Transformative Teaching Conference
Mar 01, 2025 8:00AM—5:00PM
Location
Crystal Springs Uplands School
Cost Early Bird Pricing (available until February 11) $375 individual; $320 group-rate 3+
Categories Conference, Curriculum & Pedagogy, In-Person, Intensive
Transformative Teaching Conference
Catalyzing Change
- Proposal Submission Deadline: January 17, 2025
- Notification of Acceptance: February 3, 2025
- Conference Date: March 1, 2025
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
In collaboration with Crystal Springs Uplands School, the inaugural Transformative Teaching Conference @ Crystal invites teachers, innovators, and thought leaders to participate in a day-long conference dedicated to transformative teaching practices. The goal of Transformative Teaching is to increase students’ mastery of skills and concepts, while at the same time cultivating in students a love of learning and positive sense of self and ability. This is a unique opportunity to collaborate and learn from the dynamic insights, experiences, and research of your peers that challenge conventional approaches and inspire all of us to enhance our teaching methodologies.
We will also be celebrating CATDC’s 25th anniversary throughout this event! Join us in commemorating our ongoing commitment to uplifting educators.
EXPLORE CONFERENCE SESSIONS
Specific Objectives/Learning Goals
- Engaging Pedagogy: Explore methods that engage students more deeply in the learning process, encouraging active participation and critical thinking.
- Culturally Relevant Teaching: Implement strategies that recognize and value diverse cultural backgrounds in the classroom, promoting inclusivity and equity.
- Educational Technology: Integrate technological tools and resources effectively to enhance learning experiences and outcomes.
- Collaborative Learning: Encourage collaboration among educators to share best practices, resources, and insights for continuous improvement.
- Assessment Strategies: Discuss innovative assessment methods that promote learning and provide meaningful feedback to students.
- Student-Centered Approaches: Develop practices that prioritize students' needs, interests, and learning styles to foster a supportive learning environment.
- Social Justice and Advocacy: Address issues of social justice in education and empower teachers to advocate for change within their communities and institutions.
- Community of Practice: Make connections and build partnerships among educators, researchers, and policymakers to foster a community of practice.
Attendees can expect to gain practical strategies, share experiences, and foster meaningful discussions around these objectives to drive transformative change in education.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
The Transformative Teaching Conference is designed for educators and administrators of grades 6-12.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
SYLVIA RODRIGUEZ DOUGLASS
Sylvia is an educator, instructional coach, and a mother. Her background is in K-12 special education, and she has been a learning specialist/special educator in private and public schools in San Francisco and New York City. She co-taught in inclusion classrooms at the middle school level and has been an instructional coach with a focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for grades K-8. In the summer of 2021, she graduated with her EdD in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University. Her research focused on examining the discourse educators use when preparing to refer a student to special education services. She is especially passionate about disrupting disproportionality and visibilizing the systems and values that contribute to the overrepresentation of black and brown students in special education.
PRESENTERS & SESSIONS
Sabahat Adil
Menlo School
Elaine Barry
Mid-Peninsula High School
Roni Ben-David
Jewish Community High School
Mingjung Chen
Menlo School
Jamie Chiahui Gao
Nueva School
Sarah Cooper
Flintridge Prep
Mike Fishback
Almaden Country Day School
Sujata Ganpule
Menlo School
Gen Greer
Mid-Peninsula High School
Lea Hartog
The Athenian School
Haley Hemm
Hillbrook School
Gretchen Kellough
Nueva School
Will Mason
Polytechnic School
Courtney Rein
Urban School
Sadie Renjilian
Children’s Day School
Trixie Sabundayo
Shady Side Academy
Dr. Britt SchlaeGuada
The Athenian School
Hilary Schmitt
Branson School
Jamie Sullivan
Castilleja School
Jen Tuten
Marin Primary & Middle School
Judith Worrall
Nueva School
Lindsey Collins
Urban School
Michael Levy
Presidio Knolls School
Megan Leich
The Athenian School
Dorothy Tao
Presidio Knolls School
Amanda Cadogan
Maybeck High School
Annelise Meunier
Maybeck High School
Kim Wetzel
Pinewood School
- The Crystal Tutorial: Classical Methods for the AI Challenge
Matthew Bell, Crystal Springs Uplands School
- Transforming Mandarin Learning: Creative Expression and AI Integration in the Classroom
Jamie Chiahui Gao, The Nueva School
- Transformative Assessment Practices: A Two-Lane Framework for Inclusive AI-Integrated Evaluation
Crystal AI Cohort (Peter Antupit, Amanda Carroll, Tom Diggs, Gianne Souza, Marion Valentin, Irene Wong, Ashley Zanca), Crystal Springs Uplands School
- ChatGPT Wrote This Talk: Teaching and Learning in the Age of AI
Douglas Kiang, Menlo School
- Artificial Intelligence for Real Results: Inspire Joy and Achieve Mastery
Jen Tuten, Marin Primary & Middle School
- ChatGPT in Action: Personalizing Learning for Mastery and Meaningful Growth
Judith Worrall, The Nueva School
PLANNING TEAM
Julia Rubin is the Upper School Director of Teaching and Learning at Crystal Springs Uplands School. Before moving into an administrative role, Julia taught English, French, and Creative Writing at the middle school, high school and community college levels for 12 years. She mentored early career teachers for 5 years at Hillbrook School, where she also served as Writing Coordinator and Humanities Team Lead. As a researcher, she is trained in human-centered design and applications of educational technology to improve student outcomes. Julia is particularly interested in unleashing the creative potential in both teachers and students as they navigate the process of making equity a lived experience in classrooms.
Meena Tahiliani is the Middle School Director of Teaching and Learning at Crystal Springs Uplands School. With over two decades of experience in education, she transitioned from a successful career as a structural engineer to pursue her passion for teaching. Meena began her educational journey as a project-based curriculum consultant for NYC public schools, before serving as a credentialed math teacher and department chair in both public and independent schools across the Bay Area. Her leadership roles in independent schools have included guiding and supporting curricular transitions in math and language arts, as well as designing comprehensive teacher development and evaluation systems. Meena is deeply committed to fostering authentic, transformative learning by empowering learners—both students and educators—to harness their innate abilities to observe, explore, discover, and make sense of the world around them.
LOCATION
Cancellation Policy
Life happens. We understand that there will be times when you cannot attend a workshop that you have registered and paid for. We strive to be as helpful and flexible as possible when things out of your control happen. Please visit our FAQ page for detailed information about our cancellation policy and answers to frequently asked questions about enrollment and membership.