Deeper Learning 2026

This workshop explores the question “How can an authentic audience make projects more meaningful and impactful for students?” Participants will examine how connecting student work to real audiences can deepen engagement, improve language development, and strengthen the purpose behind project-based learning. In addition to authentic audience, participants will also consider authenticity in general, discussing real-world tasks, inquiry and disciplinary thinking. After collaboratively analyzing a sample project, participants will reflect on their own project plans and consider ways to more intentionally design for authentic purposes and audiences.

Build a values-first story kit students will join: a clear story, tagline, and simple visual. Works for classroom projects, school culture efforts, or community partnerships. Learn a step-by-step process you can teach tomorrow to help students and staff communicate for impact. Leave with a completed workbook kit plus an elementary/middle/high adaptation guide.

In this hands-on workshop, educators and school leaders experience the Movement Communications Design Framework (MCDF) using a printed workbook and a simple peer-feedback protocol. You will move through four short sprints—Values, Storyboard, Visual Motif, and Tagline—then assemble your mini communications kit.

Bring a real initiative (class project, student-led effort, school-wide priority, or community campaign), or choose a ready-to-use prompt if you are starting from scratch.

What if your block was the best classroom you’ve never used? Drawn from the WPS Institute’s partnerships with urban schools in Massachusetts, this session introduces Neighborhood Walks as a powerful entry point into community-connected, place-based learning.

We’ll begin by engaging with student voices from Salem and Boston that highlight the learning, connection, and engagement that emerge when young people step outside the classroom. Participants will then experience a Neighborhood Walk near the conference site, guided by lenses such as Making a Living or Being in Community. Along the way, they will practice slow observation, photo documentation, and reflection protocols that scaffold student confidence for learning in the wider world. Together, we will identify the skills and mindsets students develop through these immersions and leave with tools to design neighborhood walks for their own schools and communities.

Note: This DL session also invites attendees from the National Summit on Improvement in Education to participate. Summit is a gathering and rallying point for a vibrant and diverse community of improvers who are working to create educational systems where all young people learn and thrive. In 2026, we're bringing together the powerful Deeper Learning and Improvement communities through select crossover sessions, culminating in a joint closing keynote. You are invited to dive deeper and make new connections at DL26. Check out our Summit and DL26 comparison to learn more.

In this workshop, you won’t just learn about social and emotional leadership skills—you’ll practice how to teach them. You’ll take part in activities that model strategies for helping students develop self-leadership skills like self-awareness, accountability, resilience, and integrity. Through focused protocols and collaborative exercises, you’ll experience how to guide students in building the skills for leading with others, including collaboration, communication, active listening, respect, and consideration. You’ll also design and test out lesson activities that encourage students to expand their leadership impact by cultivating visionary thinking, motivation, encouragement, and confidence. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with practical tools, ready-to-use strategies, and hands-on experience to bring back to your classroom.