Genius Hour has become a powerful entry point for student voice and choice in the classroom, but how do we move beyond passion projects to rigorous, standards-aligned learning experiences? This interactive 50-minute session will guide educators in transforming traditional Genius Hour into high-impact project-based learning. Participants will explore practical strategies to scaffold student inquiry, increase academic depth, and align projects with meaningful learning goals. Through hands-on activities and real classroom examples, attendees will leave equipped to design and implement enriched Genius Hour experiences that foster critical thinking, creativity, and sustained engagement.
Discover strategies to support students with ADHD, Autism, and other neurological differences by utilizing executive functioning (EF) coaching to boost engagement and academic success. Join a collaborative brainstorming session focused on developing an EF coaching program for at-risk students within your school. This session offers a chance to network with professionals dedicated to assisting neurodivergent learners. Participants will gain insight into how EF coaching can address and mitigate differences in executive functioning that impact learning and participation.
What happens when an APS LCE Language Specialist and a High School Teaching & Learning Coach move beyond parallel work and become true processing partners? This session highlights how one APS high school leveraged that partnership to transform data talks, 90-Day Plan writing, and instructional decision-making in service of bi-multilingual students. Grounded in the WIDA 2020 ELD Framework, the Marco DALE framework, and a biliteracy lens, we share how data-embedded ELD and intentional biliteracy development were integrated into site-based coaching cycles and collaborative data talks. Participants will examine how longitudinal analysis of EL student data across the APS system informed targeted supports, program design, and instructional planning. Learn how protected collaboration time, shared inquiry, and aligned systems work can dismantle silos, strengthen equity-driven practices, and center students’ linguistic and cultural assets in meaningful, sustainable ways.
