MSTA Presentation: Stop Not REinventing the Wheel

I am privileged to attend this year's state convention for the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) as a delegate-representative for our district.  Following the Assembly of Delegates, today, I will present two sessions of professional development entitled Stop Not Reinventing the Wheel. This one-hour session is a combination of two titles, described as follows:

 I AM MUSIC (60 minutes)
Music soothes the savage beast.  Music is the voice of the soul.  This is not a music class, but a class with music. From Air Supply to ZZ Top, from Beethoven to Coldplay, music is a fixture in my classroom.  In this session, participants will learn about setting up playlists for different kinds of weather, for special days, and for special activities. Additionally, they will get to take part in reading, writing, and math projects with musical foundations.

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A THOUSAND WORDS (60 minutes)
A picture's worth a thousand words.  If that's true, why aren't you using visual images (pictures) and moving pictures (videos) to teach?  This session is chockablock with ideas and techniques for adding color to your lessons. This is not a session about bulletin boards and posters; instead, we'll attempt to see how images and moving pictures can be embedded into your instruction.

There is a lot packed into this short session, and the hope is that attending teachers will pick up some ideas that may be counterintuitive to their normal routine or curricula.  We will think about using music, still images, and short videos to encourage engagement and conversation in all areas of the academic day - some of which are also presented in my book, There's No Busyness Like School Busyness.

Today's sessions will be held at 3:30 and 4:45
in the Polo Room at the Holiday Inn Convention Center
in Columbia, Missouri.