Leila is the 2020 Ohio Teacher of the Year, 2020 National Teacher of the Year Finalist, 2021 NEA Horace Mann Award Recipient, and 2020 National Toyota Family Teacher of the Year.

Research supports inserting brain breaks (physical activity) into lessons or between lessons in the classroom to help students make connections and retain information! In this session, we will briefly discuss the research behind brain breaks and follow up with participation in several brain break activities! You will leave with tools and resources to help you implement brain breaks the next day in your classroom! What is usually last on a teacher’s list to make time for? Teacher self care! Let’s explore easy ways to implement some self-care strategies to help you manage the demands of teaching in an ever-changing environment!

How can we plan to meet the diverse needs of learners within standards-based lessons? Students acquiring English are diverse in their backgrounds, educational experiences, and abilities. So, how do we meet the needs of students with such wide-ranging profiles? This session will focus on how to identify the critical needs of your students, choose evidence-based practices and strategically plan lessons to ensure you’re teaching tip to tip: from building the base background knowledge and skills, integrating individualized scaffolding and supports, and building skills within the standards step by step and stretching the lesson beyond for those who need it. Using high-impact lesson design features like these ensures that all learners receive just-right instruction and grow skills over time.