Presented by Julie Stern, Professional Learning Facilitator, Education to Save the World; and Maria Arfanakis (Galanis), K-8 Innovation Curriculum Specialist, Deerfield Public Schools District 109 (IL)

Sponsored by Breakout EDU

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Educators are eager to create 21st-century skilled, self-directed learners—but what needs to be in place for that to be successful? How can educators move from classroom learning that is unconnected from students’ lived experiences and create opportunities for students to use their skills and knowledge to lead their learning?

In this edWebinar, educator and researcher Julie Stern and edtech expert and educator Maria Arfanakis will discuss how schools can shift their focus from teaching to the standards to teaching for learning transfer. The presenters will share more about what learning transfer is and how educators can use it to design equitable learning experiences that are meaningful and engaging. Educators will learn how the right instructional moves, such as discussion-focused collaborative games, create a perfect conduit to harness students’ prior learning and experiences, move students toward expertise, and improve students’ social-emotional learning.

The conversation will address the practical steps educators can take to move from a teacher-controlled to a student-led classroom, how leaders can encourage their staff to prioritize the instructional behaviors that maximize student learning while preparing students to tackle the complex challenges in their careers, and how centralizing learning transfer has the power to transform schools into vibrant laboratories of learning and problem solving.

This edWebinar will be of interest to teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders of all grade levels. 

About the Presenters

Julie Stern is passionate about synthesizing the best of education research into practical tools that support educators in breaking free of the industrial model of schooling and moving toward teaching and learning that promote sustainability, equity, and well-being. She is the best-selling author of Learning that Transfers, Visible Learning for Social Studies, and Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Elementary and Secondary. She is the thought leader behind the global workshop series Making Sense of Learning Transfer and is a certified trainer in Visible Learning Plus. She is a James Madison Constitutional Fellow and taught social studies for many years in Washington, D.C. and her native Louisiana. Julie moves internationally every few years with her husband, a U.S. diplomat, and her two young sons.

Maria Arfanakis (Galanis) is an educator living in Chicago and working in the north suburb of Deerfield. Her journey in edtech began in 2001 as a middle school tech coordinator, which evolved into tech coach, and then iCoach. Currently, she is the K-8 innovation curriculum specialist in her school district helping introduce, integrate, and support innovative learning practices. She received an M.Ed in curriculum and technology because she loves what tech can bring to learning, connecting people, and the world. When she thinks of her ideal focus in education, she wants it to FOSTER, ELEVATE, and INSPIRE CURIOSITY and WONDER. At the same time, she wants to ENJOY it all. She focuses on the positive and believes that everyone has the ability in them to be great in their own way.

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Founded in 2015, Breakout EDU empowers educators to bring active learning to lessons through fun educational puzzles. Played by millions of students worldwide, Breakout EDU offers kit-based and digital games that span every grade level to foster students’ academic and social development. Our standards-aligned games help develop students’ 4C and SEL skills and are available in core subject areas such as Math, ELA, Science, History, and general topics, such as holidays, team-building, and more everyday play.