I am currently readying myself for an upcoming, two-day trip to Columbia, Missouri, to attend sessions at the 2021 convention for the Missouri State Teachers Association. I am not a voting delegate at the convention, but rather a presenter for two breakout sessions of professional development for other attendees (Descriptions are below.). I will also have the opportunity to attend a couple of sessions for myself. Even though I plan to be absent from teaching on these two days, I hope that my gains in information and practice will still benefit my class and my teaching.
Articles of EngagementPut objects into your students' hands. Organize a table to engage your students in three dimensions. Create a situation in your classroom that encourages academic rigor, while at the same time introducing your students to profound topics. Curate sets of items to increase focus on comprehension, curiosity, and creative thinking in any subject. | Open-Ended Math and LanguageEncourage reluctant students to enter the lesson. Hook them and engage them with open-ended conversations. These ideas can be as structured as the teacher chooses. The presenter uses curated graphics to start conversations that can become larger activities and projects in the math and language realms. Once in the lesson, students voluntarily remain for the instruction. |
The theme of this year's convention seems to follow a trend of perceived need for educators: social-emotional health.
Dale Hoggatt is the 2021 Missouri History Teacher of the Year and a Master Teacher with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. In his spare time, he teaches fourth-graders in Joplin, Missouri. He taught in Oklahoma City during the terrorist bombing of 1995, and in Joplin, Missouri, during the tornado and recovery of 2011. His experiences at these locations are reflected in two of his books - Crumbling Spirit and Out of the Wind (available on Amazon). An educator for 32 years, Hoggatt shares opinion, reflection, and vision to help teachers improve their craft and thrive in the stressful world of education in his book for educators, There's No Busyness Like School Busyness.
