On-site: Finding Your Voice to Take a Stand: Dialogues, Debates and Discussions that Inspire Students to Create Positive Change

What are the best practices for meaningful civil discourse in the classroom and how can you ensure that each student leaves your classroom confident in the power of their own voice? Workshop participants will examine the differences between debates, discussions and dialogues and will explore models that they can incorporate into their classroom discussions of challenging topics. These models will emphasize the development of individual voices and agency.  Powerful edtech tools that can help structure and support these discussions will be featured. 

Guest Speakers:

Shawn McCusker is an author and Senior Director of Professional Learning at EdTechTeacher. He has 25 years of experience as a teacher and leader in public, private and alternative schools.  Shawn is the author of Becoming Active Citizens, winner of the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Award for Education. As an expert in technology integration his lessons and student products have been featured in the Journal, Educational Leadership, and the Huffington Post. In 2006, he was recognized as a finalist for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2016 he was named a Top Trailblazing Educator on Twitter by eSchoolNews. He is a keynote and featured speaker at conferences across the US.

Emily McCusker earned a B.A. in History from Lake Forest College. Her studies focused on museum studies, sociology, and social justice. She interned with Chicago History Museum and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and currently works at the McLean County Museum of History as the Director of Youth & Family Education. She is a past board member of the Project XV Museum. In 2022 she was named a McLean County “Woman of Distinction” for her work and her efforts to include accessible transportation options and membership for lower-income families. 

Workshop Includes:

• Classroom Resources
• Breakfast and Lunch
• 5 Clock Hours/CPDUs