2026 Engage Learning Conference

Stop constantly chasing student screens and start creating a more intentional, relationship-driven digital learning environment. In this session, you’ll learn how to use Hāpara to support student focus while fostering trust and engagement in your classroom. Explore strategies that move beyond reactive monitoring to proactive teaching practices that keep students on track. We’ll also connect these approaches to the FOCUS Act, helping you align your instructional methods with expectations while maximizing learning time and student success.

This presentation seeks to give teachers the tools to directly instruct their students on how both in-class and study behaviors impact learning, and to provide evidence based strategies that all students can use to maximize their academic success. Teachers will walk away from the session recognizing the importance of directly instructing students on strategies and behaviors that have traditionally been left up to students to master on their own. Topics include a brief overview of the neuroscience of learning, note taking specifics designed for your class, a stepwise approach to deep processing (supporting working memory and semantic encoding), how brief retrieval practice activities can improve student performance, and practices to reduce distraction and increase engagement.  We plan to give teachers examples of how these strategies can be applied in the classroom immediately. 

Based on the text, Training Design, Delivery, and Diplomacy by Keith Young and Tamarra Osborne, instructional leaders, coaches, and administrators will learn a framework for building professional development for teachers. Participants will explore how to best design professional learning, deliver engaging experiences for adult learners, and navigate the interpersonal dynamics that determine impact. The session will also highlight insights and practical lessons learned from Madison City Schools’ implementation of this framework with their instructional partners.