Post-Eighteenth Annual Meeting Update
Thank you to all of our Participants, Project Directors, Partners, and Supporters for helping make this year's Annual Meeting a great success!
Eighteenth Annual Meeting Video
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Post-Eighteenth Annual Meeting Links
Online Schedule
An Online Schedule for the TRC Eighteenth Annual Meeting is now available. Attendees can view, print, and create a personal schedule of favorite sessions to check out.
Keynote Speaker
Representative Rob Eissler
Chairman, Public Education Committee
Texas House of Representatives
Chairman Rob Eissler was first elected to represent Montgomery County and House District 15 in the Texas Legislature in November of 2002. In 2007, he was appointed Chairman of the Public Education Committee where he later earned a "Top 10 Best Legislators" honor from Texas Monthly for his work on education reform and accountability.
Rob has spent a 26-year career dedicated to the schoolchildren of Texas. For 18 years he served on the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees, including two terms as President. His tireless work reforming public education and our school's accountability system have helped place Texas at the nation's forefront in public education. His work has been honored by the Texas Council of Special Education Administrators, the Texas Foreign Language Association, and the Texas Association of Business, which awarded him with the Champion for Free Enterprise Award three times.
Pre-Meeting PDA — Understanding by Design
Tuesday, June 26 - Wednesday, June 27
Understanding by Design (UbD) is a framework for improving student achievement. Emphasizing the teacher's critical role as a designer of student learning, UbD works within the standards-driven curriculum to help teachers clarify learning goals, devise revealing assessments of student understanding, and craft effective and engaging learning activities. During this two-day Introduction to Understanding by Design, participants will identify the elements of good design and explore what it means to teach for understanding as they begin to experience the power of UbD in crafting curricular units that align standards, assessments, and learning activities. [ More Information ]
Kick-Off Luncheon: Teaching and Mentoring Awards
Wednesday, June 27
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
The TRC Eighteenth Annual Meeting will Kick-Off at noon on Wednesday with a luncheon honoring six outstanding TRC teachers for excellence in teaching and mentoring. Awards are sponsored by TRC corporate and foundation partners and given each year to a select group of educators nominated by their Project Directors for exceptional leadership and student support.
Opening Luncheon Photos
Awards Photos
Showcase, Reception, and Dinner
Wednesday, June 27
Showcase and Reception
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
The Showcase and Reception features Math and Science Education displays and demonstrations from around the state along with complimentary refreshments.
Dinner and Program
7:00 p.m.
Representative Rob Eissler will be the keynote speaker. The program will also include the presentation of the TRC 2012 Distinguished Service Award.
General Sessions
- Thursday, June 28, 8:00 a.m.
- State of Mathematics and Science Education
- Irene Pickhardt
- Statewide Science Coordinator
- Texas Education Agency
The past year has witnessed many exciting changes in science and mathematics education. New science online instructional materials were adopted and used in classrooms. Rigorous curriculum standards in mathematics have recently been adopted. End-of-Course exams were required for the first time. Come hear about how you can join forces with TEA to help students succeed in math and science.
- Thursday, June 28, 12:45 p.m.
- Crafting Creative Thinkers: The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking
- Edward B. Burger, Ph.D.
- Professor, Williams College & Baylor University
What will our students remember long after they have forgotten the quadratic formula, how to solve for "x", and how atoms are recombined in a new substance due to chemical change? Here we celebrate the real prize in teaching: inspiring students to be imaginative and creative within mathematics & beyond. Our celebration will highlight explicit skills and methods that allow us to foster the joyful pleasures of creative thinking while still preparing students for the stressful reality of standardized exams.
Edward Burger is Professor of Mathematics and Lissack Professor for Social Responsibility and Personal Ethics at Williams College and Vice Provost for Strategic Educational Initiatives at Baylor University. He is the author of over 35 research articles, 12 books, and 15 video series.
Featured Sessions
- Friday, June 29 9:30 a.m.
- Understanding by Design (UbD)
- Grant Wiggins, Ed.D.
- President
- Authentic Education
Grant Wiggins is the President of Authentic Education in Hopewell, New Jersey. He earned his Ed.D. from Harvard University and his B.A. from St. John's College in Annapolis. Grant and his AE colleagues consult with schools, districts, state and national education departments on a variety of reform matters. He and his colleagues also organize conferences and workshops, and develop print and Web resources on key school reform issues.
Grant is perhaps best known for being the co-author, with Jay McTighe, of Understanding By Design, the award-winning and highly successful program and set of materials on curriculum design used all over the world; and of Schooling by Design. Grant will present during a live technology supported session on Friday, June 29, between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. as part of this year’s TRC Annual Meeting.
Leadership Sessions
- Wednesday, June 27, 2:30 p.m.
- Administrators' Forum
- Gonzalo Salazar - Los Fresnos ISD, Esmeralda Carr - East Central ISD, Russell Larson - Pflugerville ISD, Cayla Cielencki - Amarillo ISD, Carol Fletcher - TRC
What are the benefits of participating in the TRC? How are other districts leveraging their TRC teachers to lead district-wide improvement in science or math instruction? What additional resources and opportunities are available to TRC teachers and districts? These and other questions specific to school administrators will be answered in this discussion of how school districts can use the TRC to achieve their instructional goals. Campus and district administrators from TRC schools across the state will share their experiences and answer your questions.
- Friday, June 29, 8:00 a.m.
- Science Leadership Session:
- TRC Resources for Hands-On Biology Lessons
- Sara Flusche, Lisa Bellows
- North Central Texas College
The TRC has funded the development of a Biology Lab Manual for Texas in collaboration with North Central Texas College. This manual outlines various resources and activities that can be used to meet the Biology TEKS. It will be available by download free of charge to all TRC members. This session will provide an overview of the lab manual and an opportunity for Project Directors to share ideas for its use with TRC teachers and suggestions for future versions.
- Friday, June 29, 8:00 a.m.
- Mathematics Leadership Session:
- Understanding the Role of Teachers' Math Knowledge
in the TRC Professional Development - Debbie Junk, Cynthia Lima
- TRC
How do we know we are making an impact on students’ mathematical success in Texas schools? What is the role of teachers’ mathematical knowledge and how can we measure it, and interpret the results to inform our programs? These and other issues about teachers’ mathematical knowledge will be discussed in the context of Texas Regional Collaboratives mathematics professional development programs. Come prepared to share your experiences around this issue. Recent data from TRC math programs will provide the foundation for the discussion.
Second Annual Shell Geoscience Fieldtrip
Thursday, June 28
The Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin will host the Second Annual Shell Geoscience Fieldtrip. Teachers will be participating in an afternoon symposium on Energy, Engineering and the Environment. The symposium will be hosted at the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department and will feature faculty and researchers from both the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Jackson School of Geosciences. The program is sponsored by The University of Texas at Austin, Shell, the STORE Alliance and the TXESS Revolution.
Vendor Fair and Reception
Thursday, June 28, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Attendees are invited to meet and mingle with STEM education vendor representatives who will have products and information on display.
- Vendors in Attendance:
- CPO Science
- Delta Education
- DynaStudy, Inc.
- Fisher Science Education
- Integral Mathematics, Inc.
- LAB-AIDS
- National Science Teachers Association
- PASCO Scientific
- Rice University STEMscopes
- Science Kit
- SmartSchool Systems
- Supporting Science, Inc.
- Vernier Software & Technology
All Times/Events subject to change
This page will be updated as information becomes available, please check back regularly to get see the latest updates and additions.
