Concourse A – Segment C
Presenter 1: Ben Miller & Brycen Allen
KVEC Student Senate
Presenter 2: Mary Carter-Osborne
This World DOES Revolve Around You!
Do you think the world revolves around you? I can remember being asked that as a middle school student, and automatically I knew what my re1ponse should have been, (No) Now as a middle school teacher, I wonder how empowered my students would feel if 1 told them that their learning environment DID revolve around them. If they were given the choice to work in a space that promotes successful and respectful collaboration, an essential real-world skill needed for future success. My current classroom is a room filled with desks and four-folding chairs. I am always asked by students to sit in the folding chairs. The rolling chairs are viewed as the prime seating location and often I use them as a motivational tool. I predict that by changing mv whole classroom seating and design adding new whiteboard walls, tables, chairs, and student choice student motivation and student engagement will improve.
Presenter 3: Highland Turner Elementary ACT Team
Professional Growth = Student Growth … How Does it All Fit Together
Presenter 4: Melissa Henson-Little
Can You Hear Me Now? 21st Century Audio Enhanced Classroom and Instruction
Middle school students have a tendency to become disengaged in their learning. With so many distractions coming their way, engaging them in the classroom has become progressively difficult. The majority of classroom instruction involves listening skills. Why not research ways to enhance the audio quality of the classroom and thus help grow better communicators and increase achievement? When students “hear” all of what the teacher and fellow classmates are saying, and when the students participate in that lesson or discussion, they are much more engaged and will learn at higher levels. . My idea is to transform my classroom to promote better communication between teacher and students. An audio enhancement system will be used to project the teacher’s voice, promote discussion and project students’ voices, share writings and ideas, and use music to enhance student engagement. As a result we will build real-world, effective communicators and leaders, and increase student achievement.
Presenter 5: Carole Bentley
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
I am so concerned and worried about the economy and population of our area. Since the quick and vast decline of the coal industry, people have had to leave the area to find work. If there are no opportunities here for our kids, they will have to do the same and the area will continue to decline in population, economics, opportunities, and the list just continues with negative events. I wonder what future job opportunities my kids will have here in the area. What can they do? What should they, and teachers, be looking toward so that these kids, my Kids, have the opportunity to stay home in these hills. So, I look toward technology. Technology is constantly changing and changing the way we live, how we do our jobs, how we communicate, and how our lives are going to forever be changed with technology being a be part of daily life on so many different levels.. Technology is the KEY!
Presenter 6: Bobby Shouse
Music, Math and the Mind part 1 & 2
I am going to create an experimental group of 7th grade students who will be enrolled in a string orchestra class. Research has shown that musical training, specifically training on string instruments has an impact on student understanding of mathematical concepts such as real and imaginary numbers, proportion and ratio, pattern recognition, temporal and analytical reasoning.
Presenter 7: Jordan Miller
Getting Comfy with Coding Technology
I was awarded a transition grant which gave me the opportunity to get technology, coding tools, and seating for my classroom. Working in a Middle School Special Education classroom I am able get to know my students an learn about their interests. One thing my students are constantly talking about is coding.We constantly hear of jobs being created in the field of coding, so why are we not teaching these concepts in our classrooms? I would like to implement a section of coding and hands-on learning into my classroom curriculum. Using coding robots you are able to teach a number of concepts from math, reading directions, following steps, and creativity, in ways that will excite our students. Not only is this something my students would be very interested in learning, but can also be essential in working toward their goals for the year. Using projects such as LEGO programmable robots, Ozobot Bit Coding Robots, and Let’s Start Coding Ultimate Coding Kits my students will be able to learn and understand the basics of coding.