OCSD Educators Empowered Conference

Let's explore the digital games of enVisions. A computer will be necessary and a spirit of adventure. We will find which ones are the best to help our students through playing them.

Ready to spark curiosity and deepen understanding in your secondary classroom? This dynamic session will equip you with three immediately actionable inquiry-based strategies: the KWLA graphic organizer, Costa's Levels of Thinking, and Philosophical Chairs. Discover how to integrate these tools to cultivate a classroom where students take ownership of their learning.

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

Confidently implement three high-impact inquiry strategies that foster comprehensive understanding, critical questioning, and elevated discussions.

Boost students' communication skills, enabling them to articulate their grasp of concepts and engage in robust academic discourse.

Join us and transform your teaching to ignite a passion for inquiry in every student!

An interactive, light hearted, and refreshing group discussion to review why we chose to work with teenagers in the first place. Concepts to be explored will be Using Self as an Instrument, Emotional Intelligence, Appreciative Inquiry, and more. Add to this just good basic and honest conversation between peers. This workshop will explore what we remember from our own experiences growing up, tap into what goes on in our classrooms today, and open conversations to share best practices. Participants will take away their own revitalized energy and enthusiasm as educators and supporters of these young adults, ready to start the new school year ready to re-engage!

Teachers will practice skills that engage in activities that support the importance of differentiating instruction to meet the diverse needs of students, including those who grasp concepts quickly and those who need more support, with an emphasis on collaboration and group work.

Calling all Elementary educators! Ready to elevate academic discourse and critical thinking in your classroom? In this dynamic 90-minute session, you'll dive deep into the Philosophical Chairs strategy, focusing on specific writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and readings methods to seamlessly integrate it into your lessons.

We'll start by building foundational skills, exploring two key strategies that prepare elementary students for rich, formal discussions. You'll experience firsthand how to guide young learners through deep academic discourse as they thoughtfully address different positions.

By the end of this session, you'll be equipped to:

Increase rigor, inquiry, and collaboration in your elementary classroom, boosting students' academic performance and developing crucial college readiness skills.

Join us to empower your elementary students with the tools for impactful discussion and elevated learning!

The session will provide steps of how to get started with Code.org and then time to explore the course you would complete with your students.

Create sessions in Go Guardian for your classes in this informational workshop, where you will leave with Go Guardian all set up.

As teachers, many times we know how to scaffold an assignment, but we struggle to push our higher level thinking students. This session will allow participants to think about how to stretch those learners that need a challenge. Learn ways to differentiate the content, process, product, and environment. All participants will walk away with strategies to implement with their students.

Ready to move beyond the core and unlock the full potential of your enVision math curriculum? This dynamic professional development session is designed for educators who have a foundational understanding of enVision and are eager to explore advanced strategies to foster deeper student understanding, engagement, and success for all learners.

Come learn information about reasons why our students struggle in math as well as ready to use strategies to support them in our classrooms. You will also have time to work in teams to make plans you can use this year.

How can we use AI tools to increase our efficiency? AI tools are good at formulaic writing and tasks. We will describe AI tools we’ve used and explore additional strategies! Throughout all of these activities, the human component is critical for collaboration and innovation. We will discuss how and when AI is an appropriate thought partner - and when it’s not.

If you have ever wanted to strengthen your language literacy practices in any content, especially for language learners, this is the session for you! Participants will connect WICOR (Writing Inquiry Collaboration Organization and Reading) with intentional language development practices and routines to strengthen listening, speaking, reading, and writing literacy for all students, resulting in students navigating rigorous content, achieving academically, and preparing for career success.
Upon completion of this AVID professional learning module, participants will have learned and/or practiced the following:
• Explore academic language scripts, language functions, and word banks to support academic and content language development.
• Model collaborative speaking and coaching routines so students will be able to self-reflect, regulate, and celebrate the use of academic language.

When parents understand what their student is learning, and know specific ways to help, student achievement increases significantly. Research shows that effective home-school communication can improve student outcomes by up to 30%, but only when families receive actionable information they can actually use.

This focused session will equip educators with strategies to transform routine updates into actionable resources that help families extend classroom learning at home. Participants will learn to craft messages that inform families about current learning objectives while providing specific, practical ways parents can reinforce these concepts during everyday moments.

Educators will practice developing communication templates and schedules that consistently deliver relevant content, turning parents into confident learning partners who know exactly how to help their student succeed. The session includes hands-on template creation and strategies for translating academic concepts into parent-friendly language with practical applications that fit busy family routines.

Move beyond "here's what we did today" to "here's how you can help your student master these skills at home."

Educators should bring a laptop or a way to access their ParentSquare account from a web browser.