NCTE Baltimore: Student-Directed Session

About the Presentation

“Here Us, Trust Us: Student-Directed Inquiry that Spirited a Year of Community and Curiosity”

When teachers trust students to lead learning experiences, classrooms dramatically change into inquiry-infused spaces of reciprocity and interdependence. In this roundtable session, spirited junior high students will share examples of their inquiry projects and offer ten protocols that you can use to create a student-directed community where curiosity, imagination, and heart are valued. Enjoy our open mic, hear dozens of book talks, meet authors (win a book), and be inspired!

• Saturday, November 23, 2019
• 4:15 pm – 5:30 pm
• Ballroom II
• Link to proposal

Roundtable Slideshow and Handouts

Roundtable 1:

• All Things Verse: Poetry Writing, Teaching, and Analyzing; Esme Arias-Kim and Jill Harvey
• Description: Poetry, a vital genre of writing, sparks philosophy and implements a deeper comprehension of verse. This presentation discusses the impact of literature and demonstrates three poetic methods students will love.
• Respondent: Erin Hart-Parke, University of South Florida
• Handout

Roundtable 2:

• Title: Vlogs: Invoking Inquiry and Analysis Through Speaking and Recording; Nina Gray, Sophia Widholm, Llyanna Mercado
• Description:  Introducing the weekly vlog: an eight-minute analysis presenting key ideas of a novel. This session will demonstrate the process of publishing a vlog, and the inquiry following with it.
• Respondent: Johnny Allred, University of Arkansas
• Respondent: Sarah Fleming, Syracuse University
• Handout

Roundtable 3:

• Title: Choice Reading: Educating Others on the Imperative of Choice as a  Learning Opportunity and Window to the World of Imagination; Harini Sivakumar and Lilia Williams
• Description: Choice reading promotes inquiry by introducing world issues and exploring realms of imagination. In this session, we’ll cover how choice reading affects activities like book discussions, reading habits, and interests.
• Respondent: Steffany Comfort Maher, Indiana University Southeast
• Respondent: Chea Parton, the University of Texas at Austin
• Handout

Roundtable 4:

• Title:  What if Grades Weren’t Based on Just Letters and Numbers, but Also the Voices of Students Themselves? The Guide to Embedding Student Feedback in the Grading System; Levyn Mathew, Pranav Aiyar,  Joshua Sutanto
• Description: When evaluating assignments, many teachers focus on the grade aspect, disregarding students’ willingness to revise. This interactive session takes a fresh view on grades, focusing on student feedback and inquiry.
• Respondent: Aimee Hendrix-Soto, the University of Texas at Austin
• Handout

Roundtable 5:

• Title: Open Mic: The World of Originality and Public Speaking While Sparking Creativity and Confidence; Grace Lee and Isabelle Zavilla
• Description: Presenters feel satisfaction from original writing pieces by soaking the applause of accomplishment. In this session, you will discern this concept, hear the importance, and partake in an interactive activity.
• Respondent: Lauren Wolk, author
• Handout

Roundtable 6:

• Title: Biographical Narratives: Writing Our Way to a Collaborative Community ; Prithika Devarajan, Joey Nuccio, and Abhi Bohra
• Description:  A community within the classroom creates rich learning. A meaningful method to build community is learning classmates stories. Hear students’  biographical narratives and how these build lasting bonds and respect for memories.
• Respondent: Michelle Mohr, Steeleville High School
• Handout

Roundtable 7:

• Title: Teacher For A Day Presentations: A Different Way to Teach Grammar; Gautham Velupally, Christian Taylor, Alexander Kim
• Description: Teaching grammar with traditional methods (like worksheets) just doesn’t help us with our writing processes. This session explores an innovative way to teach grammar: teacher-for-a-day (TFAD). We’ll demonstrate.  
• Respondent: Alice Hays, California State University
• Handout

Roundtable 8:

• Title:  Perfect Publication Party for the Precious Progeny made Projects; Farjad Hussain, Aditya Gupta, and Henry Oh
• Description: Imagine a class where students look forward to starting projects! You would have most of the students working hard and completing their great projects by complimenting others and eating cookies!
• Respondent: Jennifer Jacobson, author

Roundtable 9:

• Title: Writing Our Stories: How We Inquire Through Writing for 7 minutes; Nick Zimmermann and Pranaav Senthilkumar
• Compose for 7 sparks students’ creativity and makes them inquire into their minds to find the pieces they write. In this session, we will explain how this activity kindles inquiry.
• Respondent: Katie Sluiter, Wyoming Public Schools and Western Michigan University
• Handout

Roundtable 10:

• Title:  The Community Story Project: Bring Your Students’ Lives into the Classroom; Maya Utendorf, Sebastian Lara, Ben Sung
• Description:  Teachers meet their students, but they never meet the person behind the textbooks.  With this project, teachers and peers get to see a window to someone important to the student.
• Respondent: Steven Bickmore, University of Nevada, Las Vegas