2019 High AIMS Summer Institute: Full Schedule

Welcome to the 2019 High AIMS Summer Institute!

High AIMS is a consortium of 30 public school districts in southwest Ohio. Fairfield City Schools will serve as this year’s host to 2,000+ educators for our 6th annual Summer Institute. We will offer two nationally acclaimed keynote speakers and 250 breakout sessions as teachers and administrators immerse themselves in dynamic and inspiring professional learning.

#HighAIMS19

August 1-2, 2019 Held at Fairfield High School
8:30 am - 4:00 pm 8800 Holden Blvd.
Fairfield, OH 45014

Keynotes: August 1 - Hall Davidson
August 2 - Ron Clark

10:15am EDT

From Dictator to Facilitator - Collaborative Learning and Student Engagement in the Classroom (45 min)[Repeated 8/1@11:15]

Limited Capacity filling up

What happens when students are charged with learning and presenting their own ideas with little to no aid from a teacher? In what ways are students empowered and engaged with the elements of learning (e.g. Bloom's Taxonomy) under these conditions? How might such an approach enrich the education of students at all levels of instruction? This session will provide a successful approach to student-led collaborative learning through the lens of a large instrumental ensemble setting. Videos of the musicians of the Anderson Concert Band rehearsing a piece without the aid of a conductor/ coach will serve as the basis of our learning. Concepts presented are applicable to all content areas.

Presenters

Matthew Gaal

Music Educator, Forest Hills

Matt Gaal, a native of Columbus, Ohio, is currently the Assistant Band Director at Anderson High School in Cincinnati, OH. His teaching duties include concert band, concert percussion, marching band, jazz band, elementary band, and music history. Recently he was appointed Brass Caption... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
HS 3212

Successful Instructional Strategies, 9-12 educators

10:15am EDT

Students Take the Wheel: Using Student Input to Drive Instruction (45 min)

Limited Capacity filling up

This session will give attendees a chance to experience two of Pear Deck's active learning tools for the classroom. Pear Deck for Google Slides allows you to use Slides presentations you have already created to engage all students through the addition of interactive elements. Flashcard Factory allows students to engage with vocabulary in a different way to create personalized flashcards in a social setting. These flashcards are then available for the entire class to access in Quizlet. Both of these tools give teachers immediate feedback from students to determine the best route for learning. Attendees should bring a device (computer, tablet, or phone) to be able to connect and interact in this presentation.

Presentation and resources can be found at: bit.ly/peardeckHA19

Presenters

Ashley Morrison

Innovative Teaching and Learning Coach, Indian Hill Exempted Village Schools

Ashley Morrison earned her B.A. in mathematics from Kenyon College and M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Xavier University. She has three years of experience as an Innovation Coach at Indian Hill Middle School. Previous to this Ashley was a math teacher in 7th and 8th grade in Indian... Read More →

Lauren Richardson

Innovative Teaching and Learning Coach, Indian Hill Exempted Village School District

Lauren Richardson earned her B.S. in Spanish Education from Miami University and M.S. in Curriculum, Instruction and Technology from Nova Southeastern University. She is a former Spanish teacher and is entering her fourth year as Innovation Coach at Indian Hill High School. Lauren... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Community Room

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

11:15am EDT

From Dictator to Facilitator - Collaborative Learning and Student Engagement in the Classroom (45 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

Presenters

Matthew Gaal

Music Educator, Forest Hills

Thursday August 1, 2019 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
HS 3212

Successful Instructional Strategies, 9-12 educators

11:15am EDT

The Holocaust through the Voices of Local Survivors & Witnesses (45 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center Museum opened on January 27, 2019 in historic Union Terminal, where many of the region’s local survivors arrived to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of WWII. In this session you will learn about the museum and how we designed the experience to engage students by learning the history of this time period from those who witnessed it. The museum is interactive, focusing on the words, artifacts, photographs and artifacts of local individuals to allow visitors to think critically about history of the Holocaust in order to inspire action today. HHC does this through guided tours, pre & post materials directly related to the museum, and other educational resources you can bring to your classroom to help you contextualize and teach the Holocaust.

Presenters

Jodi Elowitz

Director of Education and Engagement, Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center

Jodi Elowitz is the Director of Education & Engagement for the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ms. Elowitz has had a wide range of experiences in the field of Holocaust studies, including: teaching, overseeing numerous educational and community... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
HS 2405

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

11:15am EDT

A Teacher Toolkit for Argumentative Writing (90 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

To prepare students for argumentative writing on the EOCs, I created a unit based on my learning from the Ohio Writing Project (OWP) and several professional development books including Texts and Lessons, The Journey Is Everything, and 180 Days.

Participants will be led through the process of annotating articles, creating claims, identifying reasons, constructing a counterargument, producing a rebuttal, blending sources, and organizing their thoughts into a cohesive multi-paragraph essay. After completing the practice essay, I then continue the unit with an argumentative research paper where we follow a similar process for students to complete independently.

I plan to provide several strategies that could be used in a multitude of writing genres and materials that you can photocopy and use the next year.

Presenters

Cindy Deatherage

English Teacher, ELA Department Chair, Forest Hills School District

I started teaching in 2001 at Conner High School after completing my bachelor’s degree at Indiana University in Bloomington. I completed my master’s degree in Educational Administration at Xavier University in 2006 and received my principal’s license. I joined Anderson High... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 11:15am - 12:45pm EDT
HS 3408

Successful Instructional Strategies, 9-12 educators

11:15am EDT

Encouraging and Preserving Student Voice: Practical Everyday Strategies (90 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

When students believe their voice is valued, and they are immersed in mentor texts, they are more likely to take creative risks in their writing. This workshop re-casts standards-based writing as creative non-fiction, otherwise known as writing readers like to read. Participants will leave with classroom-ready ideas to re-engage voice in student writing across academic genres. Participants will engage in hands-on activities they can customize for their classrooms. The focus will be on helping students create standards-based writing that is actually interesting to read.

Presenters

Karen Stautberg

English Teacher, West Clermont Local School District

Karen has taught in the West Clermont Local School District for 20 years. She is an OWP Alum and has extensive experience with student writers, ranging from journalism and creative writing classes to leading the CCP Composition coursework in her school. Her writing teacher heroes... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 11:15am - 12:45pm EDT
HS 3313

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

12:15pm EDT

Establishing Writing Routines with Notebooks & Mentor Texts (45 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

Explore the way one teacher uses notebooks and mentor texts throughout a year to establish a daily routine of writing. Participants will practice classroom strategies, discuss the role of writing routines, and look inside one teacher’s weekly and daily structures for working with a variety of texts or elements. Teachers will walk out with ideas and plans for using mentor texts and notebooks in their classroom.

Presenters

Courtney Brinker

Language Arts Teacher/Teacher Consultant, Fairfield Schools & The Ohio Writing Project

Courtney Brinker is an 8th grade Language Arts Teacher at Fairfield Creekside Middle School, finishing her 7th year. She is a 2011 Miami University graduate, and received her MAT through the Ohio Writing Project at Miami in 2016. She also works as a Teacher Consultant for OWP, helping... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 12:15pm - 1:00pm EDT
HS 3316

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

1:15pm EDT

The Holocaust through the Voices of Local Survivors & Witnesses (45 min)[2nd session added 8/1@11:15am]

Limited Capacity filling up

Presenters

Jodi Elowitz

Director of Education and Engagement, Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center

Thursday August 1, 2019 1:15pm - 2:00pm EDT
HS 2405

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

1:15pm EDT

Using Micro-progressions or “Bus Stops” to Improve Skills (90 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

Examining micro-progressions can help students to notice and then name how to develop their fluency in a specific writing skill. Building micro-progressions helps the teacher to clarify exactly what makes writing stronger. In this session, participants will focus on the skill of integrating quotations to learn how micro-progressions work. We will work in partners to move through a micro-progression lesson that will be adaptable to many writing skills.

Presenters

Julie Klint

English Teacher, Fairfield High School/Ohio Writing Project

I have been teaching high school English for 24 years, the past 16 at Fairfield High School. I also currently work as a teacher consultant for the Ohio Writing Project and as a reader for the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition test. I completed my Master’s degree... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 1:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
HS 3213

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

2:15pm EDT

Adding Visuals to Government Courses to Enhance Engagement and Learning (45 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

My quest for the 2018-19 school year was to incorporate visuals to help students develop full schema around concepts. I started using more and more visuals in my advanced history classes per my students requests, so I wanted to incorporate that insight into my AP Government Class. Using visuals really helps students develop a more complex schema for a concept, as well as develop their analytical and critical thinking skills. This supports the transfer to other aspects of testing and writing. While my journey has not ended, I want to share my insights and lessons, so others can begin a journey of their own.

Presenters

Stacy Recker

Social Studies Teacher, West Clermont High School

Stacy Recker is about to begin her 23rd year of teaching High School Social Studies. She has a passion for Ed Tech even before the pandemic as well as innovative teaching strategies to keep things fresh in her classroom and meeting the students where they are in their interests. Ms... Read More →

Thursday August 1, 2019 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
HS 3215

Successful Instructional Strategies, 9-12 educators

2:15pm EDT

Establishing Writing Routines with Notebooks & Mentor Texts (45 min) [2nd session added 8/1@12:15 pm]

Limited Capacity filling up

Presenters

Courtney Brinker

Language Arts Teacher/Teacher Consultant, Fairfield Schools & The Ohio Writing Project

Thursday August 1, 2019 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
HS 3316

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

3:15pm EDT

Standards Based Grading in a Lecture-less Classroom: Year 1 Reflections (45 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

Who is interested in "going gradeless" or "standards based grading"? Wonder how this works in a classroom? Always finding reasons why it would not work in a subject? Join the instructor for a journey through the good and the bad of a lecture-less classroom with evidence based grading! Participants will have small group implementation time to break out into subject areas, answer questions, and find solutions to how this can be implemented into any content area.

Presenters

Taylor Rose

Hamilton County ESC

Thursday August 1, 2019 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
HS 3314

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

10:15am EDT

Getting Students Moving, Talking and Interacting (90 min)[Repeated 8/2@1:15pm]

Limited Capacity filling up

Who's doing the talking in your classroom? Are you helping students prepare for conversations beyond school by practicing how to talk and interact with each other now? Join "Getting Students Moving, Talking and Interacting" to help you build your toolbox of strategies to grow student talk in your classroom. This session will be designed around participant choice and will provide you opportunities to practice strategies with your colleagues in an interactive, collaborative experience.

Presenters

Karen Crema

Education Consultant, HCESC

Karen Crema serves as an Education Consultant and Instructional Coach at Hamilton County Educational Service Center. Her work includes providing professional development in all areas of literacy, mentoring new and seasoned educators and supporting teachers as an instructional coach... Read More →

Friday August 2, 2019 10:15am - 11:45am EDT
HS 3310

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

11:45am EDT

A Plan to Improve Math ACT Scores in the Classroom (45 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

The presentation will focus on utilizing test taking tips and strategies to improve ACT Math scores. Participants will focus on resources available and how to incorporate those resources into the daily classroom structure. A main component of the presentation will be on how to prepare for the ACT, as opposed to learning content knowledge. Participants will discuss basic facts about the ACT, analyze data as it relates to achieving Benchmark scores, and how to use technology - such as the graphing calculator - to maximize scores. A brief Think-Pair-Share segment will be provided for colleagues to discuss ACT improvement strategies. Broken down to its simplest format, this presentation is geared towards designing a systematic approach to improving student ACT scores in mathematics.

Presenters

Jason J. Lynch

Mathematics Teacher, Forest Hills Local Schools

I have served 19 years as a classroom mathematics teacher, in both Ohio and Kentucky. I have taught in the Most Challenging Schools in both Ohio (Walnut Hills) and Kentucky (Highlands), as ranked by The Washington Post. I have also served as an adjunct professor of Calculus at Marion... Read More →

Exploring Anderson High School’s ACT Prep Schoology Page pdf

Math 3 Learning Targets 2018 pdf

Cramming for the ACT Weekly Calendar 2019 pdf

ACT Guide w Practice Tests pdf

ACT Prep Session II 2019 pptx

Calculator Tips for the ACT 2019 pptx

ACT Benchmark Test for Math I 2018 docx

ACT Benchmark Test for Math II 2018 docx

ACT Benchmark Test for Math III 2018 docx

A Plan to Improve ACT Math Scores (2) pptx

Friday August 2, 2019 11:45am - 12:15pm EDT
HS 3314

Successful Instructional Strategies, 9-12 educators

1:15pm EDT

Getting Students Moving, Talking and Interacting (90 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

Presenters

Karen Crema

Education Consultant, HCESC

Friday August 2, 2019 1:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
HS 3310

Successful Instructional Strategies, 6 - 8 educators, 9-12 educators

3:15pm EDT

Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: A Discussion (45 min)

Limited Capacity seats available

“The steady improvement in mathematics learning since 1990 looks different at the high school level compared to the elementary and middle school levels.” National Council of Teachers of Mathematics works to initiate this conversation with the release of the book Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics. Come join in the national conversation to engage in resolving the barriers that have long impeded meaningful and necessary change in high school mathematics education.

Presenters

Anne Berger

Educational Consultant, HCESC

Anne Berger is currently a Mathematics Consultant with Hamilton County Educational Service Center. Her work with districts includes math curriculum work, instructional best practices and instructional coaching. Prior to her work with the ESC, Anne spent ten years as a high school... Read More →

Christina Sherman

Mathematics Consultant/Instructional Coach, Hamilton County ESC

Christina is currently one of the Mathematics Consultants/Coaches at Hamilton County ESC and spends most of her days working collaboratively with K-12 teachers in their classrooms. She has been part an Instructional Coach with HCESC since 2004. Prior to her work at the ESC, Christina... Read More →

Friday August 2, 2019 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
HS 2310

Successful Instructional Strategies, 9-12 educators, Building and District Level Administrators