Speakers
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference Las Vegas - Featured Speakers
Dr. John Almarode
John Almarode has worked with schools, classrooms and teachers all over the world. He has presented locally, nationally and internationally on the application of the science of learning and has worked with hundreds of school districts and thousands of teachers. Dr. Almarode is currently the Director of Teaching and Learning at the James Madison University School of Education. In 2015, John was awarded the inaugural Sarah Mill Luck Endowed Professorship. He continues to work with pre‑service teachers and actively pursues his research interests including the science of learning as well as the design and measurement of classroom environments that promote student engagement and learning. The work of John and his colleagues has been presented to the U.S. Congress, the Virginia Senate, the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Almarode began his career teaching mathematics and science to a wide range of students. He has authored or co-authored nine books including Captivate, Activate and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, From Snorkelers to Scuba Divers, Visible Learning for Science, Clarity for Learning, Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom and Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom. He is also the past co-editor of the Teacher Educator’s Journal. Most recently, John and his colleagues have developed a new framework for developing, implementing and sustaining professional learning communities: PLC+. The PLC+ framework builds capacity within teacher-led teams to maximize student learning.
Dr. Tom Maglisceau
Tom Maglisceau is the proud Superintendent of the Celina Independent School District in the Dallas Metroplex. He served previously as a teacher, coach, principal and assistant superintendent in the Highland Park, Dallas and Rockwall districts in Texas. He earned his doctorate in Public Policy and Public Affairs after completing his research on social capital as it relates to family structure and childhood outcomes. Dr. Maglisceau continues his research in the areas of neuroplasticity of the adolescent brain, adverse childhood experiences and adolescence in the age of abundance for presentations in schools and conferences throughout Texas and across the nation. In addition to his work in public education, he serves as a Key Implementer and national professional developer for AVID. Dr. Maglisceau co-founded Together Texas, an organization dedicated to championing the “Better Together Mindset” in schools and communities.
Dr. Tommie Mabry
Tommie Mabry grew up in poverty in Jackson, Mississippi. With no one to serve as a model for mainstream success, Tommie turned to life in the streets. He was expelled from numerous schools and by age 11, he was serving time for burglary. Things started to change for Tommie when he joined an AAU basketball team that traveled around world. Although he was shot in the foot during his senior year in high school, he received a full basketball scholarship to Missouri State University. After completing his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo College, he taught school in the same district where he had been expelled numerous times. Subsequently he has served as Director of Enrollment at Tougaloo College before founding the company that bears his name. He earned his Ph.D. from Jackson State University and has published two books, A Dark Journey to a Light Future and If Tommie Can Do It, We Can Do It.
Dr. Jenifer Moore: International Speaker and Consultant on Student & Teacher Wellbeing
Full Bio Coming Soon!
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference Orlando - Featured Speakers
Dr. Christopher Emdin
Dr. Christopher Emdin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Columbia University, where he also serves as Director of the Science Education Program and Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. TIme Magazine recently cited him as one of 27 People Bridging Divides Across America. He is an alumni fellow at the Hutchins Center at Harvard and has served as STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Emdin is a social critic, public intellectual and science advocate whose commentary on issues of race, culture, inequality and education have appeared in dozens of influential periodicals including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. A much sought-after speaker, he is the creator of the #HipHopEd movement, and an advisor to numerous international organizations and school districts. He is the author of Urban Science Education for the Hip-hop Generation and The New York Times bestseller For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll Too.
Dr. Marquita Blades
Dr. Marquita S. Blades is an award-winning educator, international speaker and author. As a high school science teacher, she led nationally recognized STEM programs for high-achieving students. Through her consulting practice, she now offers professional development programs, curriculum & assessment writing, conference planning and teacher coaching in the areas of STEM instruction and teacher burnout. Dr. Blades created The Mediocre Teacher Project to help teachers avoid burnout by helping them incorporate their unique talents into their daily practice. She is also the host of The Dr. Marquita Blades Show: Candid Conversations that Create Change, an internet-based broadcast dedicated to discussing current trends and issues in education. Dr. Blades is the author of POWARRful Teaching Strategies for Increasing Engagement & Collaboration While Maintaining Rigor in Science Courses.
Jessica Sinarski
Jessica Sinarski, LPCMH is a clinical supervisor, consultant, author and educator, who is a thought leader in connecting neuroscience with practice in adult-child relationships. Jessica has trained thousands of parents and professionals across the country and maintains a private practice in Delaware, incorporating neurofeedback and attachment-based therapeutic models. Jessica founded BraveBrains to help others experience the hope and healing that is possible with a deeper understanding of the brain. She has created a framework, based on the concepts introduced in her children’s book, Riley the Brave, that is improving outcomes for those affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma. These principles and accompanying resources, rooted in the latest brain science, are empowering parents, teachers and community professionals all over the world. Jessica is a therapist and clinical supervisor at A Better Chance for Our Children in Delaware and serves on the board of directors at Cardinal McCloskey Community Services in New York. She is currently partnering with school districts and child welfare agencies across the country to better incorporate trauma-sensitive practices into their work. Compelled by her work with foster families in the South Bronx, Jessica became a Certified Adoption Therapist and founded an adoption therapy program at her local agency.
Sam Kary: Teacher, Curriculum Designer, Creator of Popular "New Ed Tech Classroom" Youtube Channel
Full Bio Coming Soon!
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference Atlanta - Featured Speakers
Ron Clark
Known to many as "America's Educator," Ron Clark is the 2000 Disney American Teacher of the Year, a two-time New York Times Bestselling author, the subject of a television movie and the founder of The Ron Clark Academy. Ron is regularly featured on network and cable television and was dubbed by Oprah Winfrey as her first "Phenomenal Man."
Early in his career, Ron pioneered innovative projects in rural North Carolina working with minority students in a low wealth area. His highly effective programs garnered national attention and led to a White House invitation. After watching a television piece chronicling low test scores and the lack of teachers in inner-city New York, Ron packed his car and moved to Harlem. Ron prepared himself by visiting the home of each student before the first day of school. He involved his students in projects in the city and state, and his "low achievers" soon began to excel; by the end of the year, their scores were higher than the "gifted" classes in his district. In 2003, Ron Clark released the New York Times Bestseller, The Essential 55, which includes his 55 expectations of students – as well as all individuals – young and old. Obviously, Ron Clark did not stop there. In 2006, Ron Clark founded The Ron Clark Academy, an inner-city school serving students from across metro Atlanta. The privately funded institution is unique for its innovative teaching methods and curriculum based on worldwide travel. Each year the students apply their in-class lessons to international adventures. By the time of graduation, each child will have visited six of the seven continents. Almost 50,000 educators, teachers and administrators from around the world have visited the Academy to observe the innovative and "outside-the-box" methods for achieving student success. In 2011, Ron Clark released The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck--101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers. This New York Times Bestseller brought to light 101 innovative and classroom-tested ways for improving America's schools and leading children to greatness. In his most recent release, Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life.
Hotep Benzo
Education success strategist and award-winning author Hotep Benzo, MBA is widely known for his proactive, “tough-love” approach to education. As a 15-year master teacher, he developed a reputation for requesting the most troubled students and transforming them into willing participants in their own education. He is the founder of Hustle University and creator of the MAKE A WAY program, a series of high-relevancy curricula used in more than 1000 schools throughout the United States. His work has earned him nominations for the Presidential Citizens Medal and as a CNN Hero. Hotep is also creator of the Outcome Progression Model, which he uses to help schools transform a culture of poverty, excuse-making and helplessness into one of empowerment, resiliency and success.
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Orlando
March 26-29, 2020
5 Conferences for the Price of 1!
School Climate & Culture Forum
Boy Brains & Engagement Conference
School Discipline Conference
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Counseling Strategies & Resources Conference
School Climate & Culture Forum
Boy Brains & Engagement Conference
School Discipline Conference
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Counseling Strategies & Resources Conference
March 26-29
Las Vegas
July 6-10, 2020
6 Conferences for the Price of 1!
School Climate & Culture Forum
School Discipline Conference
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Wired Differently Conference
Boy Brains & Engagement Conference
NextGen School Safety Conference
School Climate & Culture Forum
School Discipline Conference
Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference
Wired Differently Conference
Boy Brains & Engagement Conference
NextGen School Safety Conference
July 6-10