Participants will use a graphic organizer to record their thinking as I describe a unit I taught in which students in grades 9-12 explored issues related to artificial intelligence. Students crafted op-Eds advocating for what we should do in our community about emerging technologies like driverless cars and facial recognition. As I describe the unit, I will highlight how I (1) kicked off the unit with a phenomenon that raised questions about convenience, safety, security, equity, and justice; (2) layered on texts and encouraged students to grapple with multiple perspectives on AI-related issues; (3) used routines and mentor texts to support students in crafting claims and connecting evidence to their claims; and (4) engaged students in processes of revision. Then, participants will work in self-selected groups to explore science/technology/society text sets on topics like lab grown meat and space debris. As they explore the text set, they will engage with a classroom routine to develop a compelling, debatable, defensible, and nuanced claim. Participants will share what they discovered as they explored the text set and wrote claims in their group and will reflect on how these text sets and routines might become part of their classroom practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about freely available text sets and classroom routines developed by teachers for supporting civically engaged argument writing about science and technology issues in society.

SPEAKERS:
John Smith (Chester A Arthur School: Philadelphia, PA)

Hexagonal Thinking ensures the learning environment features a high degree of student engagement by providing a framework for academic discussion where all students participate. Participants will collaborate with colleagues to experience Hexagonal Thinking using science and math content vocabulary and visuals that will then be used to synthesize information into a piece of critical writing.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn a strategy for making thinking, learning and content connections visible in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Yates (Aledo ISD: Aledo, TX), Miranda Rosenhoover (Aledo ISD: Aledo, TX)

Complete a distracted driving simulation and discover free award-winning videos, STEM activities, and real-world applications exploring science, engineering, and vehicle crashworthiness. Free lesson plans included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how scientific and engineering principles can be modeled in classrooms using crash science–related videos and activities to promote safer personal behaviors when riding in or driving a vehicle.

SPEAKERS:
Griff Jones (University of Florida: No City, No State), Pini Kalnite (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute: Arlington, VA)

Research shows many benefits of a maker-centered learning environment, however many teachers do not consider their classroom “maker classrooms” In this hands-on workshop, participants will see many different categories of making in an early years class, which allows participants to begin to reframe their view of their own classes. Through hands-on activities, participants experience a range of maker-centered learning activities which showcases how these activities can be used to develop problem solving and sensemaking for students, with built in modifications support MLL and students with special rights. Literacy development and formative assessments are also continuous threads in maker-centered learning as students learn and use language in the making process. Through observation and discussion of maker-made artifacts, and the processes leading to these artifacts, teachers can assess student understanding Furthermore, with many maker-centered activities, family and community connections are strengthened as students observe their own community, ask questions, and involve others outside of school in their making activities. Conference activities will be limited to portable, lightweight materials, with discussions and examples of different materials in action

TAKEAWAYS:
1) Discover new making opportunities to support sensemaking in your class while developing student skills in communication, collaboration as well as identifying and solving problems 2) Identify ways of integrating maker centered opportunities in your class planning, with specific attention to the early years 3) Observe different ways of bringing family’s funds of knowledge into a maker centered classroom

SPEAKERS:
Anne Lowry (Aleph Academy: Reno, NV)

Come learn how to teach in three dimensions and advance students’ scientific literacy by strategically applying the use of CERs and CEJs in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
After this session, participants will be able to identify opportunities for using CERs and CEJs to facilitate student discourse and discussion and apply what they have learned to their own classroom.

SPEAKERS:
McKenna Serowka (Lake Zurich High School: Lake Zurich, IL)