Educational Methods Commons^™

Moving Onward: Reframing Illinois' Role On The Underground Railroad For The Classroom, Eric Krupa, Zach Bishop

Professional Learning Day

Join Eric Krupa and Zachary Bishop, cofounders of the Illinois Network to Freedom Collective, as they discuss recent efforts to: “explore, research, and commemorate Freedom Seeking and the history of the Underground Railroad in Illinois.” With groundbreaking new research and legislation leading the way forward, discover how to approach this difficult, and oft-misunderstood period of time. Learn how to apply these new findings to an already-overloaded classroom setting, and collaborate with experts across the State.

What Are Your Students Doing This Summer? We Have Some Ideas., Dr. Anita White, Jacqueline Salinas

Professional Learning Day

IMSA offers summer programs for students who are currently in 8th grade and interested in math and science enrichment , and students in grades 10 and 11 who would be interested in a summer research opportunity. The directors of the PROMISE (Providing Opportunities for Mathematics and Science  Enrichment) and SRELO (Summer Research and Experiential Learning Opportunities) programs will provide information, answer questions and share activities that are a part of the programs.

How Ai Really Works, Dr. Peter Dong

Professional Learning Day

The rise of generative artificial intelligence has generated excitement, fear, and more than its share of hype and hysteria. This session will discuss, as simply as possible, the basic principles of large language models.  The hope is that this will dispel some of the aura of mysticism around AI and allow people to consider carefully how it can be useful as a tool—and when it can’t.

Build It Fast - A Civil Engineering Challenge, Patrick Young

Professional Learning Day

Constructing a new highway overpass creates road closures and temporary traffic woes. Civil engineers must sequence the required tasks in a manner that minimizes closure time. Participants will work in teams to create and test construction sequences to see what works best. Simple, inexpensive materials are used for construction (mostly paper). Participants will be given access to this and several related activities of a middle-school curriculum developed for Illinois Tollway.

Sensemaking In The High School Science Classroom, Matt Bulman

Professional Learning Day

When students investigate phenomena that spark curiosity, science learning transforms. This session highlights how to design lessons where students ask their own questions, construct models, and revise ideas through evidence-based reasoning. Participants will explore real high school examples of sensemaking in action and leave ready to shift instruction from “covering content” to fostering authentic scientific thinking. The session features classroom shifts and resources developed at St. Charles East High School. *Participants may consider bringing a favorite lab, activity, or assessment to this session.*

Csi: Costa Rica--Turning Phenomena Into Engaging Biology Storylines, Cassandra Armstrong

Professional Learning Day

Immerse yourself in a problem-based storyline and work to solve the case of a mysterious illness that has taken over a Costa Rican village. Experience an accelerated student journey as you ask questions, build and revise models, analyze outbreak data, and design investigations. We’ll connect the activities to NGSS performance expectations and explore how anchoring instruction in compelling phenomena increases understanding, engagement, and authentic scientific reasoning.

Building A Rainbow Solution Tower, Dr. Terry Leung, Dr. Angie Ahrendt

Professional Learning Day

Meaningful activities can increase student engagement and improve their learning. Colors provide the visual aids necessary to enhance student understanding. In this session, the audience will participate through hand-on experience to make multiple colorful solutions and determine the corresponding densities, which could be extended to the concepts of moles and concentrations. This lab is extremely low-cost. It is suitable for all levels of chemistry courses, as well as general science courses.

Living, Learning, And Leading With Sel. Lessons From A Residential Community, Victoria Layman

Professional Learning Day

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) involves daily interactions that foster relationships, enhance self-awareness, and cultivate a sense of belonging. In residential schools, SEL happens everywhere—from classrooms, Resident Counselor office chats, and common area campouts. This session will explore how strategies from living-learning communities, like one-on-one meetings and community activities, can improve SEL in traditional schools. Using the CASEL framework, participants will identify social-emotional challenges and discover practical, applicable solutions for their classrooms and school communities.

Chances Are...Culture Counts! Teaching Probability Using Culture Games Like Mahjong And Yet Nori, Dr. Brian Trainor

Professional Learning Day

How can games of chance deepen students’ understanding of probability and culture? This session explores how traditional games like Mahjong and Yut Nori can make abstract probability concepts tangible, engaging, and culturally responsive. Participants will experience hands-on demonstrations, discuss classroom adaptations, and consider how to to incorporate a cultural context when discussing probability. Discover playful ways to connect mathematics, culture, and critical thinking through the use of games.

Use Your Words: Positive Feedback And Engagment, Tracy Townsend

Professional Learning Day

Educators are used to hearing families described as our partners in their students' education, but too often, that partnership is limited to crisis intervention. At IMSA, the role of students' families can be especially uncertain, with limited communication leaving teachers feeling unsupported by those outside the classroom, and families uninformed about life inside it. Come learn about one IMSA English teacher's quest to engage more families and their students in positive communications, and to enhance student engagement. In this blend of presentation and workshop format, you'll see how this process can be adapted to your classroom, how it can improve …

The Chemistry In Art, Joyce Symoniak

Professional Learning Day

This workshop explores how chemistry drives this creative process. We’ll examine how pigments, polymers, and additives interact to affect surface tension, viscosity, and flow, producing the fascinating patterns seen in paint pours. Through hands-on experiments, you’ll observe chemical reactions in action and learn how understanding molecular behavior deepens both scientific knowledge and creative expression, revealing the powerful connection between chemistry and art. You’ll leave with a deeper appreciation of how science shapes what we see and create.

Programming Made Fun: Exploring Cutebot And Block Coding, Kavithaa Suresh Kumar

Professional Learning Day

Discover how to make coding come alive with Cutebot, a programmable robot designed for middle school learners! In this engaging session, participants will experience hands-on block coding using Microsoft MakeCode to bring Cutebot’s sensors, motors, and LEDs to life. Learn strategies to foster creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration while integrating robotics into your STEM curriculum—all while making programming fun, accessible, and meaningful for every student.

Organizing And Hosting A Climate Summit, Dr. Eric Hawker

Professional Learning Day

A climate summit is similar to a model UN but is entirely focused on climate. During a climate summit students represent different countries, propose resolutions to help solve the problem of global climate change, negotiate with the representatives of other countries, and vote on resolutions.  During this session we will discuss how we prepare for the summit, and then participants will go through a mini climate summit to see what it is like. *Participants should have access to a laptop or tablet for this session*

Pick Me Please! Interactive Ways To Teach Natural Selection (Hs-Ls-4), Dr. Zachary Conley

Professional Learning Day

Participants will examine a combination of free simulations and practical activities useful for teaching natural selection standards. Ideally participants will leave with a small toolbox of lesson starting points for phenomenon or inquiry driven activities.

Learning To Think Like A Scientist; Spooky Lakes!, Felicia Maxa, Sarah Robertson, Stephanie Ryan

Professional Learning Day

This is a workshop that will focus on disciplinary literacy which we define as teaching students to think like scientists! We will take interesting text(s) written for students in middle school and high school and model teaching strategies that allow students to build their ability to think like a disciplinary insider! We will look at how we approach scientific texts from evaluation of reliability, to annotating text; looking for both new understanding and connection to background knowledge, to being curious, seeking answers through asking questions and beyond! *OPTIONAL - Participants may bring a book appropriate for young readers that fits …

Enhancing Stem Learning Through Industrial Robotics, David Hernandez

Professional Learning Day

This workshop introduces educators to the role of industrial robotic arms in modern product development. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to explore how robotic arms automate repetitive tasks in assembly and packaging, improving precision and efficiency. Through guided demonstrations and collaborative problem-solving challenges, attendees will gain insight into programming, workflow optimization, and real-world manufacturing applications. Educators will explore practical strategies to integrate robotics into STEM curricula, connecting classroom learning to industry-relevant skills.

Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: Using Google Ai Studio & “Vibe Coding” In The Middle School Classroom, Dr. Phadmaka Patankar, Lindsey Herlehy

Professional Learning Day

Curious about how AI can actually save you time and boost student engagement? In this interactive session, you’ll explore Google AI Studio and learn how to use “vibe coding”— describing your ideas in everyday language and letting Gemini generate classroom materials for you. We’ll share sample activities and tasks and practical classroom resources that demonstrate how AI can help create engaging, interactive lessons. You’ll also learn how to craft effective AI prompts that align lessons to targeted learning objectives and standards-based outcomes, ensuring AIgenerated content supports intentional instruction. Join us to discuss how these tools can be used in multiple …

Creating A Culture Of Philanthropy With The Imsa Community, Dana Camacho, Cesar Patino

Professional Learning Day

What motivates someone to donate to a cause? Why is philanthropy important at IMSA? What *is* the IMSA Fund, anyway?

Join us for a brief overview of the IMSA Fund and what we do, then share your experience and expertise to brainstorm new ways to engage students, faculty & staff, alumni, and the community around us. Share how IMSA inspires you and inspire others to support IMSA’s mission.

Generative Music, Dr. Phadmaker Patankar

Professional Learning Day

There is a lot of buzz about text generation using tools like Chatgpt. There is a lot of work going on for music generation. We will look at the history of music generation and look at the tools available for music generation. All the current work for music generation is from machine learning (or AI).

Enhancing Experiential Learning Inside & Outside The Classroom, Dr. Paul Gaszak, Dr. Luke Berryman

Professional Learning Day

How can we continue to expand experiential opportunities through courses, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs? In this session, we will showcase examples of existing programs with experiential elements, as well as what embedded experiential learning opportunities could look like across the Academy

Modernizing Imsa Service Learning Curiosity, Connection & Commitment To The Common Good, Emma Wilson Parker

Professional Learning Day

Guided by IMSA’s belief that “belonging to a community requires commitment to the common good,” this session will provide an overview of IMSA’s current service learning program and efforts to modernize it for greater structure, equity, and impact. Participants will also engage in collaborative ideation, sharing strategies to strengthen curiosity, deepen connections, and build partnerships that ensure students’ service experiences are meaningful, transformative, and supportive of their growth as leaders and engaged citizens.

Disease Detectives: An Introductory Exploration Of Foodborne Epidemiology, Dr. Zack Conley

Professional Learning Day

This session is an interactive workshop utilizing inquiry-based and problem-centered learning to introduce basic concepts of epidemiology. In particular participants will engage in group discussion and decision making to explore foodborne illnesses and the science used to track them. Our hope is to use this session as an opportunity to solicit feedback on ways to improve these lessons.

Tips And Tricks To Effective Supervision, Steve Zant, Meg Junk

Professional Learning Day

Whether you're a first-time supervisor or a seasoned professional, this workshop will help build your supervisory toolbox.

Re-Thinking Statistics; Proposing Curriculum Changes To Our Statistics Curriculum At Imsa, Dr. Brian Trainor, Paul Rummelhoff

Professional Learning Day

We’re currently thinking of overhauling the statistics curriculum to move away from the traditional 2-semester AP-style course and move towards a 1-semester college course for dual credit. In addition we are thinking of offering more statistics courses post-intro stats and we could use some thought partners to discuss these changes.

Use Your Words: Positive Interims & Engagement, Tracy Townsend

Professional Learning Day

This year in particular, Faculty have been encouraged to establish connections with their students, which lead to my experiment with using regular interim comments for every student as a tool for improving my connection to them and their families. Along the way, I learned something about how to reach my most isolated students and how to pay attention to my classroom in new ways.

The Core Of Computing, Dan Campbell

Professional Learning Day

Computer science can be divided into three foundational paradigms: theory, design, and abstraction. I will share an effort to bring these paradigms to IMSA through two new courses, Elements of Computing Systems 1 and 2, and an independent study, Theory of Computation. The goal is to build a rigorous, engaging foundation for deeper study in computer science. In this talk, I’ll reflect on what’s working, what’s challenging, and early classroom experiences.

Ai At Work: A Panel, Rich Busby, Lindsey Herlehy, Ashley Ott, Andrew Reif

Professional Learning Day

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how we work, teach, and collaborate. In this panel discussion, four IMSA staff members from different departments will share how they’re using AI in their daily roles—from streamlining workflows and enhancing communication to supporting teaching, learning, and operations. Join us to explore practical examples, lessons learned, and emerging ideas for how AI can help us work smarter and more creatively across the academy.

The American Dream As Told By Marginalized Voices, Erin Micklo

Professional Learning Day

History is often told by the victors, but in moments of trauma or marginalization, history can be taught through literature. This session will look at how poetry emerged from the Angel Island detainment camps, Japanese internment camps, and Native American short fiction. We will discuss how and why these lessons are rarely taught in schools, and how learning about history through literature can help students understand current events and the world around them.

Powerschool For Staff, Dr.Paul Gaszack

Professional Learning Day

PowerSchool, our student information system, has lots of information that can be helpful for staff across the academy, such as student and family contact info, faculty schedules, room lists, and more. In this session, we will explore some basic functions of PowerSchool that may be helpful in your role and/or departmen

Spam, Spam, Spam! To Click Or Not To Click., Steve Dutcher, Its Department

Professional Learning Day

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month—join ITS for a fun and eye-opening session on spotting and stopping cyber threats. From suspicious emails and hacked accounts to unattended devices, we’ll uncover the tricks attackers use and share practical tips to protect yourself and IMSA. This 30 minute session blends real examples, humor, and hands-on awareness so you’ll leave ready to say: Not today, spam!