Session Descriptions

Ignite the Spark for Student-Centered Learning: Practical Ways to Boost Student Engagement Using Student Centered Learning

This session will provide participants with an overview of the research and background supporting the importance of student engagement in today’s classrooms. Participants will then explore choice boards, Challenge Hour, and Shark Tank as effective strategies for engaging students.

Jeff Kuntz, Punxsutawney Area Elementary School, Instructional Support Teacher/Instructional Coach

Empowering Students as Storytellers: Student-Centered Strategies for ELA

In this session, participants will explore strategies for shifting English language arts instruction from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. Teachers will learn how to serve as facilitators, mentors, and coaches, guiding students through inquiry based reading, writing, and discussion activities, that spark curiosity, and critical thinking. By the end of the session, educators will leave with actionable strategies to: foster student inquiry through literature and writing projects, differentiate instruction to support, diverse learners, guide students in constructing meaning, and implement regular feedback that promotes self-reflection.

Katie Monsour, ARIN IU 28, Curriculum Specialist

Learning Progressions: Individualizing Learning Opportunities for Every Child

This session will provide details of the learning progression model utilized within the Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District for elementary ELA and Mathematics. It will provide tools that any teacher, principal, or district administrator can implement to begin moving towards individualized instruction for a student-centered learning model. It includes parts of the PASCL student-centered blueprint for self-assessment along with the dynamics of shifting change over time. The session includes data to support student-centered learning structures and the success witnessed within the Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District through this model of instruction.

Dr. Nicole L. Dice, Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District, Superintendent

AI and the Future of Student-Centered Learning

Participants will engage in hands-on design activities that connect AI integration to the PA SCL Blueprint’s core components: learning models, curriculum design, teaching and learning, leadership, and community connections. The session emphasizes practical, scalable strategies that educators can implement immediately while maintaining a strong focus on ethical, equitable, and human-centered use of AI. By the end of the session, participants will have a clear framework for integrating AI into student-centered environments in ways that enhance, rather than replace, human teaching and learning.

Camille Dempsey, PennWest University, Professor and Director of the PennWest Center for AI and Emerging Technologies

Student Led Conferences: One School's Story

This session will lead participants through one school's journey into student-led conferences. We will look at the format used, the goals of the program, and the successes and struggles connected with this process. Successful resources will be shared with participants.

Jeffrey Kuntz, Punxsutawney Elementary School, Instructional Support Teacher/Instructional Coach

Personalized Learning at Burrell High School

This session is designed for those leaders and classroom teachers who are interested in gaining a perspective on personalized learning efforts. From course creation to leadership experiences in the development of a personalized learning culture, this session will explore personalized learner profiles and a pathway designed senior seminar course for self exploration. Burrell High School is one of six high schools in the western PA region who are involved in the Reimagining Senior Year Grant sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh.

John Boylan, Burrell High School, High School Principal

Student Voices: How Student-Centered Learning Makes a Difference

This session will feature a student panel made up of students from across Western Pennsylvania sharing real stories of how student-centered learning has shaped their learning experiences. Through a facilitated discussion and Q&A, students will speak about examples such as personalized pathways, authentic work-based learning, student voice in shaping opportunities, and learning experiences that helped them become more engaged, confident, and successful. Attendees will hear directly from students about the teaching and learning practices that made school more meaningful and responsive to their needs.

Lacie Cook, ARIN Intermediate Unit 28, Curriculum Specialist

The Power of Choice: How the Remake Personalized Learning Working Group is Leveraging Regional Networks to Empower Educators

Join us for an in-depth exploration of how the Remake Personalized Learning Working Group is transforming learning through regional collaboration. This session will detail how local networks can be leveraged to provide educators with meaningful choices in their learning journeys, ultimately fostering a culture of agency and innovation. Attendees will learn about the Personalize Learning Framework, Educator Competencies, & Innovation Guide used to scale personalized learning practices and discover actionable insights for building and sustaining regional networks that empower teachers to make learning personal, relevant, and engaging!

Autumn Turk, Leadership Team Member, Remake Personalized Learning Working Group

Transforming Learning with the SCL Blueprint

Explore the PA Student-Centered Learning Blueprint—a practical framework to guide innovative, learner-driven transformation. Discover key system components, promising practices, and tools to help school leaders create inclusive, future-ready learning environments.

Tracy Rains, AIU8, Virtual Learning Specialist

Disrupt - Create - Reinvent! A Transformational Roadmap to Relevant, Student-Centered, Personalized Learning

Our Burrell team will share how we have transformed our K-12 system to be more student-centered, relevant, future-driven, and personalized. We will share examples of how we have integrated Science of Reading, STEELS, project-based learning, cross-curricular learning, and personalized learner profiles. We will also share how we are integrating the new CEW standards and career pathways into our middle school studios and high school future readiness learning experiences, while aligning with our K-12 curriculum across all content areas. 

Autumn Turk, Burrell School District, Director of Curriculum & Development

The Epic Guide to Engagement

After the Keynote: Let's Continue the Conversation...Continue the conversation with Keynote A.J. Julianai. 

A.J. Juliani, Keynote and Breakout Speaker

The Power of Choice: How the Remake Personalized Learning Working Group is Leveraging Regional Networks to Empower Educators

Join us for an in-depth exploration of how the Remake Personalized Learning Working Group is transforming learning through regional collaboration. This session will detail how local networks can be leveraged to provide educators with meaningful choices in their learning journeys, ultimately fostering a culture of agency and innovation. Attendees will learn about the Personalize Learning Framework, Educator Competencies, & Innovation Guide used to scale personalized learning practices and discover actionable insights for building and sustaining regional networks that empower teachers to make learning personal, relevant, and engaging!, 

Autumn Turk, Remake Personalized Learning Working Group, Leadership Team Member

Learning Models in Action: Using Discovery Education Experience & SOS Strategies to Empower Student-Centered Learning

This session explores how learning models serve as instructional frameworks that support student-centered practices. Participants experience Discovery Education’s multimodal resources and Spotlight on Strategies (SOS) to see how blended, inquiry-based, project-based, and online learning models empower students to explore, inquire, and construct meaning. Through hands-on design, educators create a DE-powered learning experience aligned to a chosen model and leave with practical strategies that enhance curriculum design, teaching methods, and student engagement.

Tom Carlson. Discovery Education, Partnership Manager

Studios Motion: Building Future-Ready Skills Through Personalized Learning in Middle School

This presentation will introduce the Studio Learning Model, a student-centered approach that shifts learning from traditional studios to more in depth, interest-based studio experiences. Participants will explore how studios are structured to increase student choice and voice, and connect learning to students’ interests, strengths, and future goals. The presentation will highlight how project-based, interdisciplinary learning encourages collaboration, creativity, and problem solving while connecting students to careers, real-world challenges, and authentic products. Attendees will leave with an understanding of how the studio model can create more engaging, personalized, and meaningful learning experiences for students.

Courtney Barbiaux, Burrell School District - Charles A Huston Middle School, Personalized Learning Coach and Teacher

Ready or Not: SCL through Career Education & Work Standards

Participants will be introduced to Ready or Not, an innovative resource that immerses students in an authentic, hands-on experience of operating a manufacturing plant. Through this engaging simulation, students actively apply real-world skills while addressing more than 60% of Pennsylvania’s Career Education and Work Standards. Best of all, this high-impact resource will be available to all school districts across Pennsylvania, providing equitable access to meaningful career-connected learning opportunities.

Diane McGaffic, MIU4, STEM POC

Manufacturing Careers Pathway: CMfgA & Manufacturing in Motion

Discover how the Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) online course/exam and the NWIRC Manufacturing in Motion video series, paired with manufacturing tours, bring real-world manufacturing careers into your classroom and connect high school students to industry knowledge and career opportunities.

Tara Lawrence, Northwest Industrial Resource Center (NWIRC), Communications & Partnerships Advisor

Sharpening Your Soft Skills: One Student at a Time

What does it look like when students step into real-world business settings and put their soft skills to the test? The Soft Skills Challenge, a partnership between the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce and ARIN IU 28, does exactly that by moving employability skills development beyond the classroom and into authentic, hands-on experiences for high school juniors and seniors. Through intentional collaboration among schools, local businesses, and ARIN IU 28, this initiative creates an interactive environment where students demonstrate communication, professionalism, problem-solving, and accountability in settings that matter. The program fosters student autonomy and ownership of their own development while strengthening the relationship between education and the business community around a shared purpose. In this session, participants will explore the structure and success of the Soft Skills Challenge and leave equipped to launch one of their own, with planning and scheduling frameworks and ready-to-use resources including sample letters, scorecards, schedules, and challenge activities.

Katie Monsour and Susan Manz, ARIN IU 28, Curriculum Specialists

Opening Doors to Learning: Leveraging Community Partnerships Through Remake Learning Days

Remake Learning Days is more than a celebration—it’s a powerful example of what’s possible when communities come together to make learning visible, accessible, and hands-on. In this session, we’ll explore how schools, libraries, museums, afterschool programs, and local organizations collaborate to create meaningful learning experiences for students and families. Participants will gain insight into how these partnerships are built, sustained, and aligned to support student-centered learning. Walk away with practical strategies to engage diverse stakeholders, expand learning beyond the classroom, and position students as active contributors within their communities and beyond.

Kelsi Wilcox Boyles & Jessica Carbaugh, Riverview Intermediate Unit #6, Regional Lead for NWPA Remake Learning Days