Schedule

Make learning stick with low-prep, research-backed strategies grounded in brain science. In this interactive session, educators of all levels and content areas will experience effective retrieval practice techniques firsthand and discover ways to lessen cognitive load. Explore strategies and tools to seamlessly integrate these techniques into instruction, and walk away with easy-to-implement ideas for lasting learning!

Unlock the secret to creating a dynamic, fully engaged classroom with Whole Brain Teaching! In this interactive session geared towards elementary school teachers, you’ll discover simple yet powerful strategies that will transform your everyday lessons into exciting, high-energy learning experiences. This session will provide you with practical tools you can immediately implement to boost student engagement and retention. Get ready to leave with a fresh approach that will turn your classroom into a collaborative masterpiece!

In this session, secondary science teachers will explore the power of phenomena-based learning to spark curiosity and deepen understanding. Participants will examine research on active learning and its connection to brain science and cross-cutting concepts. Teachers will learn how to structure an effective phenomena-based lesson, including its essential components. The session includes an interactive activity where participants engage with a phenomenon, research possible explanations, and create a poster to share findings. This hands-on experience is designed for both beginning and experienced educators, equipping them with practical strategies to make science instruction meaningful and engaging.

 In this session we will use the natural areas (meadow, forest, and aquatic) at the STEAM Center to explore phenomena in science, using the ideas of the design process in engineering that are built on the theory, practice and philosophy of biomimicry. We will be outside (weather permitting) learning, discussing, and developing lesson ideas to take back to your classroom in the Fall.

Hexagonal thinking is a unique way to inspire discussion among students because it encourages students to think critically about a topic or text. It is an excellent way to help students make connections between multiple ideas, themes, texts, or sources. In this session, teachers will participate in and see examples of various hexagonal thinking activities. For example, this year, the AP English Literature teachers at AHS used hexagonal thinking for the Frankenstein and Book Club units. Ultimately, the goal of this session is for educators to understand the power and simplicity of this strategy while envisioning how it might work in their classrooms. The possibilities are endless! 

In this presentation, we explore the power of building a collaborative math community where students are encouraged to actively engage in sharing their perspectives, thoughts, and ideas. We will demonstrate how technology can allow the teacher to monitor and select student responses, giving the opportunity to facilitate the connection of ideas between and among student solutions, developing a deeper mathematical understanding through meaningful discourse.

Join Tatiana Serna and Lisa Goff, teachers from LISD, as they demonstrate how to effectively integrate Cutthroat Classroom into your school. In this interactive session, participants will compete in the game while learning how to implement its various components in their own classrooms. This hands-on experience will show how Cutthroat Classroom fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and STEM skills. By the end of this session, you'll have the tools and strategies to bring this dynamic learning game to your students!

In this session you will learn 8 STEM Stations that can be differentiated for K-2 with imbedded content connections. We will explain the many ways STEM Stations can be integrated into your curriculum easily (Math Integration, STEM bins in the classroom, Investigation Stations in the Library and/or other Fine Arts). There will be a hands-on section of our presentation where teachers/administrators can interact with the materials, investigate and ask questions. This is a great opportunity for all teachers/administrators to gain insights into STEM in the early elementary setting and how it is not as daunting or time consuming as it might seem! 

Are your students ready to move to text-based coding? LEGO Education's SPIKE Prime can help you transition them from block-based coding to text-based coding with Python. Our hands-on, engaging approach to learning helps bring the coding experience to life through TEKS-aligned lessons and models that facilitate a seamless transition to this next stage of programming.  Join us to learn more about our Python API, four different use case scenarios for using it and the resources we have developed to help you take your students’ programming skills to a whole new level!   

 Designed for all teachers and administrators, whether at the elementary or secondary level, the session supports educators in cultivating mindful teaching that aligns with how the brain learns best. Attendees will leave with practical tools to foster a reflective culture in their classrooms and schools.

Computational thinking is crucial to creative problem solving, and learning to code is a great way to develop these skills.  Kaibots are screen-free manipulative coding devices controlled by scanned command cards.  They can be used across content areas, beginning in Kindergarten.  While the basic materials are a starting point for elementary students, older learners can move on to block coding with Blockly or Python using the same robot.  Join us to learn more about these robots though hands-on free exploration as well as team challenges.  Great for teachers, librarians and administrators K-8th - no experience necessary!

Join Dr. Bible on an informative tour of the Allen ISD STEAM Center.  

Come see what's new in Discovery Education Experience for the 25-26 school year. We will take a look at specific resources related to STEM/STEAM and explore our newest Career Connect tool that brings experts in the field into your classroom! 

Explore how Penda Science, a TEKS-aligned resource for grades 3–8, IPC, and Biology, supports three-dimensional, phenomenon-based science learning through brain-based design, automation, and gamification. Participants will experience the student perspective, engage with auto-assigned and auto-graded activities, and walk away with strategies for differentiating instruction—ideal for gifted, struggling, and all learners. Grounded in STEAM and neuroscience research, this session is perfect for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, whether new or experienced. Learn how Penda streamlines instruction and deepens student engagement through meaningful, standards-based science.

Calling all K-5 All-Star teachers! Step up to the plate and knock your instruction out of the park with research-based strategies that boost engagement, cognitive learning, and coding integration. This session will cover game-winning techniques that help students round the bases of critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, leading to brain breakthroughs in learning. Walk away with an all-star lineup of strategies to keep your classroom hitting home runs

Participants will learn how to structure lessons that build students’ ability to process and make meaning from what they hear and read, and then translate that understanding into clear, articulate expression. This session is ideal for educators looking to strengthen their students' communication skills and enhance their ability to think critically and express their understanding in diverse ways. Participants will walk away with actionable strategies that can be immediately applied in the classroom, empowering students to move from passive reception of information to active, confident expression. Session will use tips and tricks from Tosh McGaughy's STAAR Redesign Connections for RLA presented at Region 10.  

Explore some of the newest features now available in classic Google Tools. Do you get excited by tables, timelines, tabs, and templates? You will, after discovering the new possibilities these updated features provide. Participants will be introduced to several new features in Docs, Sheets, & Slides, have time to explore their favorites, and walk away with resources and enhanced technical skills. This session will be beneficial for both instructional and non-instructional staff.

Have you settled into your place or are you still wandering to find your place? In this session we will use phenology to guide our interactions, encounters, observations and wanderings in and of the natural world to record the daily, weekly, and monthly phenomena of science. We will discuss and use nature journaling techniques to provide hands-on experiences as we walk through natural areas of the STEAM Center (meadow, forest, aquatic) - weather permitting. How important is it to understand our ecological address using the natural world and all that happens in and around it?

Many students understand the idea of a career but aren’t aware of the full range of options or how to pursue them. This session explores how hands-on, real-world learning builds the context students need to take ownership of their futures. Join us for an engaging conference session that demonstrates how hands-on, experiential learning helps students connect academic content to meaningful, real-life applications. Leave with practical tools to inspire and engage the next generation.   

Launch K-5 Computer Science: Integrating CS with VEX123 Bots & micro:bits

Discover how to bring computer science and computational thinking to your K-5 classroom using VEX123 bots and micro:bits. This session previews a 2-day hybrid workshop available to all McKinney K-5 educators on July 23–24. Learn about the new Technology Application TEKS, explore artificial intelligence concepts, and gain an overview of how VEX123 bots and micro:bits can enhance K-5 STEM instruction.

Launch K-5 Computer Science: Integrating CS with VEX123 Bots & micro:bits

Does this sound like you? Are your students struggling to read and extract information from science articles or text? Maybe they are having a difficult time with constructed responses like Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER), Short-Constructed-Response (SCR), or open-ended questions? Perhaps you're wanting to make your science class more engaging or vocab more relatable. Shake things up in your science class with easy-to-use resources that push students to grow as learners, explore key vocabulary and topics, and always stay targeted to the TEKS. Join us to explore resources such as scientific reading articles, lab station activities, relatable phenomena, and more! 

This workshop focuses on the pedagogical value of anchor charts—both student and teacher-created—in the classroom. We will explore the research and theory behind their effectiveness in promoting student learning, particularly in STEAM subjects. Participants will learn how anchor charts serve as dynamic, visual tools to deepen student understanding, enhance engagement, and support retention by making thinking visible. This session will also highlight connections to brain science, showing how anchor charts help activate memory and cognitive processing. Teachers will leave equipped with strategies to create their own anchor charts and immediately apply them in their classrooms.

Want a classroom where every student is engaged and actively learning? This course uses Kagan Structures to turn traditional teaching into a dynamic, hands-on experience where every voice matters. Through movement, collaboration, and team-based learning, students build both academic and life skills. Rooted in brain science and designed for joy, these strategies foster curiosity, connection, and growth. It’s not just learning — it’s growing thinkers and teammates, one high-five at a time.

Secondary teachers! You’re invited to step up to the plate and knock your instruction out of the park with research-based strategies that boost engagement, cognitive learning, and coding integration. This session will cover game-winning techniques that help students round the bases of critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, leading to brain breakthroughs in learning. Walk away with an all-star lineup of strategies to keep your classroom hitting home runs!

Join us to experience the new LEGO Education Science kits!  The kits come in K-2, 3-5, or 6-8 configurations, and all lessons are grade-level specific.  Each lesson reinforces life, earth and space, or physical science, and supports RTCs and SEPs, as well as being aligned to the new TEKS.  Let's use LEGO to create hands-on learning for every science classroom!

The "Not A Box thinking Skills" session is inspired by the Picture Book  "Not A Box" written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis. Calling all the teachers to come join me on the Journey of Why, How and What are "Not a Box" Thinking Skills. It will provide a better understanding of the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and improve problem-solving skills.

AI is rapidly transforming industries, and education is no exception. As AI continues to reshape the way we live and work, it’s crucial for educators to harness its potential in the classroom. In this session, you’ll explore platforms like ChatGPT, Magic School, Brisk, and more, discovering how they can revolutionize your planning and implementation processes—from generating lesson plans to differentiating instruction. Learn practical strategies to streamline your workflow, reclaim precious time, and create more engaging learning experiences. Embrace AI as a powerful tool to enhance your teaching and stay ahead in an evolving educational landscape.

This session is for anyone who desires to learn more about the human brain and the potential it has to transform how we learn. 

Checking for understanding doesn’t have to mean another quiz! In this interactive session, secondary teachers will explore engaging, quick, and low-prep formative assessment strategies that provide real-time insights into student learning. Aligned with brain science and Tier 1 instruction, these techniques enhance retention, activate prior knowledge, and make thinking visible—all while keeping students actively involved. Whether you're a new or experienced educator, you'll leave with ready-to-use strategies that support deeper learning in all content areas, including STEAM. Come experience firsthand how formative assessments can be both effective and fun!

Equip educators with the skills and tools to create engaging, subject-aligned detective puzzles using AI. Empowering teachers with AI-driven tools and methodologies ensures that they can create captivating educational experiences tailored to their students’ needs and aligned with curriculum standards.  Detective puzzles combine storytelling, logic, and problem-solving, making learning dynamic and immersive.  These puzzles will encourage student collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and application of the Engineering Design Process (EDP) across content areas.  Creating these detective puzzles is simple and straightforward. With step-by-step guidance and ready-made templates provided, teachers of any subject can easily design puzzles tailored to their students' needs.

Participants will explore how Vernier Science Education Probeware supports the specificity of the Science and Engineering TEKS in grades 6-12.  STEM, Engineering, Health Science, and Environmental applications will be highlighted.  Participants will experience Vernier Probeware and gather data in real time. 

Deepening student’s engagement with complex ideas through analysis and reflection

Maximize Limited Research Time: Strategies for guiding students when there is limited time to research topics for a written response.

Effective Comparisons: Techniques for comparing two events, court cases, historical events, legislation, or amendments.

Deepening Understanding: Approaches to help students develop a deeper understanding of an issue after initial research. 

Challenging and fun, they are often the first steps of designing learning that becomes the foundation of future ready skills in a workforce that is technologically driven. At the STEAM Center in our PreK-8th grade program we use 7 different robots (Sphero indi cars, Bolt, RVR, along with Marty, JD the Humanoid, Root, Codrones, and TI rovers) that can be coded by color, scratch, block, or python. Come play (code) with these robots and enjoy time discovering the fun of this type of technology that can be used in your classroom. 

Join Dr. Bible on an informative tour of the Allen ISD STEAM Center.  

I would like to have teachers go through the Building Thinking Classrooms and give them an opportunity to try out the process.