Monday, August 18, 2014

What will you add to the conversation? EdSummit LASD: Breaking the SIlos in Education

The start of a new school year holds so much promise.  There are so many questions to ask, opportunities to explore and learning experiences to design...all that will positively impact the lives of our students.  This year is especially exciting in Los Altos School District!  For the past four years, we have been on a journey to revolutionize learning for all students. We have encouraged all of our teachers to question, experiment, and take risks, but most importantly we have created a culture of learning in LASD that includes everyone.  We have created a culture of learning that we are eager to share and broaden. For the first time we will open our teacher learning experiences beyond LASD by hosting the first EdSummit LASD: Breaking the SIlos in Education.  


You may be wondering, “Why would a public school district voluntarily take on additional responsibilities and attempt to engage educators beyond LASD in the vision of revolutionizing learning for all students?”  


As a district, we have decided to engage more educators because we are eager to continue learning. The more we learn the more questions we have and the more we value collaborative dialogue.  The more we experiment, the more we value experiences of educators also engaged in improving student learning.  We see value in adding new and different voices to the conversation and invite you to attend EdSummit LASD.


It is guaranteed to be a gathering of innovative educators who are interested in pushing the boundaries of learning.  Every session will be interactive with opportunities to discuss ideas, connect and create actionable next steps that will actually translate to improved learning experiences for students.  We recognize that learning must be networked and have intentionally designed time and space to help foster the growth of your network. We offer you time to learn, time to connect, and spaces to do both.


EdSummit LASD will kick-off on Thursday, September 18 at 6:30 pm by exploring the power of discovery and inquiry.  Below is a preview of the first of many conversations to be had during EdSummit-  


Creating Conditions of Discovery and Inquiry in our Schools
A Conversation about Innovation with Lisa Kay Solomon and Warren Berger


How can we best prepare our students with the foundational critical thinking and creative problem solving skills required to thrive in times of increasing ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty?  What will it take to shift our classrooms from stand and deliver models to more inquiry-driven methods that foster discovery and personal engagement? How can our teachers, administrators and parents create environments that promote questioning, experimentation, co-creation and collaboration? And, how can we do this all amidst the realities of performance demands, testing requirements and quantified measurement assessments?   


Join authors Lisa Kay Solomon and Warren Berger in a provocative conversation with power to influence schools, classrooms and community organizations. Drawing on their insights from their newly published books Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change (Simon & Schuster, 2014) and A More Beautiful Question, Lisa and Warren will explore a new way of thinking about how to create cultures and conditions for discovery and lasting impact.


Then on Friday, we will engage all participants in a variety of learning experiences facilitated by incredible authors/teachers.  Here is a glimpse of a few of the incredible facilitators that will be joining us on Friday -


Dave Burgess -Dave is a teacher and highly sought after speaker, well known for his creative and outrageously energetic style. He is the New York Times Best-Selling author of Teach Like a PIRATE: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator.


Grant Lichtman -Grant is a nationally recognized thought leader in the drive to transform K-12 education. He speaks, writes, and works with fellow educators to build capacity and comfort with innovation in response to a rapidly changing world. His most recent book, #EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education, chronicles more than three years of research and visits with more than 70 schools on a solo tour of the United States to find how schools are successfully moving off of the assembly line model of education.


Dan Meyer - Dan taught high school math to students who didn’t like high school math. He advocated for better math instruction here and on CNN, Good Morning America,Everyday With Rachel Ray, and TED.com. He currently studies math education at Stanford University, speaks  internationally, and works with textbook publishers, helping them move from education’s print past to its digital future. Dan was recently named one of Tech & Learning’s 30 Leaders of the Future and an Apple Distinguished Educator.


Patricia Ryan Madson - Patricia is the author of  IMPROV WISDOM: DON’T PREPARE, JUST SHOW UP.(Bell Tower, 2005) and a professor Emerita from Stanford University where she taught since 1977. In 1996 she founded the Creativity Initiative at Stanford, an interdisciplinary alliance of faculty who share the belief that creativity can be taught. Patricia has taught Design Improv for the School of Engineering, and was a guest lecturer for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and for the Mayfield Fellows Program.


Please join us and add your voice to a unique experience where we strive to break the silos in education. What will you add to the conversation?  

Contributed by: Alyssa Gallagher, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Community Partnerships