2026 Engage Learning Conference

2026 Engage Learning Conference

9:45am CDT

Many Ages, All at Once: Supporting Asynchronous Development in Gifted Learners (Grades K-8)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Join us for "Many Ages, All at Once: Supporting Asynchronous Development in Gifted Learners," a 30‑minute session that explains why gifted students can show advanced thinking alongside lagging skills in other areas. Participants will explore the neuroscience behind brain development timing and learn to recognize asynchronous development in gifted students. Leave this session with classroom-ready strategies to support uneven growth across cognitive, emotional, executive, social, creative, and motor domains.

Speakers

KATIE MEYERPETER

Beth Freeman

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 221

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

Math as a Language: Facilitate Learning Through the 8 Student Mathematical Practices (Grades K -5)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Our purpose is to help guide mathematics instruction by treating math as a language — explicitly teaching vocabulary, making time for math discussions, and routines that make the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice effective to mathematicians of any age! Attendees will leave with real classroom examples of implementation and ready-to-use guides to help students explain, reason, and generalize with confidence.

Speakers

Anna Gray Joyner

Becca Pigg

Second Grade Teacher, Crestline Elementary

Becca Pigg is a 12-year educator who currently teaches second grade. She has had experience with teaching first and third grades as well. With a Master’s in Education with a focus in Elementary Education and background in working with many students in inclusion classroom and struggling... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 219

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER: Make Excellence the Norm: Strengthening Tier I Instruction Across Every Classroom (Grades K-12)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Make Excellence the Norm is an energizing, classroom-centered session focused on strengthening Tier I instruction so more students succeed the first time. Grounded in research form high-performing schools and filled with real examples from everyday classrooms, this session explores what it takes to align expectations, sharpen practice, and create consistency across teams.

Speakers

Allyson Apsey

Director of Client Relations, Creative Leadership Solutions

Allyson Apsey has been an award-winning principal and passionate educator for over 27 years. Having served as a teacher and principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, she has a unique perspective on the full spectrum of student development and school improvement... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Band Room

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER: Teach Thinking, Not Tactics (Grades K-12)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

This session explores strategies for helping students learn how to think rather than just what to do. Participants will discover ways to design lessons that promote critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and independent decision-making, equipping students to apply knowledge in any context.

Speakers

Mark Gibson

Assistant Principal, Smyrna Primary School

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 207

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

Using Building Thinking Classrooms in Grades K-2

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

This session will inform and empower early elementary teachers in using the structures and routines developed in Peter Liljedahl's book, Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics. Teachers might think that the problem solving, routines, and structures described in Building Thinking Classrooms work best in upper grades; however, participants will see how K-2 students can benefit tremendously from tackling rigorous problems on whiteboards in collaborative groups. Participants will see how students grow in their ability to problem solve, persevere, and apply math concepts and skills. Students also learn to share, to work well together, and to have productive mathematical discussions. Participants will experience the problem-solving process using the routines and structures described in the book, gain access to Building Thinking Classroom lessons created by teachers and math coaches, and learn how to begin using these lessons in their own classrooms.

Speakers

Shannon Millhouse

Jill Vaughan

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 204

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

From Classroom to TED Stage: Amplify Your Ideas and Your Students' Voices

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 11:45am CDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Please note this is a two-hour session.

TED is coming to the Engage Conference and bringing a film crew! Join the TED-Ed team and learn how you can create a TED-style talk and be a TEDx speaker. During this session, you will have the opportunity to be a part of a special video filmed and created by the TED team to be highlighted on the main TED stage. You will interact and learn from previous TEDxYouth@MBJH speakers and team members and discover how your "ideas can change everything".

Participants will have an opportunity to learn presentation skills, develop their own talk, Step into a one-of-a-kind professional learning experience with The Idea Workshop, led by the team from TED-Ed. Designed for educators, this highly interactive session guides participants through the powerful process behind crafting, refining, and sharing ideas that matter.

Rooted in the storytelling framework used in TED Talks, The Idea Workshop helps you uncover your core message, clarify your thinking, and shape ideas into compelling, meaningful narratives that resonate with others. Along the way, you’ll engage in reflection, collaboration, and practical exercises that build confidence in communicating ideas with purpose and impact.

Participants will also experience student talks and explore how to support students in developing stronger ideas and communicating them effectively. This exclusive ENGAGE experience offers a rare opportunity to learn directly from the TED-Ed team—and to walk away with not just inspiration, but practical strategies to elevate student voice and storytelling in your classroom.

Speakers

Athena Lao

Senior Program Manager, TED-Ed

Athena Lao is a Senior Program Manager at TED-Ed, where she co-leads the development of a global professional learning program supporting educators in sharing their best ideas with the world. Her career spans teaching, college counseling, consulting for school districts and nonprofits... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 9:45am - 11:45am CDT
Black Box

Instructional Design, Student Engagement

10:50am CDT

Exemplary Exit Tickets: Taking the Guess Work Out of Instruction (Grades 3-12)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Incorporating exit tickets into classroom practice offers a strategic approach to achieving clear instructional goals. By utilizing exit tickets, educators can gather immediate feedback on student understanding, allowing them to sort data efficiently and inform intentional planning. This method facilitates targeted instruction by highlighting areas where students excel or struggle, enabling teachers to adjust their strategies accordingly. As a professional development tool, exit tickets support continuous improvement in teaching practices, fostering an environment where data-driven decisions lead to enhanced student outcomes and more effective classroom management.

Speakers

Charity Motquin

Instructional Supervisor, Tanner High School

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT
Room 218

Instructional Design

10:50am CDT

Promoting Discourse and Productive Struggle in the Intermediate Math Classroom (Grades 3-9)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

What if real math growth happens when students are thinking out loud and productively wrestling with challenging ideas? In this engaging session, educators will explore practical, ready-to-use strategies that foster rich mathematical discourse, encourage risk-taking, and normalize struggle as part of learning. Through modeled routines and classroom-tested protocols, participants will gain concrete tools to shift the focus from answer-getting to reasoning, justification, and collaboration. Leave ready to build a math culture in which perseverance and deep thinking drive achievement.

Speakers

Catherine Byram

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT
Room 116

Instructional Design

10:50am CDT

SPOTLIGHT SPEAKERS: Less Talk, More Action: Connecting Results to Practices (Grades K-12)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

We often experience lots of talk about academic improvement, and ideas are tossed around as possible steps to address the problem, and then…nothing happens. We dive into new initiatives only to have them fizzle quickly when the next round moves in. It is time for less talk and more action. By using a three-step model of Challenge-Practice-Results for professional learning, we link student results to educator practices.

Participants will explore the concept of “Try-In instead of Buy-In,” learning how changes in beliefs follow experience, not persuasion. We will discuss the difference between clinical research and classroom-based action research and how educators can systematically test strategies in real time to improve learning, behavior, and attendance. Using real scenarios and real-time data, participants will identify a specific student challenge, select an aligned instructional or organizational practice, and determine measurable indicators of success.

Throughout the session, participants will actively engage in collaborative problem-solving, structured data analysis, and planning conversations modeled after effective PLCs, They will also leave with a completed sample implementation template and a drafted action plan ready to use in their classroom, school, or district.

Key takeaways include:
• Understanding how action research differs from traditional initiatives
• Using “Try-In” experiences to shift beliefs and practices
• Linking student outcomes directly to educator actions
• Identifying measurable indicators of success before implementation
• Leaving with a ready-to-implement action plan and template

The 3-step model of Challenge – Practice – Results increases teacher collective efficacy, strengthens PLC conversations, and leads to sustainable improvement because practices, not programs, become the driver of results.

Speakers

Emily Freeland

Director of Development, Creative Leadership Solutions

Emily Freeland, Ed.D. has over thirty-two years of experience, including administrative positions at the state, district, and school levels, as well as teaching science. Much of her work has been concentrated in schools identified as underperforming, where she supported the implementation... Read More →

Allyson Apsey

Director of Client Relations, Creative Leadership Solutions

Allyson Apsey has been an award-winning principal and passionate educator for over 27 years. Having served as a teacher and principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, she has a unique perspective on the full spectrum of student development and school improvement... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT
Band Room

Instructional Design

1:00pm CDT

Changing Math Mindsets Creative Math in Motion (Grades K-8)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Limited Capacity seats available

If you are looking for help, or strategies, to help students feel confident in math and no longer be afraid of making mistakes- this session will provide those strategies for you! If you are looking for activities to get students up and moving to do the math- this session will provide those activities for you! This session will share, in action, strategies I have learned and applied from the book: Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12, by Peter Liljedah. I will share a practice I do in my classroom called "Quint Groups". This idea originated from my previous math coach, Shannon Millhouse. With the help from my math coach and strategies from BTC, I have created a variety of classroom activities and strategies I would love to share with you. I have created my own version of Quint Groups to have order and follow a routine so that students get up and move while doing their math, but without the chaos. Students are truly engaged and LOVE my Quint Groups. It builds their confidence and their ability to defend their math. This session will provide you with recourses, activities, strategies, and ideas you can implement in your classroom the very next day.

Speakers

Mica Nichols

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 114

Instructional Design

1:00pm CDT

Create a Community of Problem Solvers with Word Problem Workshop (Grades K-5)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Solving word problems and applying math concepts and skills are typically the most challenging areas of math for students. This session will provide teachers with valuable instructional routines and structures that will help them build a true community of problem solvers. The primary resource is Word Problem Workshop by Mona Lehl which describes in detail these five routines: Launch, Grapple, Share, Discuss, and Reflect. We will discuss how to find the "just-right" problems that meet students where they are and also offer them a chance to stretch; how to run effective small groups around solving word problems; and how to track student progress. Participants will spend time evaluating student work to decide which students they would ask to share their work and why. Participants will also look at student work to determine next instructional steps. Participants will leave informed and equipped to effectively start these routines in their own classrooms.

Speakers

Shannon Millhouse

Katherine Stubblefield

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 101

Instructional Design

1:00pm CDT

Creative Writing in Every Classroom: Practical Routines for Any Content Area (Grades 3-12)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Creative writing isn’t “extra”—it’s a powerful tool for deep learning in every subject. In Creative Writing in Every Classroom, participants will experience low-prep, content-driven routines that work in math, science, history, electives, and beyond—without turning class into ELA. Teachers will try strategies as learners, then adapt them to their own standards, from math story studios to history one-act plays and science narratives. Leave with a ready-to-use routine menu and a simple implementation plan that boosts rigor, motivation, and authentic understanding across disciplines.

Speakers

Andrew Cotten

Teacher, Mountain Brook Schools

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 221

Instructional Design

1:00pm CDT

Elevate Your Classroom! Strategies to Increase Engagement (Grades K-2)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Have you ever felt stuck in a rut with the way you run your classroom? You're not alone. It is easy to simply run on auto-pilot with the ever growing and looming to-do lists we seem to accumulate in education. If you are looking for some fresh ideas to switch up your routines and increase engagement, we invite you to join us for a spark session where we will share techniques and strategies we learned from some well known educators at the Elevate Your Classroom Conference in June 2025. Attendees will leave with ideas to try in the coming school year as well as a list of resources that have helped us bring more energy into our daily lessons.

Speakers

Julie Cox

First Grade Teacher, Mountain Brook Schools

Jane Harvey

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 107

Instructional Design

1:00pm CDT

Strong Together: Blending Speech, Occupational Therapy, and Teaching to Support the Whole Child in Early Childhood Classrooms (Grades K-2)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Limited Capacity filling up

What if therapy and instruction weren’t separate—but seamlessly aligned? In this powerful interdisciplinary session, an occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, preschool special educator, and parent share how to embed motor, language, regulation, and academic supports directly into everyday classroom routines. Through practical examples and real-life insight, participants will learn how to design environments and lessons that integrate therapeutic strategies into literacy, math, centers, and transitions. Walk away with ready-to-use tools and a whole-child framework that strengthens collaboration, maximizes instructional time, and improves outcomes for all learners.

Speakers

Claire Lampkin

Elizabeth Gwaltney

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 219

Instructional Design

2:05pm CDT

Unlocking the Potential in Your PLC (Grades K-12)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:05pm - 3:05pm CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Looking for ways to be more responsive in your instruction? A professional learning community (PLC) is the next step in impacting your practice. Collectively, our experiences as educators are far greater than an individual's efforts. Work through the four essential questions for a PLC, and begin your next school year with actionable steps to work toward a goal. Participants will start small with identifying key standards, creating formative assessments, and sharing data in an efficient way.

Speakers

Johnna Noles

Cameron Gorham

Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:05pm - 3:05pm CDT
Room 220

Instructional Design

2:05pm CDT

What's Going On Up There?: The Teenage Brain and How We Can Work With It (Grades 6-12)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:05pm - 3:05pm CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

This session translates current neuroscience about the adolescent brain into practical classroom strategies so educators can better engage and support teenagers. After a quick myth‑busting opener and short video visuals of neural wiring, attendees will learn key concepts—neurons and neurotransmission, dendritic growth and pruning, long‑term potentiation, limbic vs. prefrontal development, dopamine’s role, and teen sleep biology—and leave with concrete practices such as retrieval practice, spaced review, explicit scaffolding, emotion‑calming techniques, and sleep‑aware scheduling. Participants will gain confidence explaining accurate brain science to students and caregivers, implement at least two immediately usable strategies to strengthen learning and reduce conflict, and receive a curated list of resources and a one‑week action plan to try in their classrooms.

Speakers

Ginny Bakken

Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:05pm - 3:05pm CDT
Room 116

Instructional Design

2:05pm CDT

Wired to Play: Brain Science Every Early Childhood Teacher Should Know (Grades K-2)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:05pm - 3:05pm CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Play isn’t a break from learning—it’s how young brains are built. In this engaging, research-based session, early childhood educators will explore accessible neuroscience insights (drawing from Not Just Cute, Little Brains Matter, and Early Childhood and Neuroscience) and discover why play is the foundation for executive function, language, and long-term academic success. Through reflection and a hands-on redesign activity, participants will apply brain-based principles to create developmentally aligned learning experiences. Leave equipped to confidently design powerful play—and clearly communicate its value to families and administrators.

Speakers

Sarah Richardson

Teacher, Mountain Brook Schools

Kelsey Frey

Tuesday June 9, 2026 2:05pm - 3:05pm CDT
Room 111

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

From Reluctant to Ready: Engaging Upper Elementary Readers (Grades 3-8)

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity filling up

The purpose of the session will be to share ways that classroom teachers have structured their reading blocks and designed experiences to engage reluctant upper elementary readers. Intended to increase a love of reading in students who may typically be hard to reach, this session will showcase proven methods that promote student choice. Participants will learn about how to entice readers to try new genres, encourage peer conversation about texts, develop morphological vocabulary skills, and think deeply about texts and their authors. A variety of culminating projects and their rubrics will be shared with participants.

Speakers

Hannah Powell

5th Grade Reading

Katie McMahon

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 107

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

Kickstarting a Confident Writing Workshop: Lessons from Smekens’ Institute Ignite to Write (Grades K-5)

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Master the core strategies for teaching writers at the start of the year to establish a daily writing block that balances instruction, practice, and feedback. Explore ways to increase student engagement, overcome common challenges, and cultivate independent writers through routines that sustain momentum.

Speakers

Kate Beidleman

Teacher/Robotics Coach, Mountain Brook Schools

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 219

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

Supporting World Language Teachers’ Success: Building Pathways to Achieve the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy (Grades 6-12)

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity seats available

This presentation provides Alabama World Language teachers with practical strategies to support World Language Learners on their pathways toward biliteracy and the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy. Participants will explore three key pathways for students in alignment with state guidelines, examine case studies, and engage in reflection and collaborative planning. By the end of the session, teachers will have actionable strategies to integrate into their classrooms and guidance on partnering with EL programs and counselors to ensure equitable access to biliteracy opportunities.

Speakers

Teresina Vazquez Aguilar

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 101

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

The Art of Engagement: Integrating Content to Motivate Our Youngest Learners (K-2 Teachers)

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Teaching is both a science and an art. While the Science of Reading, Literacy act and Numeracy act currently rule the day, let's not forget the art of a truly engaging "hook" to ignite curiosity and a passion for learning! In this session we will explore integrating content in big and small ways to motivate our youngest learners. Using our science and social studies standards/curriculum is a great jumping off point to plan integrated experiences for our students. Book clubs, book bundles, curiosity projects, purposeful play, room transformations, and even choice of writing tools will be some of the ideas we will cover. All of these are easily modified for any K-2 classroom.

Speakers

Cammie Eanes

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CDT
Room 114

Instructional Design

9:45am CDT

From Classroom to TED Stage: Amplify Your Ideas and Your Students' Voices

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 11:45am CDT

Limited Capacity filling up

Please note this is a two-hour session.

Step into a one-of-a-kind professional learning experience with The Idea Workshop, led by the team from TED-Ed. Designed for educators, this highly interactive session guides participants through the powerful process behind crafting, refining, and sharing ideas that matter.

Rooted in the storytelling framework used in TED Talks, The Idea Workshop helps you uncover your core message, clarify your thinking, and shape ideas into compelling, meaningful narratives that resonate with others. Along the way, you’ll engage in reflection, collaboration, and practical exercises that build confidence in communicating ideas with purpose and impact.

Participants will also experience student talks and explore how to support students in developing stronger ideas and communicating them effectively. This exclusive ENGAGE experience offers a rare opportunity to learn directly from the TED-Ed team—and to walk away with not just inspiration, but practical strategies to elevate student voice and storytelling in your classroom.

Speakers

Athena Lao

Senior Program Manager, TED-Ed

Athena Lao is a Senior Program Manager at TED-Ed, where she co-leads the development of a global professional learning program supporting educators in sharing their best ideas with the world. Her career spans teaching, college counseling, consulting for school districts and nonprofits... Read More →

Wednesday June 10, 2026 9:45am - 11:45am CDT
Black Box

Instructional Design, Student Engagement

10:50am CDT

From Brain to Behavior: Direct Instruction in Study Habits, Memory and Focus (Grades 6-12)

Wednesday June 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

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.

Speakers

Ginny Bakken

Ben Callaway

Wednesday June 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT
Library

Instructional Design

10:50am CDT

Relationships First: The Brain-Based Path to Student Ownership (Grades K-12)

Wednesday June 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

How do teachers engage students and build ownership? It begins with building relationships. Find out how through brain-based research that aligns with current best practice in conscious discipline. This session empowers educators to set the tone for their time with students beginning with mindfulness. Walk through the steps of a simple morning routine to identify basic strategies for well-being. Take a look at current brain research to dig deeper into how deep breaths, body movements, and positive affirmations help students move from the feeling state to the thinking state of the brain. Learn to offer choices that encourage rather than threaten, giving students opportunities to be successful. Leave with actionable strategies, go-to routines, and straightforward language that offers behavior-specific feedback and puts students on the path to taking ownership of their behavior and their learning.

Speakers

Johnna Noles

Kimi Blanton

Wednesday June 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:50am CDT
Room 111

Instructional Design

1:00pm CDT

Speakerly Fluency: Engaging Routines that embed Oral Language and Build Confident, Fluent Readers (Grades K-5)

Wednesday June 10, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

This session will equip teachers to assess students' fluency and build in routines that promote reading with expression, automaticity, rhythm, and smoothness in order to support comprehension. The routines and strategies can be used in the whole group setting, in small groups, with pairs of students, and also with individual students.

Speakers

Sammye Davis

Literacy Coach, Brookwood Forest Elem.

Wednesday June 10, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 220

Instructional Design