Our Planning Team for the upcoming Deeper Learning conference is very excited to have had a great response to our request for proposals! We have exceptional leaders coming from many places across North America to share their learning and lead attendees into new understandings. We have organized our conference around five strands shown below. Our confirmed workshop leaders and their topics appear below each of the strand descriptions.
Whether you are just a bit frustrated with stale learning experiences, interested in exploring what deeper learning could mean for your school, or if you are already doing some implementation, you will have time and opportunity to learn from the very best Christian educators leading the workshops below. Check out these possibilities!
Curriculum – What should we teach? How does our school mission come alive through our curriculum choices? How do we use standards as a vehicle for encouraging students to generate solutions to real world problems? How do we support students in discovering truth and gaining knowledge through God’s word and His creation?
- Dan Beerens, Dan Beerens Consulting, CACE Senior Fellow – Connecting the Dots in Curriculum Development: Lifetime Take-Aways, Standards, and Faith-Learning Integration
- Rebekah Concepcion – ELA Teacher, Doulos Discovery School, Dominican Republic – Using Custom Made Curriculum as a Discipleship Tool
- Justin Cook, Director of Learning, Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools, Hamilton, ON and Steven Levy, consultant, InspirED, Arlington, MA – Purpose, Engagement, and Beautiful Work
- Darryl DeBoer, CACE TfT Fellow, Director of Learning, Surrey Christian School, Surrey, British Columbia – Leading Change – Sustaining a School’s Journey into Deeper Learning Practices
- Darryl DeBoer, CACE TfT Fellow, Director of Learning, Surrey Christian School, Surrey, British Columbia – Exploring the TfT Model
- Danae LeMoine, Consultant, Phoenix, AZ, and Robyn S. Baker, Director of Curriculum at The Rock School, Gainesville, FL – Creating a Culture of Exploration
- Joanna Levy – Principal, New Covenant School – Writing the Lives of the Elderly
- Darren Spyksma – Director of Learning, Society for Christian Schools in British Columbia – Competency Focused Learning
Instruction – Are the ways we teach reflecting biblical principles? How can we plan learning experiences that honor, engage, and challenge all students? How do we teach knowledge and skills in the context of serving our community and our God?
- Harry Blyleven, Executive Director, The Christian Teachers Academy, Hamilton, ON and Mike Riezbos, PBL Residency Director, Abbotsford, BC – Don’t Just Do Professional Development – Experience Professional Development!
- Darryl DeBoer, CACE TfT Fellow, Director of Learning, Surrey Christian School, Surrey, British Columbia, and Justin Cook, Director of Learning, Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools, Hamilton, ON – Sharing and Imagining Stories of Christian Deeper Learning
- Sara Espinoza, Spanish Teacher, San Marcos Academy, Wimberley, TX – Five Simple Activities to Encourage Critical Thinking in Any Classroom
- Sara Espinoza, Spanish Teacher, San Marcos Academy, Wimberley, TX- Two Birds with One Stone: Effective Professional Development that Fosters Christian Community
- Helen Glasier, Middle School Team Leader/Teacher, and Kristen Stuart, Principal/Teacher, Mt. Zion Christian Schools, Manchester, NH – The Brain He’s Made
- Kristyn Kamps, National Faculty Member, Buck Institute, Kentwood, MI – Growth Mindset and Today’s Learners
- Mike Riezbos, PBL Residency Director, Abbotsford, British Columbia – Utilizing Authentic Community Connections to Live out our Mission & Biblical Worldview
- Steven Levy, consultant, InspirED, Arlington, MA – Instructional Practices to Engage All Students
Assessment – How can we use assessment to help students learn, grow and take responsibility for their own progress? How do we strike a creative balance between challenge and support? Do we offer a variety of ways for students to show what they can do and to encourage their gifts?
- Justin Cook, Director of Learning, Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools, Hamilton, ON – God’s Handiwork, Made to do Beautiful Work: Models, Critique, and Revision
- Cary Mae Jacobsen, Assistant Principal, Our Lady of Lourdes School, Richmond, VA and Robyn Dahl, Religion Coordinator, Our Lady of Lourdes School, Richmond, VA – How Learning Targets Can Lead to High Quality Work
- Danae LeMoine, Consultant, Phoenix, AZ, and Robyn S. Baker, Director of Curriculum at The Rock School, Gainesville, FL – Creating a Culture of Excellence
- Steven Levy, Consultant, InspirED, Arlington, MA – Engaging Students Through Assessment
- Dave Mulder, Assistant Professor, Dordt University, Sioux Center, IA – Formative Assessment and Feedbacking for Flourishing
- Jessica Moulding, Founder/Director/Teacher – Arbor Christian Academy/Teach Beyond, San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic – Assessment Made Simple
- Patrick Pace – Social Studies Teacher, Red Oak Middle School, Red Oak, NC – Biblical Integration in Microcosm: A Bite-sized Foretaste of a Biblically-integrated Unit
Spiritual and Community Formation – What and how should we celebrate? How do we define our Christian values and move them from the posters on the walls into the minds, hearts, and behaviors of our students? How do we equip the next generation of leaders to think and act biblically?
- Amanda Albright, Faith Integration Coach, Bellevue Christian School, Bellevue, WA – Faith Formation as Faculty Development
- Justin Cook, Director of Learning, Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools, Hamilton, ON – Creating Classroom Communities of Engagement and Belonging through Responsive Classroom
- Robyn Dahl, Religion Coordinator, Our Lady of Lourdes School, Richmond, VA and Cary Mae Jacobsen, Assistant Principal, Our Lady of Lourdes School, Richmond, VA – The Power of a Common Christian Language
- Dr. Beth Green, Cardus Institute – Hamilton, ON – Testing the Road to Character in Learning Organizations
- Kristyn Kamps, National Faculty Member, Buck Institute, Kentwood, MI – Creating a Collaborative Culture
- Joanna Levy – Principal, New Covenant School, Arlington, MA – From Chart to Heart
- Jim McKenzie – Headmaster, The Rock School, Gainesville, FL – Change Leadership: A Case Study of the Rock School’s Transformation
- Deb Roberts, Principal, Annunciation Catholic School, Denver, CO – CREW Culture, Character and Faith
- Darren Spyksma – Director of Learning, Society for Christian Schools in British Columbia- Creating a Collaborative Culture: A Call Placed on All Christian Communities
- Darren Spyksma – Director of Learning, Society for Christian Schools in British Columbia – Pedagogy as Faith Formation
- Marjorie Sutherland, Vice Principal, Curriculum and Program Development, Woodland Christian High School, Woodland, ON – Enfolding Lives, Engaging Learners, Equipping Leaders: From Vision to Vitality
- Dr. Lynn Swaner, Director of Thought Leadership, ACSI, Colorado Springs, CO – Deepening Student Learning by Cultivating Faculty Culture
- Symeon Van Donkelaar, Artist/Educator, Hamilton, ON – Connecting to God’s World through Color
Learning Spaces – How do we design learning environments that invite students into the story of God? How do we use learning spaces that inspire students and open them to new ways of working and creativity?
- Peter Baldwin, President, AMDG Architects – Outdoor Learning
- Peter Baldwin, President, AMDG Architects – Visible Mission
- Bill Latham, CEO, ALEP – Meteor Education – Building a Vision & Framework for Success: How to Support Educators in Transforming and Leveraging their Teaching Practices & Environments
- Katie Gerety, past Coordinator of Instruction and Curriculum, Doulos Discovery School, Dominican Republic – At First Sight—An Inviting AND Functional Classroom
- Brandon Hillman, ALEP, MeTEOR Education – Transformative and Modernizations with a Plan and a Purpose
- Joanna Levy – Principal, New Covenant School, Arlington, MA – Sacred Spaces
- Chad Wallace, Accidental Landscape Designer, LandVisions, Tyler, TX- Big Space on a Small Budget
- Krista Wallace, Consultant, InspirED, Tyler, TX – Using the Outdoors as a Teaching Tool
We invite you to participate in this exciting event!
- We have an early bird rate for single attendees of $199 until November 15.
- We also have an early bird discount available for a 2 attendees rate until November 15 of $299. We are hopeful that at least two or more persons can attend from a school and we encourage schools to take a leadership team.
- You can register for this conference here and access more information about flights, hotels, and the Gainesville area here. If you need more information, you can reach us here. We hope to see you there!
