In this session, participants will explore practical, commonsense strategies for creating a proactive learning environment that supports positive behavior, student engagement, and strong classroom culture. Grounded in ideas from Your Illustrated Guide to Classroom Management: A Commonsense Approach, this session will focus on how educators can establish clear expectations, build meaningful relationships, prevent disruptions before they happen, and create systems that help classrooms run smoothly. Attendees will leave with realistic, easy-to-implement strategies they can use right away to strengthen classroom management and maximize learning time.
Dr. Carl Blythe is an experienced educational leader with over 15 years of experience in education. He has served as Principal of Mary Castle Elementary School in MSD of Lawrence Township since 2018. He holds a doctorate in education degree in Educational Leadership - Superintendency, an Education Specialist degree, a master's degree in educational administration and Supervision, and a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. His work focuses on collaborative instructional systems, positive school culture, teacher leadership, rigorous instruction, and family/community engagement. Dr. Blythe is especially committed to creating learning environments where students feel a strong sense of belonging while being held to high expectations. As a professional development facilitator, author, and thought leader, he brings practical experience and strategic insight to helping educators lead transformational change in schools.
How often do our assumptions shape the opportunities we provide for students with unique learning needs? This session invites educators to reflect on beliefs that may unintentionally limit student growth and to reframe expectations in ways that unlock potential. Participants will explore practical strategies for creating inclusive, high-expectation learning environments that support all learners. Through real-world examples and actionable practices, teachers will leave equipped to challenge deficit thinking, strengthen instructional practices, and improve outcomes for all students.
This introductory session is designed for educators who are new to working with students identified as high ability or who want a stronger foundation in meeting their needs. Participants will explore what high ability is—and what it is not—by addressing common misconceptions and examining key characteristics of advanced learners. The session will also provide an overview of the Lawrence Township high ability identification process and elementary programming options, helping teachers better understand how students qualify and what services they receive. In addition, the session will highlight the often-overlooked affective needs of high-ability students, including perfectionism, intensity, and social-emotional differences, and how these may present differently in the classroom. Teachers will leave with a clearer understanding of these learners and practical strategies for differentiating up to provide appropriate challenge and support.
This engaging workshop equips staff with practical tools to recognize emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and burnout while building resilience and sustainable self-care practices. · Difference between burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma · Warning signs and workplace impact · Emotional regulation strategies · Boundaries and self-care planning · Creating a healthier workplace culture
Participants will gain understanding of how and when to use predetermined linguistic “spaces” to foster language development while allowing students to access their full linguistic repertoire.
Struggling learners in algebra don’t need more worksheets—they need a clearer pathway to understanding. Discover how the Hands-On Equations system transforms algebra instruction by guiding students from concrete experiences to pictorial models and ultimately to abstract reasoning. This research-based progression builds deep conceptual understanding and strengthens problem-solving processes.
In this professional learning session, educators will explore practical strategies for aligning Hands-On Equations with Algebra standards, ensuring immediate classroom relevance. Participants will leave not only with the knowledge and confidence to implement the system effectively, but also with a full class set of 30 kits—ready to bring engaging, meaningful algebra instruction to their students the very next day.
Got questions? Bring them. This session offers practical support on the topics we encounter most in our media centers—collection development, weeding, databases, book repair, and circulation tools—while creating space for real-time problem-solving. Bring your questions, your challenges, or even that book with the torn spine, and leave with solutions you can use right away.
This session will provide 6th-grade teachers with an overview of the Advanced Pre-Algebra pacing guide, key instructional vocabulary, and problem-solving methods used throughout the year. Teachers will explore instructional resources, notes, and assessments, with time for demonstrations, discussion, and questions to support effective implementation.
High-ability learners don’t need more work—they need deeper thinking. This session introduces elementary educators to Depth and Complexity icons as a practical tool for differentiating up and moving students toward higher levels of thinking. Participants will explore how to shift everyday tasks from basic understanding to analysis, evaluation, and creation by embedding simple, intentional prompts into existing lessons. Through examples and ready-to-use strategies, teachers will leave with concrete ways to elevate rigor, promote critical thinking, and better meet the needs of advanced learners—without adding more to their plate.
This engaging workshop equips staff with practical tools to recognize emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and burnout while building resilience and sustainable self-care practices. · Difference between burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma · Warning signs and workplace impact · Emotional regulation strategies · Boundaries and self-care planning · Creating a healthier workplace culture
This session focuses on high-impact strategies to effectively support multilingual learners in the general education classroom. Participants will explore practical approaches for creating comprehensible input and increasing meaningful output through structured opportunities for speaking and writing. The session highlights techniques such as scaffolding, modeling, visuals, and intentional student interaction to ensure access to rigorous content. Teachers will leave with clear, ready-to-use strategies to make instruction more accessible, engaging, and language-rich for all learners.
This session focuses on instructional planning and support for students who grade skip in math, with a specific emphasis on newly identified 2nd grade high ability students transitioning into 3rd grade high ability classrooms while bypassing 3rd grade math content. Participants will explore the academic and conceptual gaps that can occur when students accelerate in mathematics and examine strategies for maintaining rigor while ensuring foundational understanding is not lost. The session will address how to assess readiness, identify prerequisite gaps within grade-level content, and design instruction that bridges prior knowledge with accelerated expectations. Teachers will leave with practical approaches for scaffolding, compacting, and differentiating math instruction to support successful long-term outcomes for advanced learners in accelerated pathways.
This session will provide practical strategies for implementing student accommodations in the general education classroom. Participants will explore simple tools, instructional strategies, and organizational systems that make it easier to support diverse learners while maintaining strong classroom instruction.
