Learning Unleashed

We believe student learning is maximized when teachers intentionally design learning experiences based on the written curriculum, beginning with the end in mind.

• "So How Are We Going to Teach This?"
• Lesson Planning with Universal Design for Learning
• Step-by-step planner: UDL lesson design
• The Power of Learning Progressions

• Understanding How AI Works Makes It More Effective in Lesson Planning

• 10 Powerful Ways to End Your Lessons
• 4 Common Obstacles to Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning—and How to Overcome Them

Did you know that LISD’s curriculum framework, Understanding by Design, is designed to support rich and intentional Learning Plans? Using the philosophy of backwards design, the UbD model helps you keep your planning, assessment, and instruction aligned to support deep student understanding. Want a little more detail, check out UBD in a Nutshell.

Collaborative teams implement a guaranteed and viable curriculum, unit by unit, focusing on student learning and attainment of Graduate Profile skills, rather than coverage of the curriculum. Consider these reflective questions with your team to start making connections:

• Which standards are essential for establishing a firm foundation on which other learning will build?
• What Graduate Profile attributes and skills can best be developed within this unit?
• What targets did the unpacking process reveal?
• What will students create, produce, or be able to do when they have mastered this target?
• How will we rewrite targets in student-friendly language to create “I can” statements? How will students set learning goals using “I can” statements?

• How will we pace the learning to include the essential standards/targets?

• How can we proactively plan for initial learning experiences that support students who may struggle with and excel with these topics?

As you design lessons with your collaborative team for content new-to-you, consider some of the questions on this Assignment Checklist to help proactively address student expectations & misconceptions and engage students as full partners in the learning. Lesson Planning: Being an Efficient Planner to Meet Students' Needs might also guide productivity as you develop planning routines along with these quick 5 Tips for Lesson Planning for New Teachers .

Please remember that LISD's approved AI tools are MagicSchool.AI and Google Gemini.

The "Straw Poll" is our way to get a pulse on the sessions participants are most interested in, so that we can build a schedule that maximizes access to those sessions. But it only works with your participation!

Take a few minutes to take a sneak peek of all of the amazing sessions that have been submitted by your peers and give us the critical information needed to make the conference as impactful for you as possible!

1. Access the 2024 STRAW POLL at:

• Elementary: https://cic2024ghs.sched.com/
• MS/HS and non-instructional staff: https://cic2024vrhs.sched.com/

2. LOGIN with your LISD Google Account using the "Sign In with Google" button.

3. Browse the sessions in a variety of ways: explore the site by clicking on the colored categories and filters to the right, such as Target Audience, Learning Model, and LEADS, or by scrolling down and hovering over the various titles.

4. Cast your 10 STRAW POLL votes:

• Add a checkmark in the circle next to the session title or using the “Add to my SCHED” button when viewing session details. These actions will mark that session as one of your Straw Poll “votes.”
• Continue to add up to 10 sessions to your SCHED as your STRAW POLL votes.
• You can click on your user icon (the circle with your initials or picture) just left of the “Schedule” tab to view the choices you have made.

Please make your choices by Sunday, October 13. At that time we will deactivate the event and begin scheduling sessions based on your votes.

⚠️PLEASE NOTE – Casting your STRAW POLL votes and/or choosing sessions to add to your SCHED in no way guarantees an actual “seat” in that session. All session seats at CIC 2024 will, as always, be on a first come, first served basis.

Check out past editions of Learning Unleashed.

Let us know what you think about this edition or what you'd like to see in future editions of "Learning Unleashed."

For more opportunities for professional learning provided by Leander ISD, check out Eduphoria Strive.

Email: professional.development@leanderisd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/leanderisd.org/professional-learning/home
Phone: 512.570.0209
Twitter: @LISD_IPL