Deeper Learning 2026

What if students could be more engaged because they understood what you were assessing—and why? How do we keep middle schoolers truly invested in their learning? In this workshop, educators will explore how authentic, collaborative assessment—when connected to real-world challenges and student interests—can transform classroom culture and deepen learning. We’ll examine a middle school project that sparked curiosity, built essential skills, and led to meaningful work, while highlighting how student voice and choice played a key role in both the process and the assessment. Discover how inviting students into the assessment conversation can make their thinking more visible, foster ownership, and drive deeper engagement. You will leave the workshops with tools, strategies, and inspiration to co-create learning experiences that matter—to you and your students.

In Crafting Hope in Challenging Times, diverse participants from across the educational ecosystem are invited to engage in a shared, reflective experience focused on how today’s social and political dynamics are felt and lived in schools. Blending design thinking, narrative inquiry, and accessible hands-on making (no artistic background required), participants will translate lived experiences into small quilt-square artifacts using mixed media as metaphor, assembled into a collaborative installation representing collective experience, hope, and imagined change. In a moment of heightened polarization, the session treats craft as a tool for connection, sense-making, and pedagogical imagination.

Lunch is included in each deep dive.
LUNCH MENU
Greek Salad (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Cannelini Bean & Pasta Salad (Vegan)
Lemon Basmati Rice (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Mediterranean Spiced Chicken (Gluten-Free)
Tahini Dressing
Falafel (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Roasted Vegetables   Lemon Bars & Baklava

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.