Independent Schools Association of the Central States

Academy for Exceptional Teachers

Thursday, February 18 – Friday, February 19, 2010

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Tentative Agenda

(as of December 9, 2009. Check periodically for updates at

Hotel Allegro

171 West Randolph

Chicago, IL

Day One - Thursday February 18, 2010

A Day with Ian Jukes, InfoSavvy Group

9:30Registration Opens

10:00 Introduction/Welcome, ISACS Staff

10:15-12:00 Living on the Future Edge

In a world where change is the constant you can't trust your eyes because what you see will be replaced tomorrow. You think your eyes are showing you reality, in fact, they are showing you history. The only way to see the reality of a world on the move is to look for global trends. By carefully examining the significance of several global exponential trends, this presentation profoundly challenges your fundamental assumptions about the world we live and the future that awaits us.

The presentation begins by examining the culture of TTWWADI (That's The Way We've Always Done It) and considers the role of TTWWADI in our unconscious assumptions about schools and learning,

It then explores global exponential trends and considers the effect these trends are having (and will have) on our lives both personally and professionally; and considers how they will affect our children, our learning institutions, the nature of teaching and learning, and even our definition of intelligence.

With this as a context, the presentation then examines how these changes will affect the classroom, the curriculum, learning, instruction, evaluation and assessment. It identifies the shift in curriculum and thinking necessary to equip students for success in the 21st century, and discusses what this signifies for education, specifically in terms of our staff development models.

How can schools prepare students for this ever-changing world? Perhaps by developing an instructional and learning strategy that simultaneously focuses on content and 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, information and technological fluency, useful failure, project-based learning and meta-cognitive skills needed to survive in the culture of the 21st Century.

It then examines the big question. How do we effectively engage learners so that they can not only perform exceptionally well on state exams, but also simultaneously learn the critical twenty-first century literacies needed to excel in both school and life?

It then takes a pragmatic look at traditional teaching practices, considers why they are becoming increasingly out of sync with our rapidly changing world; and identifies several principles and processes that transcend the new technologies.

Participants will come away from the presentation with a clear understanding of how to meet both their curricular goals, as well as prepare students to meet the new realities of the 21st Century. Included is an overview of the 7-layered curriculum model (content, process, tools, school to career, school to community, school to home, and contiguous assessment) as well as a variety of resources to support the transition to this new model. Participants should come prepared to have many of their present assumptions about education challenged. Counseling will be provided.

This is truly a twelve aspirin presentation.

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:15 Understanding Digital Kids Part I

Today's world is not the world we grew up in; and today's world is certainly not the world our children will live in. Because of the dramatic changes our world has undergone, today's digital kids are not the students our schools were designed for; and our students are not the students today's teachers were trained to teach.

This keynote examines the effect digital bombardment from constant exposure to digital media has on digital kids in the new digital landscape and considers the profound implications this holds for the future of education. What does the latest neuroscientific and psychological research tell us about the role of intense and frequent experiences on the brain, particularly the young and impressionable brain?

Based on the research, what inferences can we make about kids' digital experiences and how these experiences are re-wiring and re-shaping their cognitive processes? More importantly, what are the implications for teaching, learning and assessment in the new digital landscape?

How can we reconcile these new developments with current instructional practices particularly in a climate of standards and accountability driven by high stakes testing for all? What strategies can we use to appeal to the learning preferences and communication needs of digital learners while at the same time honoring our traditional assumptions and practices related to teaching, learning and assessment?

Participants should prepare to have their assumptions about children and how they learn seriously challenged.

2:15 – 2:30Break

2:30 - 3:30Understanding Digital Kids Part II

3:30-5:15 Time to Recharge

Participants are urged to use this time to visit museums, read, shop, rest, chat, reflect, exercise, or engage in any activity that would be helpful in “catching your breath.”

5:15 Group Dinner and Evening Entertainment

**Please be prompt! Meet in lobby of Hotel Allegro for transportation to/from evening activity.**

Participants should gather in the lobby of the Hotel Allegro for transportation to Adobo Grillfollowed by Second City Comedy Theater.The cost of dinner, the Second City Comedy Theater and transportation to/from the evening activity are included in the registration fee for The Academy. You have the choice of attending the dinner and SecondCity, dinner only or SecondCity only.If you plan to attend any of the evening activity, please select from the choices during online registration. Pre-registration is required.

  • Dinner Location: The Adobo Grill, 1610 N. Wells Street; Dinner at 5:30 pm
  • Evening Entertainment: The Second City Comedy Theatre (seated at

7:30 pm), The theater is just steps from Adobo Grill.

Day Two – Friday, February 19, 2010

A Day with Pat Bassett, President of National Association of Independent Schools

8:00ContinentalBreakfast and Conversation

8:30 -11:30 The Right-Brained Future

Pat Bassett will present on the theme of "right-brained" creativity, rooted in ideas from Daniel Pink's book A Whole New Mind, exploring the implications for teaching and learning in 21stcentury schools. He will examine the six core competencies of our right-brained future and illustrate exercises related to each: design; story; symphony; empathy; play; meaning. The generative question to be addressed: “What will be the skills and values that the 21st century will demand and reward, and how will independent schools teach them?”

(Break at 10:15 am)

11:30-12:30Buffet Lunch

12:45-2:55Conversation with Pat Bassett

  • What motivates teachers?
  • By what criteria should teachers be evaluated and compensated?
  • How do we create a career path and leadership opportunities for teachers?

3:00 The Academy Concludes

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