Meaningful Connections: Leading With Love and Instructional Innovation

Outline

1. Introduction and Session Goals (5 minutes)

Content: Brief overview of session objectives and outcomes.

Engagement: Quick interactive question to gauge participants’ current strategies for building connections and differentiating instruction.

Process: Engage for instant feedback and to set the stage.

2. Creating Meaningful Learning Partnerships (15 minutes)

Content: Strategies to build strong student-teacher connections and foster partnerships.

Engagement: Pair-share activity where participants discuss current practices and share ideas on enhancing student partnerships.

Process: Facilitate peer discussions and encourage sharing of successful strategies.

3. Confident Teaching and Core Instruction (15 minutes)

Content: Characteristics of confident teachers and an overview of a systematic approach to effective core instruction.

Engagement: Interactive case study analysis where participants review scenarios and identify key traits and strategies of confident teaching.

Process: Use small group discussions followed by a group debrief to share insights.

4. Differentiating Instruction (15 minutes)

Content: Techniques for effective differentiation and connecting students' interests with academic content.

Engagement: Polls and questions asked to participants

Process: Encourage turn and talk.

5. Q&A and Wrap-Up (10 minutes)
Content: Open floor for questions and reflections on the session’s content.

Engagement: Invite participants to share one takeaway or action step they plan to implement.

Process: Use a turn and talk format to collect and discuss participant insights and next steps.

Process for Engagement

Frequency: Throughout the session, engage participants every 10-15 minutes.
Tactics:

Peer-to-Peer Interaction: Use pair-share and small group discussions.

This structure ensures active engagement and practical application of strategies while covering all participant outcomes effectively within the 60-minute timeframe.

Supporting research

1. Rosenthal, R. (2015). The effect of experimenter bias on the performance of the laboratory rat. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63(3), 255-262.

2. Valenzuela, J. (2023). Project Based Learning+: A Framework for Implementing Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, Grades 6–12 (p. 45). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

3. Hattie, J. (2024). Visible Learning. Sage Publications.