Forum Presentation
Presenting Professional Learning: Exciting or Stressful?
Does presenting get you exhilarated or give you hives? Presenting is more than just delivering content; it’s about helping participants construct learning. In this highly interactive session, participants will learn the qualities of effective presenters and practice non-verbal and verbal strategies to build credibility and rapport with a group. Participants will explore the importance of designing professional learning sessions including components such as “connectors” and “debriefs” to activate and deepen learning. They will learn about the invaluable skill of effective presenting, receive protocols that guarantee active and engaged participants, and walk away with numerous strategies that can be used immediately!
Presenter Biographies
Betsy Fox, Senior Director of Early Learning Partnerships with New Teacher Center, is responsible for developing relationships with organizations and districts working to disrupt educational inequities through improving educational experiences for young children. In addition, Betsy leads NTC’s early learning leadership work. She has been a teacher and learner for the past four decades, working in preschools as well as K-8 schools. After earning degrees in Early Childhood Education and Educational Administration and Supervision, Betsy has worked in various roles (preschool and elementary teacher, instructional coordinator/coach) and a leader of both preschool and elementary schools. She has been a national trainer specializing in social-emotional learning, early learning, literacy and leadership and has developed early learning workforce and quality improvement programs designed to provide quality experiences for children. In addition to working with teachers and coaches through training and coaching, she has worked for more than 15 years with leaders to enhance their leadership knowledge and skills. She believes strongly that the combination of strong teaching and visionary leading helps create the best possible learning opportunities for children.
Katherine Powell is a Program Consultant at the New Teacher Center. She has worked as a teacher, administrator and coach in East San Jose for the past decade at both public and charter schools. Katherine strives to ensure high-quality outcomes for all students by supporting teachers to meet the diverse academic and social emotional needs in their classrooms. She currently works with pre-kindergarten, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade teachers in the Franklin-McKinley School District. Her work centers on the training and coaching of teachers to implement the Teaching Pyramid Model to support students’ social emotional skills. She is excited to be a part of such vital work to equip our students with the skills they need to be successful in school and life.