Nine of the presentations on the docket for the Georgia Independent Schools Association’s annual conference will be led by Darlington faculty and staff members. The conference will be hosted Nov. 1-2 at Darlington.
Counselors Jill Pate and Chris Allen will lead a session titled “One School’s Response to Tragic Loss: Lessons Learned,” focusing on how Darlington coped with the loss of five students and two parents during a nine-month period in 2009.
Beth Wilson, chairperson of the English department, and Melinda Holmes, director of library services, will lead a session titled “Summer Reading: A Student-Centered Approach.” It will focus on Darlington’s unique approach to summer reading, which engenders buy-in, crosses boundaries between the English department and other disciplines and assesses reading based on what really matters – student engagement with literature.
Gordon Hight (’94), director of Upper School, will lead a session titled “Backwards Design: Planning and Assessment,” which aims to help teachers balance the enormous amount of material they need to cover in class with the specific information they want their students to understand and retain. He will focus on identifying the essential understandings and developing lesson plans and assessments that evaluate this knowledge.
Debra Myrick, chairperson of the math department, will lead a session titled “Sketchpad for All,” focusing on the use of the Geometer’s Sketchpad and ways that the teacher can use this tool to save time, increase student interest and participation, and provide depth of understanding.
Julia Dodd, chemistry teacher, will lead a session titled “Teaching Introductory Organic Chemistry to Seniors,” in which she will discuss the benefits of bridging the gap between high school chemistry during the sophomore year and college organic chemistry. Her presentation will include course prerequisites, selection of textbooks, course organization and information about laboratory activities.
Mitchell Maddox, English teacher, will lead a session titled “Writing a New Experience,” in which he will discuss the ways people have used writing to understand the world and how teachers can pass those skills along to their students.
Rob Hall, reading specialist, will lead a session titled, “Reading Specialists: A Paradigm Shift from Tutor to School-Wide Literacy Improvement.” He will focus on the expanding and ever-changing world of literacy and the role of the reading specialist – to integrate a comprehensive K-12 literacy program by developing programs, assessing struggling and advanced students, evaluating programming, and providing inexpensive professional development on site.
Craig Schmidt, chairman of the history department, and history teachers Brian Inman and Bailey Duncan (’98) will lead a session titled “Making History Interesting: Incorporating Technology in the History Classroom.” They will specifically look at the use of YouTube, Google Earth, Sketchup 7, OneNote, online forums and assessments and other programs that help bring learning to life.
Joe Montgomery, chief advancement officer, and Julie Lucas (’97), regional director of the Second Century Campaign, will lead a session titled “Executing a Successful Capital Campaign,” which will focus on planning and implementation as well as how to work with different constituents of the school community.
