This professional development session is designed for K–3 teachers and focuses on strengthening the intentional use of "Zen Zones" or "Calm Corners" as tools for self-regulation, belonging, and skill-building rather than simple break spaces. Participants will collaborate around real classroom scenarios to problem-solve challenges such as avoidance, escalation, and inconsistent use, while exploring proactive structures and clear routines that support student success. Teachers will leave with at least one concrete, actionable adjustment to improve how calm down corners are taught, implemented, and integrated into classroom systems. Please bring a Chromebook and a student scenario you'd like to analyze.
In schools, belonging develops through the everyday ways students are invited to participate, interact, and contribute. In this interactive session, elementary educators will explore practical participation structures that help students feel safe, valued, and meaningfully connected to learning and community. Drawing on the Dignity Connectors framework, participants will experience classroom-ready strategies that strengthen engagement, reduce belonging uncertainty, and support positive classroom culture without relying on compliance-driven practices. Educators will leave with immediately usable structures for discussion, collaboration, feedback, and student voice that can be adapted across grade levels and content areas.
Educators will engage in practices that promote a Thinking Classroom. In this interactive session, educators will step into the shoes of students to experience firsthand the collaborative power of a Building Thinking Classrooms environment. Participants will work through high-engagement tasks at vertical non-permanent surfaces to experience how random grouping visibly shifts classroom dynamics and builds mathematical stamina.
This professional development session is designed for K–3 teachers and focuses on strengthening the intentional use of "Zen Zones" or "Calm Corners" as tools for self-regulation, belonging, and skill-building rather than simple break spaces. Participants will collaborate around real classroom scenarios to problem-solve challenges such as avoidance, escalation, and inconsistent use, while exploring proactive structures and clear routines that support student success. Teachers will leave with at least one concrete, actionable adjustment to improve how calm down corners are taught, implemented, and integrated into classroom systems. Please bring a Chromebook and a student scenario you'd like to analyze.
In schools, belonging develops through the everyday ways students are invited to participate, interact, and contribute. In this interactive session, elementary educators will explore practical participation structures that help students feel safe, valued, and meaningfully connected to learning and community. Drawing on the Dignity Connectors framework, participants will experience classroom-ready strategies that strengthen engagement, reduce belonging uncertainty, and support positive classroom culture without relying on compliance-driven practices. Educators will leave with immediately usable structures for discussion, collaboration, feedback, and student voice that can be adapted across grade levels and content areas.
In this workshop, educators will be introduced to restorative circles as a proactive strategy for building classroom community, strengthening relationships, and addressing conflict. Participants will explore real classroom scenarios and gain ready-to-use tools for implementing restorative circles in their elementary classrooms.
In schools, belonging develops through the everyday ways students are invited to participate, interact, and contribute. In this interactive session, elementary educators will explore practical participation structures that help students feel safe, valued, and meaningfully connected to learning and community. Drawing on the Dignity Connectors framework, participants will experience classroom-ready strategies that strengthen engagement, reduce belonging uncertainty, and support positive classroom culture without relying on compliance-driven practices. Educators will leave with immediately usable structures for discussion, collaboration, feedback, and student voice that can be adapted across grade levels and content areas.
In this workshop, educators will be introduced to restorative circles as a proactive strategy for building classroom community, strengthening relationships, and addressing conflict. Participants will explore real classroom scenarios and gain ready-to-use tools for implementing restorative circles in their elementary classrooms.
Educators will engage in practices that promote a Thinking Classroom. In this interactive session, educators will step into the shoes of students to experience firsthand the collaborative power of a Building Thinking Classrooms environment. Participants will work through high-engagement tasks at vertical non-permanent surfaces to experience how random grouping visibly shifts classroom dynamics and builds mathematical stamina.
