More than 200 educators and professionals in educated-related fields from across the U.S. attended the 2019 LLI Southwest Conference held Feb. 21-22 at The Oakridge School. The theme of the gathering, "Making Learning Visible," did just that as teachers observed expert teachers interacting with students, demonstrating active learning, in real-time.
Oakridge students were in session for the first day of the conference and observers were able to ask questions, take notes, and offer resources or recommendations. These "Fishbowl' sessions were followed by thoughtful debriefs and practical takeaways for all educators.
Another major highlight of LLI Southwest was Friday's keynote with Dr. Anthony Brandt, music professor at Rice University and co-author of "The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World (Catapult, 2017)." Dr. Brandt discussed bending, breaking, and blending, or methods used to draw on experiences from an original to create things that don't yet exist. He said this process could be done whether dealing with movie-making, music, medicine, architecture, or other areas. He then encouraged the audience to treat every single child as a creative and to encourage risk-taking as it relates to a student's academic pursuits. "School may be the safest place to take risks," he said. "It should be like a trampoline. If you fail, you just bounce back up!"
Thursday's General Assembly with Dr. Bill Tsutsui of Hendrix College provided insight into the rebranding campaign that was undertaken by the Arkansas-based college. Tsutsui and Brandt both spoke to packed classrooms for their individual sessions. Tsutsui spoke on personal branding. Brandt discussed a principle that teaches key elements of creative thinking. Educational partners on hand to provide support, included: ALL In Learning, the Dallas Opera, JFSmith Group, Hapara, the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), Shurley Instructional Materials (SIM), Inc., EdPuzzle, and Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI). Many attendees said they felt empowered and equipped with new ideas for their own schools and were invigorated by the professional development. This year marked the third time that The Oakridge School has hosted LLI Southwest. The next LLI Conference will be held March 31-April 1 in Memphis, Tenn. More details are at: www.lausannelearning.com.