Greetings WOL Friends,
As December winds down our team at the WOL Institute would like to wish you a season filled with good health and good connections.
In November we all traveled to conferences. We were in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Massachusetts, and I went to Texas for a little rest and relaxation. The conferences are often a highlight as we present and meet new educators who are enthusiastically contributing to helping our learners strive to master new content and skills.
I talked with Lauren in this episode and she was bursting with excitement about all of the learning and connections she encountered at the ACTFL and AESA conferences.
Here are some of her takeaways:
ACTFL is the Superbowl of the World and Modern Language space. There were so many great learning and networking opportunities with almost 6000 participants and hundreds of sessions every day
At ACTFL Lauren and Olivia were able to connect with Laura Hanley, Lucy Thiboutot, and Caroline Sibley in a face-to-face environment.
Lauren’s favorite ACTFL moment was hearing Chef Jose Andres Keynote about the World Central Kitchen. Although his Keynote was recorded because he was serving food in the Ukraine, his message about the power of food and language to support others resonated with Lauren. She also was able to participate in several sessions that she is excited to try.
AESA was much different than most of the conferences we attend. It is the National Organization for Educational Service Agencies (ESA’s - what we cal IU’s). Lauren was impressed to meet people from all over the US who work in these very service-oriented organizations that are dedicated to serving public schools.
Traveling to AESA in Georgia allowed Lauren to meet several IU colleagues she had not met! She was in awe of how people reacted to the presentations delivered by her IU colleagues many seeing the possibilities for their own schools and districts.
Dr. Sarah Quay, presented with Dr. Butler on IU8’s Trauma-informed work.
Sarah Brambley and Brenda Calhoun presented about our STEM Lending Center.
And, our own Olivia Grugan who delivered ‘The Classes they Wouldn’t Have Taken” - highlighting how our virtual program brings classes to students in remote places or places where schools can’t find a teacher.
We are all grateful for the opportunities to learn at conferences and meet the amazing educators who show up daily in schools with students. We look forward to bringing some strategies and ideas back to our WOL colleagues and infusing the ideas into our continual improvement planning.
As you enter the week what are some ways you learn?
There are so many great ways to connect online, too if you can’t get to a conference - here are a few of our favorites:
JoltEDU is a micro-learning platform that offers self-directed content that helps you to learn anytime - anywhere. Check it out HERE
Allie Rodman and The Learning Loop have a lot of resources to help build adult capacity in the classroom, from Adult SEL ideas to Creating Your Own Adult learning journey.
The Learner-Centered Leader Newsletter - Dr. Tom Butler challenges us every week to keep the focus on student learning. Sign-up HERE today!
As always, if you need help with World Language, Calculus or Chemistry let us know.
Best,
Pat
Always Learning #27