Workshops
Ungrading in the Language Classroom and Beyond
Workshop Presentation
Lori Mesrobian,
Evgeny Dengub
During this workshop participants will: a) reflect upon their own grading and assessment practices; b) discover what ‘ungrading’ is and how it is implemented in actual classroom/course; c) identify ungraded changes they can implement in their own class; d) learn how to change their syllabi to incorporate the ungrading approach. Participants will learn how ungrading can lead to a more student-centered classroom where student learning improvement and success is emphasized over learning outcomes.
From Toxic Individuality to Interdependence: Empowering Youth Agency, Leadership, and Connection through the Power of 'Yes, And'
Workshop Presentation
Amy Sparks
This workshop explores how embracing the principles of improvisation, particularly the "YES, AND" approach, can foster creative problem solving, collective agency, leadership and build trust within educational communities and organizations. Improvisation, with its emphasis on thinking on one's feet and active listening, enhances communication skills vital for success in both personal and professional spheres. Participants will engage in interactive exercises aimed at honing active listening, promoting collaboration, and challenging the status quo. By fully embracing the "YES, AND" mentality, individuals will learn to build upon each other's ideas, thereby strengthening interpersonal and team relationships. The workshop aims to cultivate an improv mindset among participants, fostering creativity, flexibility, and empathy crucial for effective leadership. Through this experiential learning approach, attendees will develop durable skills to become more authentic, agile, and dynamic leaders. Ultimately, the workshop seeks to inspire and connect teams while fostering creative problem-solving within organizations. Key themes include interdependence, collaboration, trust, effective communication, and openness to change and innovation. Learning Objectives include: Eperiment with interactive exercises to enhance active listening, setting others up for success, challenging the status-quo, and confidently stepping outside of our comfort zones; Embrace the concept of “YES, AND” to build upon the ideas of others in an effort to strengthen interpersonal, team, and organizational relationships; Develop an improv mindset to increase your creativity, flexibility, empathy, and effectiveness as a leader; Sharpen essential durable skills to become a more authentic, agile, and dynamic leader Inspire and connect with your teams as well as foster creative problem-solving.
