Empower EDU

Presentation Slides
STEM on the GO is a dynamic, mobile learning experience designed to bring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics directly to students wherever they are. This hands-on program encourages curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving through engaging, real-world STEM challenges.What makes STEM on the GO truly special is that middle school students lead the learning. Empowered as mentors and station facilitators, they guide local elementary students through interactive activities, model leadership skills, and help younger learners explore STEM concepts in fun and meaningful ways.Elementary students rotate through a variety of student-led stations, working collaboratively to design and test solutions while discovering how STEM connects to their everyday lives. The experience supports critical thinking, teamwork, and a growth mindset—igniting excitement for STEM across grade levels.

In many math classrooms, students are doing the work but not truly owning their learning. In this session, I will share how I intentionally shift my 8th grade Math and Math 1 classroom from a teacher-led environment to one where students take an active role in problem solving, discussion, and decision making.Participants will experience and explore practical strategies that build learner agency in math, including structured collaboration, meaningful problem-based tasks, and opportunities for student choice. I will share real classroom routines, examples, and scaffolds that support students in becoming more confident, independent thinkers while still maintaining rigor and alignment to standards.This will not be a sit-and-get session. Attendees will engage in a model activity, reflect on their own practice, and leave with concrete strategies they can implement immediately to increase engagement and shift ownership of learning to their students.

Join us for an overview of the Empowering Teacher Learning project and the framework that made it a success with educators throughout western North Carolina. In this workshop, we will reflect on the accomplishments of this five-year investment in teacher-directed professional learning (TDPL) across rural western North Carolina. What began with a pilot year shaped by pandemic disruptions has grown into a dynamic, research-informed model centered on teacher agency, coaching, and competency-based micro-credentials. Over the course of the project, teachers have expressed strong appreciation for the ETL model’s support of the re-professionalization of teaching. We welcome you to apply our micro-credential, Introducing Self-Directed Learning to Students, in your own classrooms!

Are you ready to harness the expertise of a professional learning community to create competency-based micro-credentials for teacher professional development? Join us to learn how the Empower Teaching Learning research project equips and supports teachers in transforming their content-area knowledge and classroom experience into high-impact micro-credentials through a scaffolded research, writing, and peer review process.

Key takeaways include:

• Developing a structured project plan and workflow that result in polished products mapped to educator interest and district focus
• Unpacking the conventions of micro-credential writing and design
• Providing support for subject matter experts in research best practices
• Building community through a positive peer review process

Speakers will share tips and tools for bridging skill gaps and applying feedback for continuous improvement and capacity-building. Attendees will leave with adaptable examples, templates, and a research‑informed process model that they can implement to develop meaningful, peer-driven professional development with the potential for expansive reach.