Fall PD Conference 2022

Being Together: Community as Growth, Belonging, & Learning

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

8:30 AM – 3 PM

The 2022 Internationals Network Fall Professional Development Conference will take place on Tuesday, November 8th at Manhattan International High School in New York City.

We are excited to announce that this event will mark the return of our in-person convening. As always, we’re excited to host workshops created by (and for) teachers, counselors, school support staff, and others from across the network to highlight the innovations and new ideas that are surfacing in schools for how to best support multilingual learners.

As well, preceding the day of the full conference on Monday, November 7, a wide array of school visits will take place, tailored to the interests of visitors, highlighting foundational practices of the Internationals approach and nurturing the exchange of expertise and experience across regions, with visitors joining from peer schools all over the country.

On November 8th, educators and staff from all across our network will offer workshops that highlight this year’s conference theme of “Being Together: Community as Growth, Belonging, and Learning.” We kick-off the conference with a very special opening gathering that will include a multimedia presentation, as well as student storytelling, dance, and video reflections. Facilitators have been invited to interpret this theme widely and freely and to generate unique and creative visions for what it means to be together and how it can serve our network community by building and sustaining meaningful connections.

We very much look forward to being together in November!

School Visit Info — Nov. 7th

Leadership in the Internationals School Community

How can leaders of Internationals Network learning communities create the circumstances to sustain strong systems while also innovating for improvement? In this visit to Claremont International High School, intended for school and academy leaders as well as district partners, participants will come together to discuss what leadership looks like in an ever-evolving Internationals Network learning community. Visitors will have the opportunity to hear from the school’s principal as well as other staff who help lead the work at this school in the Bronx, not only to support educators in their work serving multilingual learners but also to spur innovation and growth. Visitors will discuss how these systems sustain strong instruction and comprehensive student support, explore artifacts that surface key structures and ideas, observe classes, and have ample time to consider the implications for their own work and context.

9a-3p,Claremont IHS, E 172nd St, The Bronx, NY 10457. Map

Language and Content Integration in the PAIHS Elmhurst School Community

How can we support content learning while embracing the full linguistic repertroire of the young people in our learning communities? In this visit to Pan American International High School in Elmhurst, where every student’s liguistic background intersects with Spanish, visitors will have the opportunity to hear from educators about how they plan and build curriculum that integrates language and content while fostering translanguaging. Visitors will observe classes and explore artifacts that surface key elements of the school’s approach to building authentic, experiential learning environments. Debriefing together, visitors will have ample time to make sense of what they have seen and to begin considering what they can apply or share in their own contexts.

9a-3p, PAIHS Elmhurst,45-10 94th St, Queens, NY 11373. Map

A Network of Support for All: Developing Teacher and Staff Innovation in The International High School at LaGuardia Community College

Classes at the International High School at LaGuardia Community College are collaborative, experiential, responsive, and language rich. In this visit to the longest-running school in the Internationals Network, visitors will explore how teacher practice is informed by interdisciplinary teams, curriculum development resources, and other school-based support structures so that classes are able to become collaborative, experiential, responsive, and language rich. Visitors will have the opportunity to hear from school leaders and teachers, observe classes, analyze artifacts related to how educators learn and grow with comfort and confidence, and have ample time to discuss the implications for their own communities and contexts.

9a-3p, IHS at LaGuardia CC, 45-35 Van Dam St, Queens, NY 11101. Map

Unpacking the HELLO Principles at the International High School at Prospect Heights

What does the Internationals Approach look and sound like in schools? In this visit at the International High School at Prospect Heights, visiting educators will see elements of student collaboration, language and content integration and project based learning in classroom instruction. Visitors will examine artifacts from the school, hear from students and staff, and visit classrooms. Visitors will then debrief and reflect on the visit as to what they can take back with them to their own respective schools.

9a-3p, IHS at Prospect Heights, 883 Classon Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225. Map

CONFERENCE LOCATION

Manhattan International High School

317 E 67th St, New York, NY 10065

MAP

Public transportation is suggested.

JOIN US!

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

CONFERENCE AGENDA

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7th

School Visits 10a-3p

(this day is for participants visiting from outside of NYC)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th

Doors open at 8:00a!

Registration/Breakfast

Opening Gathering

Morning Workshops

Lunch

Afternoon Workshops

Conference Closes at 3:00

Internationals Network Voices

Our network comprises of smaller school communities across the US. These communities include students, educators, leaders, and other school staff and alumni. This video of Internationals Network Voices showcases some of our highlights throughout the past year. Enjoy! 🙂

Promising Practice Shares

These spotlighted artifacts and reflections represent something our teachers are excited about from their class or school. Enjoy! 

Buscando Comida: a Pan-American guide to food and memories

Elisa worked with students to create a book of stories and recipes. Elisa says, “The goal of the project was for students to bring in and share a recipe that was important to them and accompany it with an original story where they remembered meaningful life events when that recipe was prepared and was cause for celebration. From desserts baked for someone’s birthday, to Sunday family meals, to what grandma used to cook for them when they were sick, students were able to tap into their funds of knowledge which kept them engaged and gave them the opportunity to compare food traditions across Central and South America.” Take a look at the cook book at the link!

Elisa Bartoleschi, PAIHS Elmhurst

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h4LmQm4jNdlx-rvYxTHgeSjsK40rCmMg/view?usp=sharing

Class Community Trees

Nataly Rojas has been exploring conversations and building community. Nataly says, “These are our class community trees. I was truly inspired by the summer INPS PD this year where I was able to share ideas with other educators and also participate in PD sessions that had me thinking of ways to apply conversation activities and strategies into my practice early in the year that can get students talking with one another. I wanted to share this experience as a way to thank the facilitators and teachers that day for their work and inspiration. Also, I hope it shows one of the ways we began the process of building community this year in our 9th/10th grade team. The process began with class circles where we came up with a shared vision and purpose for why we come to school and want to graduate high school. Then students had a chance to learn a little more about each other through their own leaf where they drew icons and images of their hobbies and favorite things. After that, we spent time thinking about what we needed from each other in order to create a safe learning environment. This is where different conversation activities such as concentric circles, stations activity, and small group presentations occurred. Throughout the process, we had moments of reflection to think of why we were going through this process and why it’s important. Ultimately, it naturally led to the introduction of Restorative Justice practices in our Humanities classes where students explored this concept, what it looks like, and why we endeavor to practice it in our school community.” Take a look at the photos of the posters that students made, and also check out the slides from the classes where this work happened.

Nataly Rojas, Flushing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aosh-ip5sPmKu3n6fWMpasqt6kM_PYKI/view?usp=sharing

Community Spaces

Doug Butler worked with students to visualize community principles at their school. Doug says: “This year for our community project, students worked collaboratively to design symbols and quotes that represented 1 of our 5 community principles. Students then painted these designs on doors, walls, and other surfaces around our classes. This was my team’s beginning of the year community project. This was the culmination of a number of lessons and activities that focused on collaboration and our community principles. Students not only worked together on a fun and hands-on activity, but also had to figure out interesting ways to represent and communicate the meaning of specific community principles.” Take a look at the photos and consider how something similar could happen in your own community too!

Douglass Butler, Flushing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ISGkKXUYnO3XvR9thPV03Mq92IY_HRlL/view?usp=sharing

Crew: Partnership with Outward Bound

Marie Fertitta’s school has embarked on a partnership with Outward Bound. Marie says: “This year BXIHS has started using the CREW curriculum to replace our advisory time. CREW, created by Outward Bound founder Kurt Hahn, is an SEL curriculum which seeks to build community and interconnectedness between students and staff. One day a week, the lesson is focused on SEL and fun activities, and the second day of the week has an academic focus, where students are able to get academic support from teachers and staff. It has been a new experience for us all and very fun so far! Here you can see photos of initial sessions of CREW as students worked to build a “Spaghetti tower” with limited and fun materials!

Marie Fertitta, Bronx IHS

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uxMPv9S5HHMnF66gVArF01O4uaisONYA/view?usp=sharing

Exploratory Project and Exhibition

Marie Fertitta’s school recently engaged in interdisciplinary project planning and an exhibition. Marie says: “We are very excited and can not wait to share student presentations from Thursday, October 13th. Teachers worked together on grade teams to create an ‘exploratory’ project which was interdisciplinary for all the contents, included at least two field trips to relevant locations across the city, and had a community connection component as well. This was done across all grade levels and content areas and culminated in a fair where students presented their projects to parents, staff and other community members that attended to launch the 2022-2023 school year! This Is our first exploratory project fair ever at BXIHS, and we are so excited to share everyone’s work!

Marie Fertitta, Bronx IH

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13TQqC8ugUPtSDoryUOuznzWEtGLC-9kI/view?usp=sharing

Health Fair: Educating our Community on Health-Related Topics
Kathleen (K.P.) Perez PAIHS Monroe

Kathleen (K.P.) Perez PAIHS Monroe

K.P. Perez built a health fair with students. K.P. says: “This past school year, I hosted the first annual health fair at PAIHS Monroe. Students worked in a collaborative manner to produce trifolds that were interactive and creative ways to educate guests on current events and other topics related to health. Along with their presentations, students distributed pamphlets, flags, stress balls, and other tools useful to the community. Urban health community clinic also hosted a table with information and resources for students. As I work on planning the 2nd annual health fair, I am working to incorporate more diverse topics and invite more guest organizations to table information about their organizations. My goal is also to have parents come to view the presentations and learn more about what their students are learning, and to help celebrate their students work.”

Kathleen (K.P.) Perez, PAIHS Monroe

 

Heterogeneous Grouping Routines and Structures

Ruby Chang has been exploring heterogeneous grouping in her class. She says: “Students sit in a group and groups are heterogeneous in terms of language proficiency, content proficiency, grade level and their ethnicity. As a group, students support each other’s learning and build ideas together during a group discussion. Each student in a group is also assigned to a particular group role. For example, in each group, there is a team teacher who explains math content and skills to their group members. There is a whiteboard posted next to their group and the team teacher utilizes it to go over math problems with their group. Students enjoy learning from their peers and it encourages them to speak and listen to each other. To foster community building: 1) set norms before having them learn from each other. Each group is assigned to one of the following topics, such as collaboration, perseverance, physical and emotional safety, and focused learning. They create a poster as a group, including do’s and don’ts, and language to remind themselves and others. They then share out with their class. After each presentation, as a class, they come to a consensus.  2) On a regular basis, students get an opportunity to do shout-outs at the end of the class during the exit ticket time. This is a great and simple way for them to celebrate each other. For example, students share ‘Thank you, ____, for helping me understand the quadratic formula. She explained to me multiple times and I finally understood.

Ruby Chang, Flushing IHS

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PWeRypvwooku6X_slg21pPikwk37hWjz/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113694492979760564547&rtpof=true&sd=true

Impact of Technology Unit Activity Guides
Will created activity guides for a project on the impact of technology. Will says: “The final project for this unit is a debate about the benefits and harms of technology, focusing on specific impacts of technology. So we thought about first, what are the key things students need to know how to do before they start that project, and how can we use American history to practice those skills.” The project helps students work on the skills of making a claim, using evidence, and deploying the langauge of proposition and support. Will continues: “We identified specific impats to sort of center the unit around: social, economic, political, and environmental.” The activity guides show includes numerous compelling scaffolds, and Will’s video reflection walks viewers through the thinking that went into developing them. Take a look and see if there is anything that you can use in your own classroom as well!

Will Leubsdorf, ACHS

History and The Simpsons

Martin Castro has been using The Simpsons as an entry point into discussing history with students. Martin says: “The promising practice share I am submitting is a mini-unit in which I have used an episode of the Simpsons to ground discussions about history, memorialization, sources, and whether or not we can judge our heroes. The lessons use the episode Lisa the Iconoclast which focuses on a plot in which Lisa discovers evidence that indicates that Jebediah Springfield, the town founder, may not be as benevolent as history recounts. By dissecting elements of the episode with students, we engaged in reviews of primary and secondary sources, the purpose and consequences of memorializing historical figures, and what should be done when new evidence comes to light. The Simpsons aspect of it was a good way to introduce the ideas through humor, pop culture, and in a way that is digestible for young people. In future lessons, we immediately begin to discuss Columbus and how memorialization has changed around him, so the lessons are a way to have students start thinking about deeper questions around memorialization and how to teach history through the Simpsons episode before studying Columbus. Overall, I think that these lessons have been successful.” Click through to see Martin’s website and materials from this mini-unit!

Martin Castro, International Community HS

https://sites.google.com/view/history-simpsons-by-mcastro/home

Interacting with a Video Lesson

Didi Merioles has been devloping materials and processes to support interaction with class videos. Didi says, “This artifact will help students independently explore new concepts while actively interacting with a video. Instructing the students to interact rather than watch a video will provide them with the expectation that the activity requires active and not passive interaction with the content. The artifact has three interactive sections: ‘Before You Watch, ‘While You Watch,’ and ‘After You Watch.’ The ‘Before You Watch’ section will activate the student’s prior knowledge. ‘While You Watch’ will help students understand the content through visually rich guided questions. And the ‘After You Watch’ section will ask students to reflect on their learning and evaluate their understanding of the content. The link includes the handouts and the slides that can be used to teach this topic.”

Didi Merioles, ICHS

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n1KzDhrFQLc11_659nA73se-Kibknpia?usp=sharing

Linear Equation & Art

Sofia Ikram explored the intersection of art and math in her Algebra class. Sofia says: “For my Algebra I curriculum, one of the projects is the Slope-Art Project, where students use their knowledge of linear equations (slope, y-intercepts, domain/range intervals, parallel and perpendicular lines) to recreate a building in NYC or their native country on desmos.com. Some students take it upon themselves to use quadratic and circular/elliptic equations to add details to their building. Students then take their ‘blueprints’ to art class and create backgrounds and then trace their blueprints on top of the background. To make the lines more pronounced, students then glue colorful yarn to make it pop! It is a fun project and every year we do it, the kids love it, whether they chose a landmark in NYC or from their native countries.” Click through to see photos and examples of student work!

Sofia Ikram, IHS for Health Sciences

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hc_RS_9Dn0wc77k9_-MLjtddpaxty6V2/view?usp=sharing

Play-Debrief-Replay Model and Framework

Stefanie Macaluso has been using a unique framework to scaffold student thinking and discussion. Stefanie says, “This document highlights a popular framework called Play-Debrief-Replay that can be used in any discipline (even if demonstrated here with science) at any grade level. Play-debrief-replay or PDR allows teachers to observe and account first hand how creative students are when presented with new topics in class. As described in Bloom’s taxonomy of thinking, there is a space for ‘play’ as a form of exploration and serves as an excellent opportunity for ESL/ELL students to lead with action rather than language to showcase their initial conceptual understanding. Students then analyze what they have learned in a ‘debrief’ in order to make connections between ideas, and to make decisions based on evidence. Once students have had an opportunity to play and debrief connections, students finally go back to playing in a “replay” and investigating/pursuing new wonderings or questions. This is an inquiry framework that I’ve successfully used since 2014 when introducing new science topics or enriching inquiry activities. It is an excellent way to engage students, identify their prior knowledge and remind them of the joys of ‘play’ while simultaneously learning. I truly hope that in trying this framework in your own classes, it will not only make the learning meaningful for your students but it will also provide you the opportunity to better gauge your student’s creativity.” Click through to see detailed slides on this framework and how it has been used!

Stefanie Macaluso, ELLIS

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WtyP12TDviqOT9zlDRrBihSM0x6wJLOl/view?usp=sharing

QR Code Exhibitions and Access

Lionel Cruet has been exploring digital ways to share student work. Lionel says: “In my classroom I have become conscious about the use and disposal of paper as well as how much is consumed during the process of creating bulletin boards. When displaying students’ work, there are multiple options that can be interactive as well and use technology. I included QR codes that redirect to online exhibition sites (for example Padlet); that way you can maximize the visibility of students’ work without having to print or even display original samples. The links created with the QR codes can be shared with the entire school community so they can comment and react to students’ work. This idea can help teachers introduce technology, reduce the amount of paper or printed material and engage with a community at large and offer constructive feedback on student work.” Take a look at the photos of the process and action and consider how something similar could work for your school too!

Lionel Cruet, ELLIS

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17RRIqOlr17SxFpEuC9RXqVPO5l2n0R9t/view?usp=sharing

Reflections on Using Outcomes/Skills-based Learning in the Internationals Context

Erin Fleischauer spent time reflecting on the role of outcomes/skills-based learning in her school. Erin says: “For me, having a non-punitive system of assessment based on providing multiple pathways and modalities for students to show their skills is in harmony with the school’s restorative discipline system. Just as we have a restorative justice system that encourages some behaviors and has a set of restorative consequences for other behaviors that depend on students taking responsibility, so do we have an assessment system that works in a similar way. As a teacher, this helps me to define my role and power in the classroom as an ally helping them to develop their skills as they work with others and engage in productive struggle in experiences I’ve structured.” Take a look at the full reflection to get a sense of the many insights that Erin has to share about how this work fits into the Internationals school community!

Erin Fleischauer, Brooklyn IHS

Student Interest Surveys for Art

Lionel Cruet has been using technology to help learn about student interest. Lionel says: “In order to capture students interest on artworks that have been important during the renaissance period I use a Google Form survey with images and categorical interest. I forwarded this Google Form survey to a group of students prior to concluding the last school year. The information and data collected from this survey was essential to understand what students were interested in to study. In this way, I capture their choice and their interest. In a positive way I learned much more of what the students liked and what not. I use the results to build an entire curriculum plan for two consecutive units. This practice will help teachers to use technology to capture students interest and student choice on the subject that they are studying.” Take a look at the screenshot and consider creating your own interest survey!

Lionel Cruet, ELLIS

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17RRIqOlr17SxFpEuC9RXqVPO5l2n0R9t/view?usp=sharing

The New Media Club Goes to NY Comic Con

“Starting in 2017, the students and faculty of the New Media Club at IHSPH have attended New York Comic Con as panelists. We have discussed a variety of topics—using pop culture in education, the importance of in-person social spaces for students, supporting student interests, celebrating fandom and creativity, our favorite video games—and connected with like-minded educators around the city. These panels have served as success shares and broader conversations about extracurricular activities that can be so vital for many of our students. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!” Click through to ream more of their refletion and photos from their work!

Brendan Gillett and Keyra Jimenez, IHS @ Prospect Heights

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w7IuVsCA2gX_ZnCAp_Uq2iGqqG4MxXrV/view?usp=sharing

Urban Plan Project

Stephanie Edwards explored a new project curriculum focused on real estate and learned a lot in the process. Stephanie reflects: “Do we have a choice in where we live? How does the history of a neighborhood affect our present day lives? How does the history of a neighborhood affect our classrooms? We are in a housing crisis. As teachers in the third year of a pandemic, we are in crisis of trying to understand what connects with students who have changed. The Urban Plan program is a semester-long real estate project. Students form development teams and compete to create a comprehensive proposal for rebuilding a neighborhood. In conjunction with this project, students spent several weeks learning about the consequences of neighborhood development and spent time examining the impact of redlining and gentrification on BIPOC communities. This project was necessary because at some point in the lives of my students, if not already, they will be impacted by the housing crisis. And our classrooms will be mirrors for these changes. We must understand and name the forces that are at play when it comes to where we live and the neighborhoods that ultimately shape our classrooms. Witnessing this project gave me hope and it will give teachers hope. This project wasn’t designed for my students, but my students MADE it their project. I remember the glazed over looks they had when they first saw the 100 page manual. However, it was the students that made this curriculum come to life. Those glazed over looks became looks of understanding, looks of empowerment, and the most important of all— JOY.”

Stephanie Edwards, IHS @ Prospect

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WtyP12TDviqOT9zlDRrBihSM0x6wJLOl/view?usp=sharing

Work-based Learning Curriculum

Eva Morales and Samantha Davis have been leading work-based curriculum at their school. Samantha says: “This curriculum is geared toward new students completing a self analysis. At this stage, many students are beginning to understand who they are and who they could be. This curriculum is intended to give the students options as they are learning who they are. It is exciting to see students consider various pathways that were previously unknown to them. With the WBL/college & career curriculum, it is all about self discovery. In students applying to various internships and completing structured surveys, they are repeatedly asked critical thinking questions that forces them to delve deep and think about what their capacity is.” Click through to see the unit overview, including links to many of the materials.

Eva Morales and Samantha Davis, Crotona IHS

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZL9SttfLX1dYmGR_iuKbGpH0QrjAm8xDAbVqdAlahAk/edit?usp=sharing

Workshops

FULL DAY  Sessions — November 8, 2022

The Intersection of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Art through a Social Justice Lens: Exploring How Computer Science & Technology can be used in a Culturally Responsive Math Classroom

How can mathematics classrooms incorporate new technologies and creative tools to enhance and amplify learning all while maintaining a culturally responsive approach? In this interactive, exploratory workshop, participants will work together to investigate numerous exciting contemporary tools that have wide applications in the mathematics classroom. Participants will engage in hands-on play using a variety of technologies such as Makey Makeys, Arduinos, and p5.js. Participants will also have the opportunity to look at and investigate products that students have made and discuss the many ways in which mathematics, computer science, and the arts can intersect through a social justice lens. While this session is intended primarily for math teachers, anyone whose class meaningfully intersects with mathematics and related technology is welcome!

Facilitator(s): Stef Hereira,Flushing IHS

**This workshop is now full** Roll for Creativity: Making Our Own Games for the Classroom (and Beyond)

In this full-day, interactive workshop, participants will learn some basics of game design, analyze how existing games connect to our curricula, and then create our very own playable board or card games. These games could be used to teach or review class concepts, build community in the school, or as a basis for a game design unit with your own students. Learn through playing and creating! While teachers, club leaders, counselors, and admin are encouraged to register, all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Brian Hsu and Brendan Gillett IHS @ Prospect Heights

AM  Sessions — November 8, 2022

All the Ways to Say, "Love": Translanguaging in the Internationals Classroom

How can we use translanguaging pedagogy to amplify student voices and expand the depth and range of experiences students are able to share in the classroom? In this workshop, participants will explore an example ELA project based on bell hooks’ “All About Love.” Using artifacts such as group posters, journals, Jamboard, Peardeck, Google Slides, and YouTube videos, we will discuss how translanguaging strategies can be leveraged within the classroom to show and teach students the value of the various linguistic as well as personal experiences they bring with them everyday. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Nisa Nuonsy, Keyra Jimenez, IHS @ Prospect Heights

 

Arts Teachers in Collaboration and Community

This workshop is for all internationals teachers who teach in the arts disciplines. Often, art teachers are isolated in their disciplines at schools and gathering them together in one space will help provide community and support for their needs and interests within that discipline. We will be meeting each other, making connections, seeing where we need support, sharing and workshopping curriculum, and planning collaborations for the 2022-23 year and beyond. Teachers in the arts are especially encouraged to attend, but anyone whose work meaningfully intersects with and incorporates art in a significant way is welcome!

Facilitator(s): Katie Hoffman, IHS @ Lafayette

**This workshop is now full** Bringing Art and Creativity into the Classroom with Canva

Do you wish your classroom and lesson materials were more creative and artistic, but you aren’t sure where to start? In this interactive workshop, participants will be introduced to the website Canva, an online graphic design tool with thousands of customizable templates and a free pro plan for educators. This workshop will feature several examples of how Canva can be used to create community-building activities, group projects, and creative classroom environments. The goal of this workshop is to help create more art-filled learning spaces through the use of contemporary design technology. Educators interested in incorporating more art and design into their classrooms and lessons are especially encouraged to register, but all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Sofia Mirante, PAIHS Monroe

Building Community Through Podcasting

Podcasting is an effective means to highlight and celebrate the diverse stories that are happening all the time in our school communities. By planning, creating, editing and producing content for their listeners, student podcasters learn diverse skills while sharing relevant stories in a contemporary format that encourages in-depth, thoughtful conversations. Participants will hear from veteran student podcasters about how they became involved in podcasting and what they have learned, including listening to exemplar segments that highlight the inclusive voices of students, educators and partner organizations as they discuss their successes and learnings. Participants will try their hands at creating stories and reflect on implications for their respective school communities. The goal is for participants to feel inspired and empowered to support and develop podcasting clubs in their own schools. Any teacher curious about student podcasting is encouraged to join; all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Tim Ross, Claremont IHS

Building Community, Expanding Language Repertoires and Having Fun through Theatre

How do theatre, translanguaging, and fun intersect to help expand language repertoires and build community? In this fully immersive workshop, facilitated by the cast of the original play Volar, created by high School students at Pan American International High School, participants will explore together the potential of using theatre games for community building and language expansion with a translanguaging stance. In order to foster a productive creative community, theatre makers use games to set up the stage; this in turn fosters the creation of a community of love and learning. Participants will hear about the experience of these student artists, and will experience applied theatre activities that can be used across disciplines to build community and foster language use.

Facilitator(s): Helio Sepulveda and cast of Volar,PAIHS Emlhurst 

 

Creative Solutions - Cultivating Creativity in Students

Can creativity be taught? Creativity is an essential skill for future careers, and it can indeed be cultivated and encouraged in students. In this workshop, participants will explore strategies for helping students develop their creativity, and discuss how creativity is related to empathy. Participants will all discuss how to plan projects that allow students the opportunity to first decide which problems need to be solved, and to then come up with a creative solution. This workshop may be especially relevant for 11th and 12 grade teachers, but all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Michele Hamilton, IHS @ Lafayette

Experiencing the Internationals Approach

What is learning like in an Internationals Network classroom? In this interactive workshop, participants gain first-hand experience of what it is like to be a learner in a classroom conducted entirely in a language that is new to them. Participants have the opportunity to reflect on the experience of the two different lesson simulations and to look closely at several of the techniques the “teacher” used that were effective for them. This workshop can be a useful introduction to the Internationals Approach as it puts participants in the shoes of their students and helps participants gain first hand experience with strategies commonly seen in Internationals school communities.

Facilitator(s): Marguerite Lukes

**This workshop is now full** Introduction to K'iche Language and Culture

This workshop will be led primarily by students from IHS @ Lafayette who are native K’ichè speakers.  Participants will learn some of the basic history of indigenous languages in Guatemala, basic expressions, including greetings and school-related vocabulary, pronunciation of the K’ichè alphabet and some basic grammatical structure of the language. The workshop will include a choral reading of Margueritte’s Forest, a children’s book that touches upon the traditions and political history of a village in Quiche, Guatemala which has been translated into English, Spanish and K’ichè. Students and participants will discuss topics of inclusion and support for indigenous students. Students will take the lead as experts of their language and culture. Participants will walk away with a deeper appreciation for the language, culture and experiences of our indigenous Guatemalan students, a few words to elicit smiles from students, and an understanding of the basic grammatical structure of this language. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Melissa Nicolardi and Students: Hardy Macario Ixmata, Henry Rodriguez Yax, IHS @ Lafayette

Language and Content Integration

This workshop supports all teachers in becoming language teachers, regardless of the content they teach. This enables students to develop discipline-specific language in all content areas while deepening their knowledge of content, which is crucial in preparing students for post secondary success.

Facilitator(s): Andrew Sigal, Internationals Network for Public Schools

**This workshop is now full** Mental Health and Healing Practices for Teachers through Art Making

Participants who attend this workshop will experience art making as a tool to improve mental health awareness practices and emotional healing. Participants will have time to hear and discuss testimonials from artists and educators on how art-making has improved their lives and those of their students. There will be a balance of group and individual work, concluding with an open group presentation and constructive critique. Participants will learn personal practices to bring to students or to mentoring classes. Participants will also experience community-building techniques that can be transferred to their own contexts. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Ivonne Tejada, Crotona IHS

Project-Based Learning in Physical Education - A Yoga sample

How can project-based learning be embedded meaningfully into our physical education classrooms? In this interactive, collaborative workshop, participants will explore and review what project based learning (PBL) is, and discuss how PBL can be incorporated into physical education.  Participants will explore sample Yoga lessons and resources and then work in groups to create their own Yoga routines for presentations.  Finally, participants will discuss where and how this can fit into their own classrooms and how the PBL concepts can be transferred to other sports and class activities as well. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of how they can use Project based Learning in their classroom, and all P.E. teachers are encouraged to attend!

Facilitator(s): James Leung, IHS for Health Sciences

**This workshop is now full** Reading to Transgress: Close Reading Strategies for a Culturally Responsive Classroom

To read and to read with depth are two different things. In today’s world, everything is a source with information, but it takes a discerning eye to know which sources are reliable. How can we support students to not only make sense of but also bring a critical eye to texts in the world around them? In this interactive session, participants will experience and explore different close reading strategies that can be used to encourage students to read with depth. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect and discuss these strategies and will have time to consider how the strategies might be applied in their own contexts. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Stephanie Edwards,IHS @ Prospect Heights

**This workshop is now full** Recognizing and Responding to Mental Health Challenges with Immigrant Youth

Approximately 1 in 5 youth will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime. Students of immigrant backgrounds are at higher risk due to exposure to trauma, bullying, and/or acculturation stress. It is our duty to recognize and respond to these mental health challenges to get them the help they need. In this interactive workshop, you will learn about the warning signs of mental health challenges in school, trauma-informed strategies to foster trust with immigrant students, and how to develop relationships with immigrant families in a culturally-informed manner. This workshop is open to all professions!

Facilitator(s): Olivia Khoo,Columbia Teachers College

Recovering with Writing

Join us as we explore both the healing and community building role that creative writing can play in the classroom and our own lives! The main purpose of this workshop is for participants to experience first-hand a series of compelling writing activities that can be used with students, as well as giving participants a creative outlet to express themselves after years of isolation and challenges. Participants will take away a variety of writing activities to use in the classroom while also having time to process and heal through writing as a community. Self-identified writers as well as those new to the world of writing are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Leah Pascarella, Claremont IHS

Show Me Your Story: Amplifying Underreported Stories Through the Arts

Jane LawrenceHow can we bring journalism into the classroom and use the arts as a means to share news? In this interactive workshop, participants will explore a recent project that grappled with this very puzzle and discover transferable ideas that can be applied to their own classrooms. By analyzing a project that asks students to 1) explore news stories supported by the Pulitzer Center and witness how the visual arts is used to communicate global underreported stories, 2) create their own visual response using woodblock printing to focus their visual art skills to tell a stories of people, flora and fauna, crisis and celebration, and global voices that deserve to be amplified, and 3) document their work in progress by using video reflection and analysis, participants will walk away with a host of ideas about bridging news, story-telling, and the arts. Participants will be able to discuss the process, view the student work, and unpack ways to transfer concepts into their own classrooms. While art teachers are especially encouraged to register, all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Jane Lawrence, Manhattan IHS

Solving Problems (the math kind)

In this collaborative, exploratory workshop, math teachers will come together to share ideas, have fun, and dream up possibilities. Each participant is asked to bring a fun math problem, and participants will have time to hear about, engage with, and solve these problems together. Participants will discuss and share protocols for presenting, writing up, & possibly using these problems for Portfolio or Performance-based Assessment Tasks (PBATs). This is an opportunity for math teachers from across Internationals to have fun, do math, & share resources, problems, & protocols that can be applied directly in class. While ideally suited for math teachers or staff who evaluate math portfolios/PBATs, anyone who wants to work on math problems is welcome to attend!

Facilitator(s): Jay Pirani-Mellstrom, Brooklyn IHS

**This workshop is now full** Student Menus for Student Voice and Choice

Scaffolding for our students is essential to our work, but sometimes this can lead to a lack of student voice or repetitiveness of projects. Sentence starters can over-guide student thinking and paragraph frames can lead to the same structure again and again. One simple solution to this problem is implementing student menus. Student menus provide students with options and strategies for a given task so that they don’t have to remember everything, or rely too heavily on working memory so that they can reach higher-order thinking without the usual obstacles. In this workshop, participants will draft their own student menus after looking at examples and seeing how they are used in student work. We will see how student menus can be used to help guide student thinking, writing, and analysis without relying on the typical scaffolds, allowing for more diversity in thinking and projects. The focus of the workshop is on student voice and choice which allows for a diversity of thinking and perspectives. A community should grow and learn from one another, and student menus provide a vehicle for that to happen. Participants will leave with at least one menu that they can use with their classes, and an understanding of how this tool can be used to support instruction. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Marc McEwan, Claremont IHS

Student Voice in Verse: Poetry in the Multilingual Classroom

Poetry is an ideal tool for celebrating identity, strengthening community, and elevating student voice in a heterogeneous multilingual classroom. This workshop presents protocols for writing, revising, and presenting student poems, with a particular focus on poems to express selfhood and advocate for equity. Participants will examine sample student work and enact parts of the poetry writing process. Participants will come away with concrete strategies for incorporating poetry into their classes as well as a deeper appreciation of the many ways in which poetry empowers everyone. The strategies for teaching poetry highlighted in this workshop present careful scaffolds that also make space for individual voice and creative expression so that all students are positioned as poets. Participants will walk away with protocols for writing, peer review, and presentation of poems, all of which foster connection and community among students with diverse language skills and cultural backgrounds. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Becky Gould, International Community HS

Team Building

What activities and processes can help strengthen teams in our school communities? In this interactive workshop from our partners at Ramapo for Children, participants will come together to joyfully and authentically connect, play, problem-solve, and strengthen their leadership and communication skills. By participating, educators will learn activities that can be used in their own learning environments to strengthen teams as well as their own participation in those teams. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Sasha Elias, Ramapo for Children

Trauma Informed/Healing Centered Skills to Support Relationship Building

Relationships are the center of the work we do and build community. This workshop will help participants recognize how they can use a multitude of skills at school to help students heal and learn and feel safer at school, which ultimately can help to build community. The workshop will focus on learning and reinforcing various trauma-informed/healing-centered skills at school which foster relationship building, including de-escalation skills and mindfulness. Participants will learn how they can use the power of relationships and positive techniques to help students who may be reactive in class or need space to heal. They will gain the skills to help students calm down in a positive way to help avoid harmful behaviors and foster community building. Participants will also use storytelling, modeling a restorative justice-relationship based framework, to share their own expertise and practices with trauma-informed teaching and learning. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Elena Sullivan, Brooklyn IHS

PM  Sessions — November 8, 2022

Acting Up: Using Theatre of the Oppressed to Reimagine Our Worlds, Together

This workshop will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of Theater of the Oppressed and explore how to engage students using this method. The workshop is brought to you by 12th-grade teachers who have created an interdisciplinary humanities course titled Power, Identity, and Equity (PIE). The team has worked with students to create performances that center the experiences and needs of young people and bring them into conversation with community members and decision-makers to explore solutions to the problems they face through Theater of the Oppressed. Participants will come away from this workshop ready to employ techniques from Theater of the Oppressed in their schools/classrooms, whether in the form of short-term activities or long-term projects. Educators will work together to brainstorm problems they face in our community and will use Theater of the Oppressed/Forum Theater to explore solutions together as a community. Groups of teachers from the same school are encouraged to attend if they plan to develop an interdisciplinary project like the one that will be shared in this session. Though the workshop may be best suited for teachers of Humanities and Arts, all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Shahzia Pirani-Mellstrom, Sheila Aminmadani, Brooklyn IHS

Applying the Internationals Approach to my Context

This session is designed for principals and district leaders who are new to the Internationals Approach and visiting from districts across the country. Participants will dive into the Internationals Essential Practices, discuss their school visit and morning workshop, and analyze the opportunities and challenges of bringing these practices back to their district.

Facilitator(s): Genna Robbins, Internationals Network for Public Schools

Building Community, Expanding Language Repertoires and Having Fun through Theatre

How do theatre, translanguaging, and fun intersect to help expand language repertoires and build community? In this fully immersive workshop, facilitated by the cast of the original play Volar, created by high School students at Pan American International High School, participants will explore together the potential of using theatre games for community building and language expansion with a translanguaging stance. In order to foster a productive creative community, theatre makers use games to set up the stage; this in turn fosters the creation of a community of love and learning. Participants will hear about the experience of these student artists, and will experience applied theatre activities that can be used across disciplines to build community and foster language use.

Facilitator(s): Helio Sepulveda and cast of Volar, PAIHS Elmhurst

 

**This workshop is now full** Collaboratively Interacting With Text

How can we support students to collaboratively rehearse and develop the skills for argumentative and persuasive writing? With the return of the ELA Regents exam, and the evolving needs of our students, it is important for us to think through how our supports leverage community and collaboration. In this workshop, participants will explore ways that students can collaboratively interact with texts, select quotes, and develop an argument essay without isolating from their peers on Google Docs. This workshop will combine an overview of strategies with an opportunity to walk through a sample text and collaboratively develop claim and evidence together. While designed primarily for educators who support students in preparing for the NY ELA regents, the skills and strategies explored in the session will be relevant for anyone supporting a class that develops argumentative writing.

Facilitator(s): Wesley Hoffman, IHS for Health Sciences

 

**This workshop is now full** Creating a Brave Space for Young Women

This workshop is designed to help educators strategize on how to create a community for young women in their communities. This workshop will highlight a program used in one Internationals Network school which provides young women the opportunity to meet each other from different grades and diverse backgrounds. This initiative fosters spaces where young women support each other and feel confident to discuss deeply personal issues and experiences. The workshop will include a Student Panel to illuminate the experience. Participants will take away ideas for how to implement their own, similar program and create a space where young people can feel a sense of belonging. Any person interested in creating a space for young women to build their confidence and encourage them to speak about issues that matter to them are encouraged to attend, and — although the example initiative explored in the workshop is limited to working with young women — this workshop is also open to any person looking to create a brave space for a variety of target groups.

Facilitator(s): Yanira Roman, Tania Mohammed, Manhattan IHS

**This workshop is now full** De-escalation: Techniques for Responding In The Moment

Conflict happens in all communities, including schools, and our ability to address those conflicts is crucial to creating an environment safe for learning and relationship building. While tools such as restorative practices are pivotal in processing events and repairing harm after the fact, how can we best respond in the moment when tensions run high or an argument takes place? How can we show up in a way that demonstrates compassion and care without compromising the safety of ourselves or others? In this workshop, participants will explore how this topic intersects with adolescence and the immigrant experience, hear from an experienced mediator, learn the tell-tale signs of imminent tension, and rehearse valuable de-escalation techniques that help young people create the space within themselves to achieve peace and security for both them and their community. Participants will walk away feeling more comfortable and confident in responding when tension or arguments take place in front of them, increasing their capacity to de-escalate volatile situations in a calm, humane and effective manner. Participants will have the opportunity to role-play scenarios and will have time to consider how these ideas can be transferred to real-life contexts. All are welcome.

Facilitator(s): Mariano Munoz, IHS @ Prospect Heights

**This workshop is now full** Developing and Structuring Learning Outcomes

In this workshop, participants will walk through the process of developing and structuring learning outcomes and review some of the research that leads to adopting outcomes. The process of creating learning outcomes can be done in various ways, and participants will work together to create strong, clear learning outcomes for their units. Knowing how learning outcomes are connected to learning activities and assessments is essential. If learning outcomes are not aligned with assessments, students will question why they must do a task. In the end, students might have learned something, but it may not be what was intended! Most Internationals schools in NYC work with outcomes or similar approaches; therefore, as a result of this workshop, educators newly acclimating to the internationals model will feel welcome and be able to discuss outcomes with their teacher team openly. Participants will walk away feeling more confident in how to discuss and create outcomes aligned to their units. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Gerard Gomez,PAIHS Monroe

Developing Community Agreements

How can we create meaningful community agreements in our schools, classrooms, and teams? From our partners at Ramapo for Children, this interactive workshop offers participants an opportunity to learn how to create, teach and reinforce clear and meaningful expectations and community agreements with young people and staff that keep everyone safe, incorporate youth voice, and support school goals and values, as well as the importance of making them part of daily life in a school community. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Sasha Elias, Ramapo for Children

Extending the Drama Warm-up

How can concepts from drama help strengthen all content classrooms? In this interactive workshop, participants will engage in Drama Warm-ups and develop ways to extend the strategies to content areas other than Drama. Drama Warm-ups build community with everyone involved. These strategies are a way to be playful, while skills of collaboration, focus, concentration, quick thinking and decision making are enhanced. Participants will learn how to connect warm-up activities to their own content classes and walk away prepared to more bring play, interactivity, and community building into their community.

Facilitator(s): Lilly Welsh, Flushing IHS

Hands-On Geometry Creations

Make math practical and beautiful by using Geometric constructions as a springboard to create string designs or Islamic-motif-inspired art with your students. Students enjoy these projects and improve skills from measurement and counting to visual-spatial skills, logic, sequencing, and justification of their process. These student-choice-driven, hands-on projects naturally have rich possibilities for peer-to-peer interaction and relationship-building in the math class as students help each other do everything from measuring string to consulting on their process together. Participants will walk away from this session with the skills and resources to implement these projects in their own classrooms. Math teachers who have access to a class set of compasses and a week or two to try something new with constructions are encouraged to attend, but anyone interested in using geometric constructions in their class is welcome!

Facilitator(s): Lindsay Hubert, Brooklyn IHS

**This workshop is now full** Recovering with Writing

Join us as we explore both the healing and community building role that creative writing can play in the classroom and our own lives! The main purpose of this workshop is for participants to experience first-hand a series of compelling writing activities that can be used with students, as well as giving participants a creative outlet to express themselves after years of isolation and challenges. Participants will take away a variety of writing activities to use in the classroom while also having time to process and heal through writing as a community. Self-identified writers as well as those new to the world of writing are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Leah Pascarella, Claremont IHS

Show Me Your Story: Amplifying Underreported Stories Through the Arts, afternoon

How can we bring journalism into the classroom and use the arts as a means to share news? In this interactive workshop, participants will explore a recent project that grappled with this very puzzle and discover transferable ideas that can be applied to their own classrooms. By analyzing a project that asks students to 1) explore news stories supported by the Pulitzer Center and witness how the visual arts is used to communicate global underreported stories, 2) create their own visual response using woodblock printing to focus their visual art skills to tell a stories of people, flora and fauna, crisis and celebration, and global voices that deserve to be amplified, and 3) document their work in progress by using video reflection and analysis, participants will walk away with a host of ideas about bridging news, story-telling, and the arts. Participants will be able to discuss the process, view the student work, and unpack ways to transfer concepts into their own classrooms. While art teachers are especially encouraged to register, all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Jane Lawrence, Manhattan IHS

Storytelling to Build Community

In this PD teachers will explore using live, first person narratives in the classroom. Personal stories help students build confidence speaking, develop listening skills, and allow students to create strong connections with each other. Storytelling can be used in ELA and social studies disciplines, and is a useful tool in an advisory as well. This workshop with familiarize teachers with storytelling prompts, techniques, and scaffolds. And yes, we will be sharing stories.

Facilitator(s): Alex Porter, IHS for Health Sciences

**This workshop is now full** Strengthening Parent Engagement in Schools

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore strategies and techniques that can be utilized in fostering parent and family engagement in schools. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about a recent successful initiative that has engaged families at PAIHS Elmhurst. Participants will take away concrete strategies to bring this work to life in their own school community. The goal of this workshop is to engage members of the school community to feel competent in helping families gain critical information, build relationships between families at the school, and provide a space for families to express their concerns and needs. All are welcome to attend as we are all key members to assure family engagement becomes an essential part of our schools.

Facilitator(s): Karla Pina, Katherine Villalobos, PAIHS Elmhurst

Sustained Inquiry, Student Voice and Choice, and Social Justice in PBL

This new workshop digs deep into key elements of strong projects – sustained inquiry and student voice and choice – with a lens into how these criteria foster explorations of social justice and support students in exercising agency and autonomy. We’ll read, we’ll share, and we’ll work together so that all participants feel more confident in strengthening these elements of project-based learning.

Facilitator(s): Andrew Sigal, Internationals Network for Public Schools

**This workshop is now full** Teaching With Games

Welcome to the Teaching With Games Workshop! Video games and tabletop games are rife with educational potential, but are very rarely implemented in our classrooms in meaningful ways. This workshop will focus on how “entertainment” games that our students are already playing can be utilized as educational resources. This workshop will tap into many of our students’ background knowledge regarding games. As most of our students play games in some capacity, bringing games into the classroom aids in their ability to access new content, skills, and language. Participants will leave with a large number of potential activities and lesson plans to start teaching with games in their classes. This workshop is especially suited for Social Studies, ELA, and Advisory teachers, but all are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Zack Hatzman, ELLIS

TCIS: Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Strategies

What tools can help us sustain healthy communities where all feel welcome and safe? In this interactive and collaborative workshop, participants will explore and discuss behavior support techniques, including proximity, redirection and distraction, managing the environment, active listening, and emotional first aid. Participants will walk away with tools to help create a trauma-sensitive environment where both young people and adults feel safe — and are safe. Participants will discover and explore methods to proactively prevent and/or de-escalate potential crisis situations, as well as methods to process a crisis event with young people to improve their coping strategies. Teacher’s looking to build deeper relationships with all of their students and to have a bigger tool box for doing so are encouraged to attend. All are welcome!

Facilitator(s): Nayib Gomez, Lynetta Sullivan, Crotona IHS

The Core Principles of the Internationals Approach

This workshop allows participants to explore the Core Principles of the Internationals approach: Heterogeneity and Collaboration, Experiential Learning, Language and Content Integration, Localized Autonomy, and One Learning Model for All. Participants should walk away with an idea of how these principles are applied in schools across the network.

Facilitator(s): Mireia Rothman-Simon, Internationals Network for the Public Schools

**This workshop is now full** Unprecedented Times: Supporting Our New Neighbors

Are many of your students new arrivals adjusting to the classroom while worrying about their home life? Are you wondering how to support them? Information is power! In this workshop, you will learn about the different forms of immigration humanitarian relief available to recently arrived families. We will explore different scenarios and arm you with timely information to share with your students. When you leave this workshop, you will know how to ensure that your students obtain the resources they need to navigate their new home. Bring your questions, we have answers!

Facilitator(s): Dorian Rojas of Vols, Volunteers of Legal Service

By coming to one of the above Internationals events,  you give consent to Internationals Network, the use of my name, photograph (includes screenshots), video, audio, or other recording and comments for the promotional and/or educational purposes of Internationals Network. I understand this consent includes but is not limited to use of such materials in press releases, publicity materials, organization social media platforms, organization newsletters, organization website, organization slide shows, and audio/video presentations. I understand that my likeness may be reproduced or created digitally or transformed into an electronic format to which the general public may have access. I further understand that Internationals Network is unable to exercise control over the persons who may view and copy (“download”) my likeness and the uses to which such persons may put such information. It is understood that photographs or recordings may be taken at any time during any Internationals Network-related activity. It is agreed that I may inspect or view these materials upon request while they are in the possession of Internationals Network.