-accessible for your students. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:baeda79bfb017bc969ec68d6ca373171 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/baeda79bfb017bc969ec68d6ca373171 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Cultivating Care and Compassion DESCRIPTION:Learn to cultivate care and compassion in yourself and your students through the exploration of current research\, ideas and practices that create proactive\, prosocial communities that nurture children’s abilities to thrive  \;Learn about an experiential course on human flourishing\, related research and adaptation strategies from UW-Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds as well as connected resources from PBS Wisconsin Education that can support the wellbeing of the students and staff members you serve.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nLearn and practice strategies\, grounded in wellbeing research from UW-Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds\, that recognize and work with strong emotions in ourselves and our students.Develop foundational practices that support students’ attentional and flexible thinking skills.Explore free\, bilingual resources from PBS Wisconsin Education that cultivate compassionate children and communities. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:a646cb7d8b2d64ff7696101b5d3f29b2 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/a646cb7d8b2d64ff7696101b5d3f29b2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Cultivating Emotional Resilience for Teachers DESCRIPTION:This workshop uses Elena Aguilar's book Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators (2018) as a springboard to reflect and build practices to sustain educators in the profession. In this workshop\, participants will reflect on the emotional components of teaching and the affordances and limitations of their current habits and practices. This reflection will include grappling with the complex and challenging structures and systems educators work within that often impact the ability to take care of oneself. Then\, they will examine strategies and practices intended to cultivate emotional resilience\, including engaging in some mindfulness exercises. Finally\, participants will create individualized goals related to how they will build their emotional resilience in the next school year.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nengage in reflection on the emotional components of teaching and the affordances and limitations of your current habits and practices.examine strategies and practice strategies intended to cultivate emotional resilience\, including short mindfulness exercises.create individualized goals related to how they will build their emotional resilience in the next school year. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:0737c7f5dd20289aa9672aabeca7fd11 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/0737c7f5dd20289aa9672aabeca7fd11 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Free Money No Whammies: Finding (grant) money for your school project is easier than you think! DESCRIPTION:As a teacher\, one often wonders where they can get more resources or finance for special projects or programs for their content area. Believe it or not there are many revenue streams that go untapped for teacher professionals to receive grant funding for your program. This presentation will get you to consider ways to seek more finance/resources for your content area without having to do much work. \;Many schools have internal grants for school supported programming where there are emails or invitations for virtual sessions to review program ideas with grant committee chair. In one instance a grant committee chair stated\, “Many times these grants are low hanging fruit\, your idea sounds great look forward to seeing it!" \;In this session\, we will explore types of grants\, sources\, and where funds might be found to support your program ideas. A general guidance across academic disciplines is the focus\, reference to grants received in Health Education and Physical Education will be discussed along with the expectations for writing grants\, why it is important to seek out these funds\, developing ideas for a grant\, and developing a list of potential funders by the end of the session.  \;In this session\, you will:\nExplore types of grants\, sources\, and where funds might be found to support your program ideas. A general guidance across academic disciplines is the focus\, reference to grants received in Health Education and Physical Education.Review of expectations for writing grants\, why it is important to seek out these funds.Develop ideas for a grant and a list of potential funders.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:8e76ae4823f83ef18d6c86448a916458 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/8e76ae4823f83ef18d6c86448a916458 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Mindful Math Pedagogy DESCRIPTION:Learning math can carry heavy risks for students.  \;Math creates anxiety in students and there are often assumptions about who is “good” at math and who is “bad”.  \;A committed math teacher takes into account these fears when offering learning opportunities to help students grow in their math understanding.  \;Creating a rich classroom for learning math is not about lowering the rigor but about increasing the ability to take the risks of learning.  \;Tuyet Nguyen has been a middle school math teacher for over 20 years.  \;This session is about how to work with the fear of math to create the stamina for working with confusion.\nIn this session\, you will:\nLearn a short history of how math has vacillated between “traditional” methods and “new” methods and how the happy middle is always the place for success.Understand how confusion can lead to shutdown\, anger or giving up in students.Explore how to help students work with confusion in order to build their stamina for taking risks in learning. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:1e7631a1e2d1ad00b9d4ac47bcb94430 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/1e7631a1e2d1ad00b9d4ac47bcb94430 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T134500Z DTEND:20260728T151500Z SUMMARY:Roots of Curiosity and Imagination: Integrating Science\, Stories\, and Art DESCRIPTION:This session is designed for elementary classroom teachers and elementary art teachers interested in interdisciplinary learning and the engagement of the imagination -- both tapping into their own imaginations as educators while developing curriculum that sparks their students' curiosity and imagination. We’ll explore the intersections of science\, art\, and literacy in this hands-on workshop centered on the book\, Diary of a Worm.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nIdentify key facets of interdisciplinary curriculum that connect real-world observation with creative expression\, supporting students’ scientific understanding\, imaginative thinking and literacy development.Develop strategies for fostering student curiosity\, imagination and perspective-taking.Engage in and reflect on hands-on\, arts-based processes as learners in order to better understand student experience and to inform their own instructional decisions.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:53630283ea73b293fde15d53079533fe URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/53630283ea73b293fde15d53079533fe END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Collecting & Using Observation Data for Cooperating Teachers DESCRIPTION:This professional development session equips cooperating teachers with evidence-based strategies for conducting meaningful observations and providing constructive feedback that supports student teacher growth. Grounded in the 2022 Danielson Framework for Teaching\, this session emphasizes collaborative analysis\, reflective practice\, and the development of psychological safety within mentoring relationships.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nApply multiple observation data collection strategies to gather objective evidence of student teacher practice across different dimensions of teaching.Facilitate collaborative post-observation conversations using the Danielson Framework to co-analyze evidence\, assess practice levels\, and identify growth opportunities.Utilize coaching language and questioning techniques that build psychological safety\, normalize reflection\, and support student teachers in generating their own insights about practice. CATEGORIES:CT ONLY WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:dd6b8e43c7d10514efd420ff50410c06 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/dd6b8e43c7d10514efd420ff50410c06 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Accessing Arts and Arts-Integrated Education in MMSD and Beyond DESCRIPTION:In this workshop\, individuals from UW-Madison’s PLACE Office\, MMSD\, and Any Given Child share information about arts opportunities\, funding\, and advocating for the arts within your district. Including online resources\, the artist-in-residency program\, residencies taught by outside teaching artists\, small arts grants\, and free opportunities to participate in Summer Camps for the arts\, there are so many ways for you and your students to connect with the arts in MMSD and beyond. Bring the arts into your curriculum\, into your classroom\, or to your individual students—we can tell you how. \;\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nLearn what arts and arts-integrated opportunities are available.Learn how \;to \;connect with teaching artists and programs to bring them into your classroom.Learn how to provide arts opportunities for your students outside of school time.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:34d3d3528e495b52e57461e59fef52e3 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/34d3d3528e495b52e57461e59fef52e3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Becoming a Cooperating Teacher 101 DESCRIPTION:Calling all ECTI participants who are curious about or considering stepping into the role of Cooperating Teacher (CT)! We are excited to offer this introductory workshop for those wanting to learn more about what it means to add “teacher educator” to your professional identity. We will dialogue around topics related to being a CT\, including the responsibilities of helping people become teachers and the logistics of the role. We will also share mentoring and coaching resources. And\, we will be joined by a few experienced CTs who will help illustrate the role and answer your curiosities! Whether you want to learn the lay of the land\, have specific questions\, or are interested in talking with others about what it would look\, sound\, and feel like to take this next step in your profession\, we welcome you to this session.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nUnderstand the responsibilities associated with becoming a Cooperating Teacher for various UW-Madison teacher preparation programs\, including logistics\, policies\, and opportunities.Consider how what you already know and do as a teacher connects to what CTs know and do.Explore beginning tools\, resources\, and activities related to mentoring and coaching preservice teachers\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:e8f06a91a24a2848a3334320c16e9564 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/e8f06a91a24a2848a3334320c16e9564 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Discover\, Discuss\, Design: Integrating New Children's Literature into Your Curriculum and Classroom DESCRIPTION:This session is a celebration and exploration of children’s literature\, co-planned and co-faciliated by CCBC librarians and Elementary Education literacy methods instructors. First\, we’ll highlight a subsection of picks from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices 2026\, including a book talk. Next\, we’ll provide a brief overview of the resources offered by the CCBC for teachers (i.e.\, book challenge consultation\, recommended book search). Then\, participants will have time to explore some of the best new children’s literature from the past year and collaborate with peers on ways to incorporate new texts into their classrooms. Finally\, participants are invited to bring in a particular curricula unit or lesson they would like to supplement\, modify\, or replace with new literature. We’ll offer structured support for exploring how to integrate new literature into existing lessons with the participants’ curricular requirements in mind. \;\nWe view children's literature broadly and texts may include anything written by children’s authors specifically for children\, tweens\, teens\, and young adults\, including picture books\, graphic novels\, young adult fiction\, non-fiction\, and poetry. \;In this session\, you will:\nExplore a subsection of selections from the Children’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center 2026 list.Learn about the resources offered by the CCBC for teachers (e.g.\, book challenge consultation\, recommended book search).Through a workshop structure\, you will determine new literature that could supplement\, modify\, or replace literature for a particular curricular unit or lesson plan you will use in the upcoming school year.  \; \;\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:cb0e00cc66711c24b2adef11479c3591 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/cb0e00cc66711c24b2adef11479c3591 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:From Classroom Community to the Community Becoming Your Classroom: Experiential Learning & PBL DESCRIPTION:In this workshop\, we will make connections between popularized and powerful educational philosophies/models like community building\, social/emotional learning\, experiential learning\, and project based learning. Participants will have an opportunity to participate in a number of community building exercises and explore how these in class experiences can prepare students for dynamic learning opportunities outside the four walls of a classroom through experiential learning and project based learning (PBL). Our goal will be to walk away with some new community building tools as well as some big picture context\, models\, and structures to create more innovative learning opportunities for students of all ages.\n\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nEngage in community building activities you can apply to your practice.Better understand models of the stages of group development\, experiential learning cycle\, and project based learning in order to apply it to your classroom context. \;Reflect on how youmight be able to implement more authentic experiences in your classroom setting. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:71a14a7acc74432ca507ffefa37370d1 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/71a14a7acc74432ca507ffefa37370d1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Loupe-y With Wonder- Nurturing Curiosity and Joy in Nature DESCRIPTION:In this workshop\, participants will have the opportunity to ignite their own sense of wonder by taking a closer look at a favorite text "The Sense of Wonder" by naturalist Rachel Carson. We will connect the text to our own nature explorations with early childhood students. We will introduce you to a tool called a loupe and follow the Private Eye Protocol of look\, write\, draw and theorize. You will have a turn to look closely at objects from the natural world and learn how to think by analogy.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nIgnite your own sense of wonder so you can share that sense of wonder with students.Use a loupe to explore objects more closelyPractice the Private Eye protocol: Look\, write\, draw and theorize\, so they can share it with their students. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:4f9ac82016bfe1c2885baaaab4ec016f URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/4f9ac82016bfe1c2885baaaab4ec016f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Low Stakes Writing for Good Classroom Vibes DESCRIPTION:“How long does it have to be?”“Is this graded?”“Can we have the rubric first?”What if we created classroom communities where students instead asked “when do we get to write”? Join us for this interactive session and engage in a variety of low-stakes writing activities you can turn around and use to bring summer vibes to your classroom all year long. Whether you want to add fun writing activities  \;to your classroom\, get kids more comfortable writing and sharing with one another\, help students use writing as a tool for thinking\, or create a classroom environment where students can respectfully explore difficult and controversial issues\, this is the session for you. Write with us\, share with one another\, and leave with a plan for how you can use low-stakes writing that inspires joy\, creativity\, community\, decision-making\, and deep and meaningful learning.\nIn this session\, you will:\nDevelop an understanding of how to use writing to build community.Develop a set of writing to learn strategies that can be used across grade-levels and content areas.Experience joyful writing.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:6182d7ca3364eb26cf35ac7bd1de467e URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/6182d7ca3364eb26cf35ac7bd1de467e END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Strategies for Introducing Cutting Edge Practices in Fatigued and Tradition Bound Programs DESCRIPTION:Many early career educators enter the field energized by current research\, modern pedagogy\, and a desire to create meaningful learning environments—only to encounter schools where program leaders feel exhausted\, discouraged\, or deeply attached to long standing practices. This interactive workshop equips teachers with practical tools to navigate those realities with confidence\, clarity\, and compassion.Participants will explore why innovative fatigue occurs in PE programs and examine the systemic\, emotional\, and cultural factors that contribute to resistance. Through hands on activities\, scenario analysis\, and small group problem solving\, educators will learn evidence based strategies to:(1) introduce new practices without triggering defensiveness\, \;(2) build collaborative buy in\, and \;(3) elevate student-centered\, standards based\, and justice oriented PE instruction—even in contexts that feel “stuck.”The session centers on empowering early-career teachers to lead from where they are\, model high quality practice\, and foster meaningful change while honoring the experiences and human needs of veteran colleagues.\nIn this session\, you will learn evidence-based strategies to:\nIntroduce new practices without triggering defensiveness. Build collaborative buy-in. Elevate student-centered\, standards-based\, and justice-oriented PE instruction—even in contexts that feel “stuck.”\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:e38f149bd5e8e058f95c998304c27cd1 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/e38f149bd5e8e058f95c998304c27cd1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T153000Z DTEND:20260728T170000Z SUMMARY:Translation is not a strategy: Serving ML Newcomers from Less-Common Linguistic Backgrounds DESCRIPTION:In a time of increasing numbers of multilingual learners and decreasing amounts of funding and resources to serve those students\, teachers are often faced with choosing supports and scaffolds to meet the needs of their English Learner (EL) populations. For many teachers\, translated materials\, curriculum\, and assignments are some of the most common and easily implementable supports\, especially for Spanish-speaking students.  \;However\, not all EL populations fit cleanly into an English-Spanish Bilingual model\, and growing numbers of ELs come from less commonly represented language backgrounds.  \;For newcomer students\, a reliance on translation into their home language may result in less time and fewer resources committed to their English language development during a critical time in their journey toward communicative fluency in English. \;In this session\, we will share the ways in which an over-reliance on translations as supports for ELs reinforces a “monolingual mindset” and undermines implementation of true translanguaging strategies. We will discuss the limitations of translated materials and alternative methods for serving students from a wider variety of language backgrounds. Teachers will leave this session with a better understanding of translanguage practices and practical strategies and supports for serving students from less-commonly represented language backgrounds and newcomer students in general. \;In this session\, you will:\nDifferentiate translation from translanguaging.Identify the limitations of translation in students' English Language Development journeys.Learn strategies that support students from less-common linguistic backgrounds.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:5ba4d6375bc2bc8fa8c11e70f0034010 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/5ba4d6375bc2bc8fa8c11e70f0034010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T170000Z DTEND:20260728T180000Z SUMMARY:Lunch & Resource Tables DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:BREAK LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:967dd60094d9c279c16a75fb5a5f70ef URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/967dd60094d9c279c16a75fb5a5f70ef END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:Analyzing Student Learning in Coaching/Mentoring Conversations DESCRIPTION:How can we use data to support coaching/mentoring conversations and plan for differentiation in the classroom? We'll focus on building a culture of collaboration\, collective efficacy\, reflective practice\, and teacher ownership of student learning through utilizing data to inform coaching/mentoring practices. We will dive into formative assessments and analyzing student learning to inform next steps in instruction through coaching/mentoring conversations or in a cycle.\n\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nUse \;the analyzing student learning template from the Dane County New Teacher Project.Use \;the results of an ASL tool to collaborate with student teachers on differentiation and instructional next steps.Use \;coaching moves and questions in planning conversations. CATEGORIES:CT ONLY WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:7909a294f010563f1a87bad0e7f91731 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/7909a294f010563f1a87bad0e7f91731 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:American Revolution\, Local Stories: Teaching with PBS DESCRIPTION:If the American Revolution defines our national identity\, why does our teaching about it feel concentrated in a handful of places on the East Coast? This session examines that tension by arguing that local history is not an add on to Revolutionary era instruction but a way to deepen it. Using a variety of free resources\, we will demonstrate how regional perspectives\, including Wisconsin’s\, can reshape the national narrative around the Revolutionary era.  \;\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nInteract with primary sources that demonstrate the impact of the Revolutionary Era in Wisconsin.Come \;away with free media resources that demonstrate inquiry into historical eras.Discuss ways you can make the Revolutionary Era relevant and engaging to your \;students. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:c6c377b1fc65edb716ae5b1aa43f6b28 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/c6c377b1fc65edb716ae5b1aa43f6b28 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:From “Help!” to “I’ve Got This”: Collaborative Protocols to Navigate Real Problems of Practice DESCRIPTION:New educators quickly realize that teaching is complex and that many instructional challenges are difficult to solve alone. This interactive session introduces practical\, structured protocols that transform collegial conversations into purposeful problem-solving opportunities grounded in reflection\, equity\, and empathy. Participants will leave with ready-to-use strategies for refining problems of practices and building collaborative professional networks that sustain growth.\nIn this session\, you will:\nArticulate a problem of practice and use reflective questioning and conscious communication strategies.Network with other educators to engage in research informed protocols to generate potential solutions with tangible action steps.Identify protocols or actions they may want to use with future colleagues.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:ca430c624478abd6b19fcf3fdd7abd5e URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/ca430c624478abd6b19fcf3fdd7abd5e END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:Introduction to Creative Coding DESCRIPTION:In 2025\, WI DPI released new Computer Science Standards\, with a stated goal that “All students are introduced to fundamental CS ideas starting in elementary school\, with opportunities to explore problem solving\, computational thinking\, and ethical technology use through integrated and interdisciplinary learning.” Participants will be introduced to some introductory computer science concepts and use a new tool that can be used to introduce computer science and creative computing across subject areas. While\, this workshop will focus on an elementary arts & ELA connection\, the practices and tools can be used across contexts to create models\, digital stories\, games\, or interactive art.\nDuring the workshop we will create collage portraits inspired by children’s author Hanoch Piven. Then we will then animate the portraits using Octostudio\, a block-based coding app. The projects will be saved as animated GIFs which can quickly be shared with family and friends. This creative coding workshop is based on work from the MIT Media Lab and the Exploratorium and uses physical (craft and making supplies) and digital (block-based coding and cameras) materials to try new ideas\, iterate\, and develop as creative thinkers.Participants will need a personal phone\, tablet\, or Chromebook with the ability to install apps to use during this workshop. Participants without access to a device may opt to work with a partner. Octostudio was developed by the same team who developed the Scratch programming platform and is available for free on iOS and Android devices.\nIn this session\, you will:\nLearn basic computer science concepts \;Gain experience with a low floor\, free coding toolTry an activity that is easy to adapt and replicate in various learning contexts\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:b4cf205bc5fb63f514f9eaaca9065a35 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/b4cf205bc5fb63f514f9eaaca9065a35 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:Practical Strategies for Teaching Multilingual and Multicultural Students DESCRIPTION:In today’s classrooms\, many of our students navigate more than one language and culture. Students come with diverse language experiences and different degrees of cultural connection\, and those realities influence how they see themselves and interact in the classroom. In this interactive workshop\, teachers of any subject who work with multilingual and multicultural students will explore practical\, research-informed strategies for supporting their students across a variety of classroom contexts. Participants will learn how to get to know their students more deeply by identifying their previous language and cultural experiences. We will consider how multilingualism and multiculturalism can manifest differently across individuals\, and participants will gain the skills to learn about\, validate\, and appropriately inquire about students' traditions and backgrounds. We will reflect on how teacher biases and personal experiences can shape classroom expectations and interactions. Participants will learn about dialectal variation and how to recognize students’ linguistic backgrounds without reinforcing linguistic hierarchies. They will also explore the identity-related pressures that many multilingual students face\, including internal linguistic discrimination. While many examples in this workshop will focus on Heritage Language Learners of Spanish\, these principles and strategies can be applied to many languages and cultures. Finally\, attendees will apply these ideas to hands-on examples and case studies from real classroom scenarios. Instructors at all levels are welcome\, and we look forward to hearing your experiences and working collectively to improve the classroom for our students.\n\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nLearn how multilingual identities impact classroom dynamics.Examine personal and systemic language bias.Implement \;inclusive strategies that validate students’ language and cultural backgrounds. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:042cf96e6603f40c11337cdc58fbd65c URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/042cf96e6603f40c11337cdc58fbd65c END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:Prioritizing Growth: Your students' and your own DESCRIPTION:Growth motivates better than compliance. We will look at how to use standards to: assess growth\, involve students in their own progress monitoring\, use formative assessments to drive instruction\, engage planning teams in student-centered planning\, and use coaching supports to continuously improve practice.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nUnderstand the importance of using student learning to drive instruction.Be an advocate on veteran teams for student-centered planning.Understand the importance of being a reflective practitioner. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:45bece6f5dcdeb6b1d93fb02be4f9efa URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/45bece6f5dcdeb6b1d93fb02be4f9efa END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:Selecting Words From Text: Providing Research-based Vocabulary Instruction DESCRIPTION:Vocabulary is one of the strongest predictors of reading comprehension and a critical instructional area to support a wide range of learners\, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners.  \;Vocabulary development plays a key role in building background knowledge and supporting students’ growth in content-specific instruction. Given the breadth of vocabulary across subject area domains (e.g.\, math\, science\, social studies)\, teachers often struggle to identify words to teach and the best instructional approaches to ensure student mastery of key terminology. In this practical session\, participants will learn how to select valuable/Tier 2 words from grade-level texts and how to deliver targeted vocabulary instruction using four research-validated strategies: inferring meaning from context and morphemic analysis\, providing brief explanations\, and offering powerful\, robust vocabulary instruction. This session would be most appropriate for teachers working with students in grade 4 or higher. \;\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nDefine the three tiers of vocabulary in texts.Explore how to select useful vocabulary from texts.Practice instructional routines for explicitly teaching useful vocabulary to support students’ growth in vocabulary and reading comprehension.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:67f9c8bebf915f2a78a0b864bcecc3d0 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/67f9c8bebf915f2a78a0b864bcecc3d0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:Teejop Tales and Trails DESCRIPTION:Many of the roads and pathways of the Teejop (Four Lakes) region are built upon the trails of the Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) people. Before European settlers arrived\, the beauty and bounty of the lands and waters were loved and respected by the indigenous people. Janice Rice\, Hoocąk elder\, will share values\, teachings\, kinship\, land ethics\, and relationships that frame a Ho-Chunk world view. The presentation will include a PPT slide show\, photos\, a bibliography\, and maps. The format will follow a lecture style\, along with opportunities for small group interaction and audience participation. Attendees will receive material that will inspire them to develop their own lesson plans for the classroom and on field trips.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nReceive a brief introduction to history and geography of the landscape. Receive an introduction to land ethics\, values & Hoocąk kinship system. Engage in group work to identify key concepts for \;curriculum development. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:f01f732c1bca47bdad662dd055d03da5 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/f01f732c1bca47bdad662dd055d03da5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T181500Z DTEND:20260728T194500Z SUMMARY:The Power of Play: Building Inclusive Classroom Communities Through Games DESCRIPTION:In the modern classroom\, academic success is deeply intertwined with a student's sense of belonging. This session\,The Power of Play: Building Inclusive Classroom Communities Through Games\, explores how the intentional use of games can serve as a primary engine for community building\, moving beyond simple "icebreakers" into sustained social-emotional development.\nThe focus of this workshop is twofold: the mechanics of inclusive play and the cultivation of empathy. Participants will examine how specific game structures can break down social barriers and provide a safe space for students to take risks. We will specifically address how to design play-based activities that encourage participation from all students—including those who are traditionally more reserved—by leveraging collaborative goals rather than purely competitive ones.\nConnection to Practice:This session is designed to be experiential and immediately applicable. Rather than just discussing theory\, attendees will:Engage in Live Demonstrations: Practice a curated "menu" of games that require minimal equipment but yield high engagement.Facilitate Empathy Debriefs: Learn how to lead post-game reflections that help students translate their in-game experiences (navigating frustration\, supporting teammates) into real-world empathy skills.Adapt for Inclusion: Collaborate on strategies to modify games for diverse learners\, ensuring every student feels empowered to join in.By the end of the session\, early career educators will leave with a versatile toolkit of activities and a clear framework for using play to transform a group of students into a cohesive\, empathetic community.\nIn this session\, you will:\nEngage in a variety of collaborative games.Learn to faciliate in empathy debriefs in post game reflections.Learn \;to adapt these games for an \;inclusive classroom.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:f763af4cbf06d3f65895e0b9b32ee163 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/f763af4cbf06d3f65895e0b9b32ee163 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T200000Z DTEND:20260728T201500Z SUMMARY:Full Group Reflection DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:e9b00335847a3ca8c00214625a6c8c50 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/e9b00335847a3ca8c00214625a6c8c50 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T201500Z DTEND:20260728T203000Z SUMMARY:Group Photo DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: Atrium\, 330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:b0c71ded39c5b2d445c0bc6e8ffa6960 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/b0c71ded39c5b2d445c0bc6e8ffa6960 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T203000Z DTEND:20260728T205000Z SUMMARY:Early Career Networking DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: Atrium\, 330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:d78d4b24f247668c2be75644bd79c975 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/d78d4b24f247668c2be75644bd79c975 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T210000Z DTEND:20260728T220000Z SUMMARY:Keynote: 2026 National Teacher of the Year DESCRIPTION:\n\n\n CATEGORIES:KEYNOTE / PLENARY LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:e75580b9d576b79ec74bc502ca142e5a URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/e75580b9d576b79ec74bc502ca142e5a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260728T220000Z DTEND:20260728T230000Z SUMMARY:Reception DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:RECEPTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: Atrium\, 330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:58e0b1e7526239414ce0bd8980e4902a URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/58e0b1e7526239414ce0bd8980e4902a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T130000Z DTEND:20260729T133000Z SUMMARY:Breakfast & Intention Setting DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:f90154178598be045060be3adc96218f URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/f90154178598be045060be3adc96218f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:"They're Waiting for Us To"...: Finding Joy in Madness DESCRIPTION:Teaching is an act of grief as much as it is an act of love — and nobody warned us about that. The children who challenge us most have often spent years learning that educators ultimately give up and move on. These students push\, resist\, wound us in small ways and large ones\, not because they don't care\, but because they are terrified of what comes next. And in our most exhausted moments\, when our patience has worn thin and our hearts feel empty\, we are called to stay anyway. This workshop is an honest and tender conversation about what it means to keep loving when love is hard to find. We will explore how educators can rebuild their capacity for hope\, not by pretending the struggle isn't real\, but by learning to notice the small\, sacred moments of joy and connection that flicker even in the hardest classrooms. We will sit with the practice of forgiveness — of our students\, of the systems that fail them\, and of ourselves — and discover how reflection can become an act of healing rather than self-criticism. This session is for every educator who wants to protect that love and find their way back to it\, again and again.\nIn this session\, you will:\nRecognize the emotional labor of teaching and articulate how grief\, love\, and exhaustion coexist in the daily experience of working with students.Practice the discipline of noticing\, locating small\, meaningful moments of joy and connection in their classrooms as a strategy for sustaining hope.Explore forgiveness (as a professional skill) toward students\, toward systems\, and toward themselves \;as a renewable source of capacity and care.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:165a55df9321dd2af306f8cf971d9a3e URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/165a55df9321dd2af306f8cf971d9a3e END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:Empowering learners through the art of student-centered pedagogy DESCRIPTION:Join veteran elementary educator\, Kara Lawson\, in exploring the art of designing a classroom community of empowered learners. As we examine ways to ensure that all students see themselves as capable readers\, writers\, and mathematicians\, we’ll investigate a variety of instructional strategies for each of these content areas and try them out together. We’ll dialogue about practical ways to nurture a greater sense of belonging in our classrooms and reflect on pedagogical practices that help to promote engagement for all types of learners while leveraging student choice and cultivating joy.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nExamine practical instructional strategies for nurturing a positive classroom community in which students see themselves as empowered readers\, writers\, and mathematicians. \;Share and celebrate the student-centered strategies that are working in our classrooms. \;Reflect on ways to continue improving our student-centered practices. \; CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:b9d6159503bcd85b4e6507e2d978a59d URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/b9d6159503bcd85b4e6507e2d978a59d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:Ho-Chunk Indigenous Arts & Sciences curriculum: Deepening Our Cultural Knowledge DESCRIPTION:Ho-Chunk Indigenous Arts and Sciences (IAS) is a long-standing Tribal–university partnership to develop and provide culturally sustaining environmental science education for youth\, educators\, and community. This session will share an overview of the Ho-Chunk lesson plans that we developed in the intersections of Ho-Chunk Ways of Knowing and language and culture.  \;This session is targeted towards educators working in Tribal\, school\, or community settings - and anyone who works or is seeking to work in educational collaborations that bring together diverse partnership teams.  \;The workshop will provide a framework for participants to actively engage with the lessons to deepen their cultural knowledge of the Ho-Chunk people.\n\nLearning goals:\nAcquire an understanding of the guiding principles of the Ho-Chunk lesson plans.Create a respectful learning space to learn and use the lessons.Provide guidance on how to appropriately lead the lessons.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:9bef144c6d3e8aa54babb782b5e6033d URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/9bef144c6d3e8aa54babb782b5e6033d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:Imagining Authentic Writing in All Classrooms DESCRIPTION:What is the role of writing? Few things we can imagine are as controversial and bridging\, broad and specific\, constricting and freeing as writing. In practice\, writing is in everything we do\, but it is becoming less of a focus and harnessed skill among youth. This is not to say that youth do not write - they do - but the variety\, skill\, scope\, purpose\, and joy of writing tend to wander aimlessly in the ether of the digital world. Unfortunately\, this is not unique to youth. Even the most seasoned and thoughtful teachers can lose sight of the authenticity and power of writing in their own classrooms\, in their own literacy lives. \;\nThis workshop is not a fix-it session. Rather\, it is a regounding in the things we already know and love about writing in our own experiences. We want to come together and shape what writing can be in our classrooms despite the pressures\, structures\, and expectations that are constantly vying for our attention and compliance. The workshop itself is the first stage of collaborative work that we hope revitalizes writing in your classrooms\, giving you a platform from which to build. The second part carries past the session and offers an opportunity to engage with a community of teachers who want to share their work and learn from others\, cultivating a writer’s community. ALL teachers across ALL subjects and grades are invited to this workshop and community participation. Writing is not just for some\, it is for all. \;In this session\, you will:Explore foundations and qualities of authentic writing. \;Identify barriers and limitations classroom contexts on authentic writing. \;Outline and draft possible authentic writing implementations in classrooms (small\, medium\, large sizes/scales). CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:b3cb34b94c5decfebfe8b804c2d93322 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/b3cb34b94c5decfebfe8b804c2d93322 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:Living the Questions: The Essential Role of Inquiry in Strengthening Educational Practice DESCRIPTION:On a daily basis\, in our schools\, we exist in a space of contradictions.  \;On the one hand\, a world of precision and certainty: scopes and sequences\, lesson plans\, learning targets\, SMART goals\, benchmarks\, outcomes\, educator effectiveness measures.  \;On the other hand\, a dynamic world of the human community with ever-changing conditions and a high need to be flexible\, adaptive\, and responsive to what arises in the moment.  \;Navigating the inherent tensions of these contradictions requires us to be in the practices of paying attention and asking questions: Being able to question ourselves is essential to bringing awareness to how our mindsets\, emotions\, and actions impact our students and colleagues.  \;Being able to question our teaching practices is essential to gaining insight into what works\, why\, and for whom\, which builds our skillfulness and efficacy. Being able to question the educational systems and structures in which we work is essential to engaging in the advocacy needed to create more just and equitable learning spaces for ALL students.  \;In short\, practices that support inquiry and reflection are essential for our individual and collective wellbeing and critical for professional growth and honing our craftsmanship as educators.  \;In this highly interactive workshop\, participants will engage in a variety of practices that support awareness\, insight\, reflection and connection\, drawn from the Madison Metropolitan School District’s Classroom Action Research (CAR) year-long community of practice group focused on “Engaged Mindfulness and Educational Justice”. Participants will leave with a personalized plan for weaving more inquiry and reflection into their ongoing professional practice.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nExperience supportive interpersonal connections that strengthen collective wellbeing.Explore a variety of practices that nurture inquiry and reflection and assess what might be of greatest personal meaning and benefit.Generate ideas for how to weave inquiry and reflection experiences into their ongoing professional practice.  \;\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:033380407ebe0b63d0359ca15a89481d URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/033380407ebe0b63d0359ca15a89481d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:Preventing Bias-Based Bullying: Small Actions\, Big Impact DESCRIPTION:This workshop provides practical strategies that help educators respond to hurtful language with confidence while building a culture of respect and belonging. Through classroom scenarios\, reflection\, and discussion\, educators will leave with tools they can use immediately to prevent harm\, address incidents effectively\, and support all students.\nIn this session\, you will:\nUnderstand the impact of bias-based bullying and explore the roles individuals play through the Bullying Circle. Learn proactive strategies that prevent name-calling\, teasing\, exclusion\, and other bullying behaviors before they escalate. Practice effective responses to bias-based comments and bullying that promote accountability\, belonging\, and student growth.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:53da54f692fe01fb73a16eb3f6f67019 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/53da54f692fe01fb73a16eb3f6f67019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:Scaffolding up language for Multilingual Learners in High School Content Classrooms DESCRIPTION:This session will support secondary content teachers in providing high quality supports for their multilingual learners levels 1-4.  \;While this workshop will address multiple domains of language (reading\, writing\, listening\, speaking) a greater emphasis will be on scaffolds that support peer-to-peer interactions in the content areas of Math\, Science\, Social Studies and English. Teachers will have the opportunity to learn about and interact with language and content scaffolds that help leverage oral language practices and are differentiated for newcomers\, intermediate and advanced language learners. \n\nIn this session\, you will:\nCreate and apply language and content scaffolds for multiple levels of language learners.Increase the amount and quality of peer-to-peer interactions in high school content classrooms. \;Understand how to structure activities that allow MLs to use rich language during discussions with peers. \; \;\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:e4329f91011bbc43685462290229659a URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/e4329f91011bbc43685462290229659a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T134500Z DTEND:20260729T151500Z SUMMARY:Using Reading and Writing Instruction to Foster Theory of Mind Development DESCRIPTION:In this session\, participants will be introduced to the concept of Theory of Mind (ToM) and its influence on reading\, writing\, and social-emotional skills. The development of ToM begins in the preschool years and continues as students understand the thoughts and feelings of others\, use words to describe emotions (e.g.\, happy\, angry) and explain mental states (e.g.\, think\, know)\, and comprehend figurative language\, lies\, and sarcasm. Recently\, ToM has been recognized as an essential component of language comprehension and a skill that is strongly associated with comprehending and producing narrative texts and making inferences. Using mentor texts and writing samples\, participants will learn how to select appropriate books\, develop writing activities\, and utilize effective instructional strategies that foster the develop of ToM for elementary learners in grades K-5. \;\n\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nDescribe Theory of Mind and its importance for reading\, writing\, and social-emotional development.Identify appropriate mentor texts and writing activities that foster Theory of Mind development.Demonstrate effective instructional strategies that foster the develop of Theory of Mind. \; CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:9ced64f3609006226303e66d6b79fc35 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/9ced64f3609006226303e66d6b79fc35 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:ABCs of Building Authentic & Caring Learning Communities DESCRIPTION:New teachers often hear “build relationships\,” but translating that into daily practice can feel fuzzy—especially with large classes\, tight time\, and high variability in student needs. This hands on session operationalizes community building through the ABCs: A—Activities\, B—Behaviors\, and C—(Post Activity) Conversation. Participants will experience and then deconstruct fast\, low prep routines that establish safety and belonging\; learn how to notice and name pivotal student behaviors during activities (what was said\, done\, whispered\, implied)\; and guide reflective dialogue that moves groups through forming → storming → norming → performing. Everyone leaves with a smartphone app that contains over 200 activities participants can use in their classrooms. Participants will experience the process of becoming a community and learn the skills to do the same in their worlds—helping early career teachers build classrooms where students know they belong and can therefore learn.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nExperience the process of community development through participation in a few 5–10-minute activities that scale to large classes while signaling safety\, dignity\, and inclusion.Learn to observe and code key Behaviors during activities (language\, tone\, nonverbals\, informal leadership\, help seeking/offer patterns) and link them to group development stages.Facilitate a concise Post Activity Conversation (“What? So what? Now what?”) that reinforces norms and builds agency. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:92c80b8de094fdf6b82d712ec635771c URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/92c80b8de094fdf6b82d712ec635771c END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:Building Data Science in Wisconsin DESCRIPTION:Data Science is a developing field and incorporating this content area is being taken up by educators across the country\, primarily though not exclusively with math educators.  \;This is an interdisciplinary field that is emerging in the state of Wisconsin. Come experience a data science lesson\, learn about how teachers are learning to teach data science\, and think about how you might 1) incorporate data science into your middle or high school coursework and/or 2) consider adding data science as a 4th year math course option.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nUnderstand how to access resources to expand your knowledge of K-12 data science.Understand the premise and ideas from K-12 data science.Apply using data to support your teaching and learning in your context and content area.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:0f65c14757e5b5b472dd6804fd2ba4b5 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/0f65c14757e5b5b472dd6804fd2ba4b5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:Cultivating a Curious Classroom DESCRIPTION:Participants will learn about research on the significance of being curious educators as well as inspiring curiosity among our students and staff. We will also discuss practical ways to bring curiosity to life in our school communities.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nUnderstand the significance of curiosity in our educational communities.Consider ways to inspire curiosity among students\, staff\, and ourselves as educators. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:02a101d87e4b6ef8a9a714be446d1455 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/02a101d87e4b6ef8a9a714be446d1455 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:Current & Cultural: Infusing Contemporary Issues and Indigenous Voices in Your Learning Space DESCRIPTION:Teaching and learning about First Nations communities in our state isn’t just good for Native learners\, it is good for all learners\, but when we think about what and how we teach\, we often look to the past and to materials that may not resonate with learners' experiences today. In this session we’ll explore the importance of unpacking current issues Native communities in Wisconsin and beyond are experiencing\, and share related resources to help infuse Indigenous voices in authentic and engaging ways across subject areas and throughout the year. We’ll reflect and plan together around steps we can take to use resources to support our learners in developing understanding\, care\, and connections to contribute to their communities now and going forward.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nBuild awareness of current issues that are important in Native communities in Wisconsin and beyond\, and sources of information about these issues.Discover new\, contemporary\, Indigenous-focused educational media resources to support teaching and learning across subject areas and grade levels.Practice reflection and intention setting for integrating current issues and resources into units\, activities\, and projects. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:55a36a09d67abf5c36685e00a333fc8f URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/55a36a09d67abf5c36685e00a333fc8f END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:From Policy to Practice: Leading Gender-Inclusive Classrooms and School Communities DESCRIPTION:This interactive workshop supports early-career educators in identifying and implementing gender-inclusive classroom and school-based practices. Drawing on research about LGBTQ+ student well-being\, school climate\, and organizational leadership\, participants will examine how policies and everyday practices\, from enrollment forms to classroom instruction\, can reinforce or disrupt gender binaries and inequities.Situating gender inclusivity within current legal and policy contexts\, including Title IX guidance and evolving state and local policies\, participants will then explore how school structures\, educator beliefs\, and leadership practices can either perpetuate or interrupt bias-based harm. The session will move beyond moving beyond deficit narratives in recognizing the resilience and leadership of LGBTQ+ youth while also addressing documented disparities in safety\, mental health\, and academic outcomes.Through case-based discussions\, reflection activities\, and practical strategy sharing\, participants will identify concrete ways to create affirming learning environments. These include adapting curriculum\, revising gendered routines\, supporting student organizations\, and advocating for inclusive policies.In this session\, you will:\nUnderstand how school policies\, organizational practices\, and educator actions shape gender inclusivity and student well-being.Apply practical strategies to create gender-inclusive classroom environments\, curriculum\, and routines.Identify and implement gender-inclusive practices within classrooms.\n\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:19e401dc203c6aa8bceb4f78f26fc173 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/19e401dc203c6aa8bceb4f78f26fc173 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:Supporting youth and families in an era of increased immigration enforcement: What community organizers want educators to know DESCRIPTION:This workshop supports early career educators with navigating their role in supporting the emotional and physical safety of culturally- and linguistically-minoritized youth and families during a period of intensified immigration enforcement and heightened uncertainty. The session centers the expertise of community organizers and school‑based advocates who work closely with impacted community members. Participants will explore local initiatives\, reflect on their own positionality\, and consider how to engage with students and families in ways that are responsive to context and aligned with their personal and professional spheres of influence.\nThe workshop moves beyond a traditional panel format blending community voices with interactive structures that invite educators to think critically about who they are\, where they are positioned socially and professionally\, and how they can connect with existing networks of support. After an introduction to the goals\, format\, and panelists\, participants will engage in a short reflective write‑in to ground themselves in their relationships to the issues. Small groups will then generate questions—supported by prompts that surface common dilemmas in community response approaches—before entering a series of rotating “community conversation” stations. In these 15‑minute cycles\, panelists and participants engage in dialogue that is context‑specific\, relational\, and rooted in lived experience.\nThe session concludes with panelists highlighting how they collaborate with one another followed by a small‑group reflection identifying takeaways and next steps. Educators will come away with a clearer understanding of the community landscape and practical insights into showing up for immigrant students and families without unintentionally causing harm.\nIn this session\, you will:\nIdentify local community-based initiatives and ways to plug into existing networks.Reflect on who and where you are in relation to the issue and your personal and professional sphere of influence.Gain insights into ways to show up for students and families in ways that are sensitive to context and your position within it.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:b46f1f11b8d5d63a81b1687a48816339 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/b46f1f11b8d5d63a81b1687a48816339 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:Thinking Routines in Your Classroom DESCRIPTION:A thinking routine is a set of questions or a brief sequence of steps used to scaffold and support student thinking. Researchers have developed a variety of thinking routines that are applicable across disciplines\, topics\, and age groups\, and can be used at multiple points throughout a learning experience or unit of study. This workshop will briefly introduce the concept of thinking routines\, engage participants in the use of one particular routine: Parts\, Purposes and Complexities\, along with a hands-on activity\, and design ways to adapt a thinking routine for participants' classrooms.  \;  \;\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nIdentify key ideas defining thinking routines.Apply the Parts\, Purposes and Complexities thinking routines.Design potential ways to adapt the thinking routine to implement in your own classroom. \; CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:d0f15290ba72148d1d7d85066b87a936 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/d0f15290ba72148d1d7d85066b87a936 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T153000Z DTEND:20260729T170000Z SUMMARY:“This Is Painful”: Staying Committed to Justice-Oriented Teaching When It Feels Difficult DESCRIPTION:Early career teachers are often encouraged to implement student-centered\, inquiry-based\, and justice-oriented teaching practices. However\, when these approaches are first introduced\, they can feel uncomfortable\, messy\, and even unsuccessful. Students may resist\, discussions may fall flat\, and teachers may feel pressure to return to more familiar routines—especially within the constraints of pacing guides\, testing demands\, and school culture.\nThis interactive workshop draws on a classroom-based case study of a high school history teacher who attempted to integrate new instructional approaches focused on diverse perspectives. His initial attempts were marked by confusion\, silence\, and frustration—leading him to remark\, “This is painful.” However\, over time\, these moments became the foundation for more meaningful student engagement and discussion.\nParticipants will explore a three-phase framework—disruption\, constraint\, and breakthrough—to better understand their own experiences when trying new teaching strategies. Through structured reflection\, small-group discussion\, and practical planning\, participants will identify challenges in their own contexts and develop strategies for sustaining justice-oriented teaching practices\, even when they feel difficult or uncertain.\nAfter leaving teacher education programs\, early career teachers often navigate new contexts in isolation\, making it difficult to sustain justice-oriented practices amid pressures to conform to existing norms. This session supports early career teachers in reframing moments of struggle as part of the process of growth\, building sustainable practices\, and remaining committed to equitable and engaging instruction. Furthermore\, this session fosters a sense of community creating space for early career teachers to share experiences\, challenges\, and approaches across contexts.\nIn this session\, you will:\nReframe common classroom challenges as opportunities for teacher and student learning.Build resilience through community by sharing strategies for sustaining justice-oriented teaching practices.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:9a7b349a1eae50721b479c421c8bb2f9 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/9a7b349a1eae50721b479c421c8bb2f9 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T170000Z DTEND:20260729T180000Z SUMMARY:Lunch & Resource Tables DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:BREAK LOCATION:Discovery Building: Atrium\, 330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:13178835de26e8ae5aee6585a0771395 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/13178835de26e8ae5aee6585a0771395 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:"Wholeness is no trifling matter": On racism\, restructuring\, and resistance DESCRIPTION:This presentation will explore the role of race and racism in producing discipline disparities across educational contexts\, paying particular attention to how exclusionary discipline practices disproportionately impact Black\, Brown\, Indigenous\, and other historically marginalized students. Drawing on scholarship from educational policy\, critical race theory\, and organizational leadership\, the presentation will examine how discipline disparities are not simply the result of individual bias\, but are embedded within broader institutional structures\, cultural norms\, and policy regimes. Further\, the presentation will offer restorative justice as both a pedagogical and organizational tool for addressing racial discipline disparities by fostering accountability\, healing\, relationship-building\, and community-centered approaches to conflict. Importantly\, the session will be directly connected to practice through concrete examples\, implementation strategies\, and discussion of how school and district leaders can operationalize restorative approaches within classrooms\, school culture\, and disciplinary policy.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nAnalyze the Relationship Between Race\, Racism\, and School DisciplineUnderstand Restorative Justice as an Educational and Organizational FrameworkApply Restorative Practices to Educational Leadership and School-Based Contexts CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:d244691842b212fc7210bda49f4d96c8 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/d244691842b212fc7210bda49f4d96c8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:Adventures in Outdoor Ed DESCRIPTION:Come join this experienced elementary teacher who does powerful outdoor education with her students each week from September through June. With years of experience to draw from\, she will share stories\, advice\, curriculum ideas\, and examples of how to do this work in addition to and integrated into regular academic/curriculum responsibilities\, what the challenges are\, and how to get school leadership on board. We will talk about integrating games in the Outdoors. She has also conducted action research on this work\, worked with community organizations to build an outdoor learning lab on site\, and with colleagues across the area has advocated with school and district leadership about the importance of outdoor education especially in schools serving minoritized and marginalized student populations.\nIn this session\, you will:\nReceive practical advice on how to organize and facilitate outdoor learning program as a regular component of the weekly schedule.Learn how to turn any outdoor ed concept into an engaging game for your students.Engage in resource sharing and network building: guiding and supporting texts and websites\; year-long plan examples\; opportunities to network and collaborate with other teachers who integrate outdoor education.\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:279ccdbb3f770f573410a7714858cdf8 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/279ccdbb3f770f573410a7714858cdf8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:Empowering Youth Voice through Media Production DESCRIPTION:Are your students the next Ken Burns? Or future journalists? Let’s practice our video production skills without the need for expensive equipment. Using phones or tablets\, educators and students can produce short\, high quality documentaries that align with your curriculum. This hands-on session will cover free resources and tips on incorporating media projects in your classroom.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nLearn specific tips to make video production accessible without specialized equipment.Practice hands-on video production methods using tools they already have (phones!)Discuss ways to implement media production into lesson they are already teaching\, without it simply being an add-on. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:22c144d52b2370c481d1a50de5ec494c URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/22c144d52b2370c481d1a50de5ec494c END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:Healing\, Connecting\, and Dreaming through Poetry DESCRIPTION:With its rhythms\, imagery\, and grounding in sensed and felt experience\, poetry can provide tools for re-connecting with our own complex humanity\, our aspirations for our work\, and the people around us. Building on work others are doing to support reflection\, a sense of being heard\, and connection to others for healthcare workers (The Good Listening Project)\, and on our own prior work with poetry\, teachers\, youth\, and researchers (e.g.\, The Mattering Collective et al.\, 2026)\, we envision setting up a table in a hallway or other public\, high-traffic space during the ECTI conference\, offering free listening and free poems. We will talk to those who stop at the table about their experiences as educators (with questions like\, “Why did you choose to become a teacher?” “If you could describe the last school year in three words\, what would they be?” “Is there an aspect of your work as a teacher that really puzzles you?” and “Is there an aspect of your work you would like to have a poem about?”). We’ll write a poem for each person who wants one\, reflecting their own words and feelings back to them\, and invite them to join our session near the end of the conference. During the session\, we will facilitate a space for teachers to share their experiences with each other (using their poems as a starting point)\, find connections\, heal wounds\, and reconnect to their hopes and dreams for their practice\, their students\, and themselves.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nexperience listening and being listened to in a supportive environment.reflect on ways that their own and others’ teaching is more than a technical enterprise\, affecting them deeply and personally.reconnect to their big-picture aspirations for their work as teachers. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:a10d72dcba36146da257317937777b56 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/a10d72dcba36146da257317937777b56 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:Navigating Educator Effectiveness: Professional Development through Teacher Evaluations DESCRIPTION:Research shows that teacher evaluation is professional responsibility that often causes stress\, confusion\, and leads to cognitive dissonances between teaching philosophies and practice (Potter\, 2024\; Robinson\, 2019). This session will explore common criteria and methods of teacher evaluation frameworks to build greater understanding of how educators are assessed for effectiveness (Stronge\, 2014\; Danielson\, 2022). By gaining a more clear understanding of what goes into evaluations\, teachers\, particularly in their early career\, can build a healthy relationship with these processes and shift their mindset from one of compliance to working toward professional growth. In this session\, participants will explore and practice ways to operationalize the processes of teacher evaluation as a means for their own professional development. This session will look at how teaching content and practices connect to evaluation frameworks\, and how the feedback teachers receive can be turned into professional goals as a means to improve practice and student achievement. \;\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nUnderstand the criteria and methods commonly used in teacher evaluation.Connect teacher evaluation criteria and frameworks to practices already in use.Consider how teacher evaluation can be used as a means of professional development rather than for accountability and compliance. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:db7311993054d7405e57a10bfb90ed1a URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/db7311993054d7405e57a10bfb90ed1a END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:Reading for Belonging: Disability Representations in Young Adult Literature DESCRIPTION:Young Adult (YA) literature is a powerful tool for shaping adolescents’ perspectives on identity\, community\, and difference. In this interactive session\, participants will explore a variety of texts designed to engage adolescent readers and featuring disabled and/or neurodivergent characters. The session will underscore how YA texts can be used to support students’ understanding of disability as a natural part of human diversity and how disability intersects with complex social forces. Additionally\, participants will apply criteria for selecting high-quality texts that move beyond stereotypes and inspiration narratives toward authentic\, asset-based representations of disability. Drawing on research in disability studies and early literacy\, the session will highlight how YA literature can promote adolescents’ sense of belonging\, vocabulary development\, and growing awareness of varied lived experiences. Participants will engage in hands-on activities using sample texts and practice discussion routines that encourage curiosity\, empathy\, and respectful dialogue (e.g.\, Save the Last Word for Me\, Thought-Question-Ephiphany). Attendees will leave with recommended YA books\, instructional strategies\, and reflection prompts to meaningfully integrate disability representation into literacy instruction and classroom culture.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nIdentify key considerations for selecting texts that authentically and respectfully represent disability and neurodivergence\, aligned with principles of disability justice and inclusive education.Explore how young adult literature can shape students’ developing understandings of disability\, including belonging\, identity\, and perspectives on difference.Practice instructional strategies and discussion routines that use young adult literature to foster empathy\, critical thinking\, and disability awareness in classrooms. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:08ca1302bdf44e7ce529eb7b3b0eccc7 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/08ca1302bdf44e7ce529eb7b3b0eccc7 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:Strategies for Active & Collaborative Learning DESCRIPTION:Active learning involves putting students at the center of instruction\, providing opportunities to solve\, explore\, experiment\, try\, create\, and invent. Collaborative learning is inherently active as it requires interaction to problem solve\, practice skills\, or produce work together in organized ways. This session provides experience in practical\, adaptable strategies that can be implemented across all ages and disciplines. Educators will leave equipped with actionable techniques to cultivate dynamic\, interactive learning environments for all. For participants who attended this session last summer\, new strategies will be introduced and experienced.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nReview the principles and benefits of active and collaborative learning.Engage in multiple active strategies and protocols that can be used in any lesson or context to make learning joyful.Plan for active and collaborative strategies that can be used to better respond to student learning needs. CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:91cacc52ef0f34764137882b6417943d URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/91cacc52ef0f34764137882b6417943d END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:The Do’s and Don'ts of family communication: A District Interpreter's guide to communicating with linguistically diverse families DESCRIPTION:Caregiver communication is key to student success. When caregivers feel seen\, heard\, and known by their child’s teacher\, their child benefits. But what happens when caregivers don’t share your language?  \;Drawing on 10+ years of experience serving as a bridge between schools and families\, a district translator and interpreter shares the do’s and dont’s of communicating with linguistically diverse families\, working with multilingual colleagues\, and using online resources and tools. This workshop will build your confidence\, break down barriers\, and you will leave with practical tools aimed at making your communication more effective and meaningful.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nReflect on areas of discomfort in communicating with parents and come up with strategies to overcome those discomforts.Learn about the pros and cons of different translation and interpretation tools and how to use them. \;Identify best practices for working with translators\, interpreters\, and bilingual staff in your school.\n\n CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:8f88ac67b14d6ebe3bc663b9e197d418 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/8f88ac67b14d6ebe3bc663b9e197d418 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T181500Z DTEND:20260729T194500Z SUMMARY:The Power of our Names DESCRIPTION:Although names play a critical role in early literacy and language learning\, the names of children who are linguistically and/or racially minoritized are often changed or mispronounced in schools. In this workshop\, we'll explore how an inquiry into names and naming practices through reading\, writing\, art\, and talk can strengthen children's community and belonging in early childhood and elementary classrooms. Participants will explore connections between children’s names and early literacy learning\, write and share about their own name stories\, learn from qualitative research that documented how elementary school students composed poetry about their names\, and consider ways that they might bring similar practices into their own classrooms. Participants will leave with practical ideas to implement in a beginning-of-year name inquiry unit as well as titles of picturebooks that can support this learning.\n\nIn this session\, you will:\nDeepen your understandings of the significance of children's names in literacy learning and identity affirmation. \;Explore possible texts and activities that can anchor a mini inquiry unit focused on names. \; CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP LOCATION:330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:cea04ac8c3eb1d9a01a13fe62806c3e8 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/cea04ac8c3eb1d9a01a13fe62806c3e8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260729T200000Z DTEND:20260729T203000Z SUMMARY:Full Group Reflection DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:583d7e315c9bbdacdc28901b15cedfee URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/583d7e315c9bbdacdc28901b15cedfee END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260730T133000Z DTEND:20260730T140000Z SUMMARY:Breakfast & Intention Setting DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:f48ee548f90c6527db397420907435ce URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/f48ee548f90c6527db397420907435ce END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260730T151500Z DTEND:20260730T170000Z SUMMARY:Full Group Activity\, Final Reflection & Closing DESCRIPTION:\n\n CATEGORIES:INTENTION SETTING & REFLECTION LOCATION:Discovery Building: H.F. DeLuca Forum\, 330 N. Orchard St Madison\, WI 53715 SEQUENCE:0 UID:8ea938e76a4c7eff52c0027827b39be9 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/8ea938e76a4c7eff52c0027827b39be9 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260610T123138Z DTSTART:20260730T170000Z DTEND:20260730T180000Z SUMMARY:Lunch DESCRIPTION:\n CATEGORIES:BREAK LOCATION:Discovery Building: Atrium\, 330 N Orchard St\, Madison\, WI 53715\, USA SEQUENCE:0 UID:8cc170718200ba96d31ff548e67247f3 URL:http://ecti26.sched.com/event/8cc170718200ba96d31ff548e67247f3 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR