Previous Workshops
"It was amazing! The leaders were fun and kind and so knowledgeable! I would do another workshop in a heartbeat with this team and will recommend it to my colleagues." - CITL Workshop Participant, 2021
Workshop Experiences
"A big happy thank you to the organisers, the minds behind the event, and the helping hands. It was an interesing, thought provoking, and definitely knowledgable experience. CITL has my admiration and gratitude to connect to us around the world." ~2023 Workshop Participant
Igniting Inquiry Conference
When: April 26-29, 2023 [In Person]
April 26-28, 2023 [Virtual]
Where: Middletown Public Schools - Middletown, Connecticut
What: The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning is facilitating the virtual experience for this four-day conference of inspiring and interactive experiences, focused on improving inquiry practices. This is a rare East Coast opportunity to learn with globally recognized inquiry leaders Kath Murdoch and Misty Paterson. They, along with dynamic inquiry leaders Lu Gerlach, Michael Medvinsky, and Mondrea Mitchell will facilitate engaging in-person and state-of-the-art virtual, large and small-group experiences.
The Inquiry Approach: The First Five Days of School
July 11 - July 14, 2022 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day
University Liggett School, 1045 Cook Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan 48236
Over the course of four days, attendees will reflect upon the past school year and plan for the year ahead to foster a culture of inquiry among all members of the classroom and school community from the start of the very first day of school. The Cultural Forces of Thinking and Learning will frame our time while we grow our understanding of routines, community, and designing for learner-centered classrooms. Attendees will come away with drafted plans to create a culture of inquiry and belonging beginning the first day of the new school year to lay the groundwork for a year of thinking and learning.
Exploring Anishinabewaki and New France: Bringing Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Michigan to Your Students
Sunday, July 18, 2022 - Tuesday, July 1, 2022
Based at the Ralph A. MacMullen Conference Center, Conservation Drive, Roscommon, Michigan 48653
This professional development workshop experience for educators is designed to bring the power of place-based learning to your students. Over three days, participants will explore Native American and European experiences in what would become the State of Michigan through the places themselves, in cooperation with place-based learning and content experts. This hands-on workshop’s goal is for educators to bring resources from these places, including their own experiences, back to the classroom to help their students better understand the pre-colonial and colonial periods in North America.
The Academic Research Program: Facilitate Critical Thinking, Writing, Communication, and Research Skills Through Passion-Driven Topics
July 25 - July 27, 2022 | 9:00 am to 3:00 pm each day
University Liggett School, 1045 Cook Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan 48236
This three day workshop will introduce educators to how University Liggett School integrated academic research into the Upper School’s core curriculum. Participants will hear from University Liggett School faculty, current students, recent alumni, and ARP mentors and partners, on their ARP experiences and its impact on their lives. Participants will engage in planning to develop lesson plans and strategies on how to incorporate academic research in their schools and classrooms.
Make Learning Visible through Documentation
"I enjoyed the dialogue with other colleagues and learning the variety of avenues that documentation is used."
- CITL Workshop Participant, 2021
This workshop focused on the shift from documentation of learning to documentation for learning. Teachers are comfortable with the documentation of learning which captures ‘what we did’ and remains a static moment in time. Documentation for learning requires a shift in what we capture and focuses on ‘why’ we might be documenting it. Documentation for learning is generative and prompts questions and promotes conversations that deepens and extends learning.
Daily Workshop Events
Limitless Mind in the
Math Classroom
Webinar Happy Hour Viewing Party!
"It was great to talk about math instruction with teachers from across Michigan. I got some great ideas to try this week!"
- CITL Workshop Participant, 2021
Seesaw has partnered with Dr. Jo Boaler to share about mindset, struggle, and visual approaches to math that make a big impact in classrooms.
Dr. Jo Boaler is a Standford Professor and author of the book Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead and Live without Barriers. She co-founded www.youcubed.org to give teachers, parents, and students the resources they need to excite students about mathematics.
The webinar was followed by a discussion centered on how Jo Baler's ideas connect to the everyday happenings in classrooms facilitated by Erin Montagne, University Liggett Math Department Chair.
Game On! A Playful Approach to Fact Fluency and Flexible Thinking
Monday, April 18, 2022 | 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
University Liggett School, 1045 Cook Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan 48236
Say goodbye to rote memorization and hello to a new way of promoting fact fluency and flexible thinking through math games. We’ll share lessons learned as we strategically infused math games into our K-6 classrooms throughout the last several years. Hear about our Math Game Night and the impact it had on students and parents. Roll the dice and come play our favorite games!
Taking the Next Step in Your Reggio Emilia-Inspired Journey
Monday, April 18, 2022 | 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
University Liggett School, 1045 Cook Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan 48236
This two part workshop will focus on the Reggio Emilia Inspired Environment in the morning and Documentation in the afternoon. Some concepts we will explore include provocations and loose parts as part of the environment, intentional planning and questioning, guiding children in establishing their purpose for play, making meaning of the world around us, how documentation informs our next steps in learning, how processing documentation helps teachers encourage students’ to engage in deeper thinking, and practicing and collaborating on documenting with artifacts.
