Ohio Building Bridges for Educators

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2022 Building Bridges Professional Learning Series Aug. 2-4

Building Bridges for Educators: The Heart of the Matter

Thank you, Teachers!
Student Vingnette

Educators, district administrators and community members connected with the Department for the virtual Building Bridges for Educators: The Heart of the Matter professional learning series on Aug. 2-4. This online event featured sessions across all academic content areas, with a focus on connecting people, ideas and possibilities to deepen student learning, engagement and motivation. 

Recorded event sessions are listed below.

For the 2021 Building Bridges Professional Learning Series, please visit the Building Bridges to the Future: Instruction Using High-Quality Materials webpage.
Additional Information and Contact Hours
Additional information on session recordings and attendance certificates can be found below the session details.

Event Schedules

Schedule by Content Area

Event Opening

Building Bridges for Educators: The Heart of the Matter Professional Learning Series Kick-off
The Ohio Department of Education opended the “Building Bridges for Educators: The Heart of the Matter” professional learning series. The Office of Learning and Instructional Strategies welcomed all educators and showed appreciation for their amazing work over these past two years to refocus on the joy of teaching.

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Keynote Sessions

There is Greatness Inside of You
It is imperative that educators realize the greatness they have during the gravity of the moment. Kurt Russell, the 2022 National Teacher of the Year, shared a reminder of the power and strength of educators.
  • Presenter(s): Kurt Russell, 2022 National Teacher of the Year
  • This session was not recorded.
Rediscovering the Joy of Teaching on a Road Less Traveled
In 2021, stressed to the max by online teaching and pandemic fatigue, Jeff Harr was seriously considering early retirement until he jumped on the opportunity to become an English teacher in an outdoor education program called the Expedition Academy. Later that year, while nearly passing out on his first hike up a ski slope in the mountains of Pennsylvania, he had an epiphany about his teaching career: Change is hard, but it offers a fresh perspective that can keep teachers invigorated, even when gasping for air. Why I Teach?
Teachers have many reasons for teaching, but what if things change? Education is constantly moving and not always in the desired and expected direction. How do teachers keep their sanity and make peace with things that they cannot control? How can educators control the journey, stay in the driver’s seat and find fun on this crazy ride?  Stephanie Nowak revisited why teachers teach and shared a plan to keep those reasons at the forefront of the journey and be proud of the differences made in the life of a child.
  • Presenter(s): Stephanie Siddens, Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Stephanie Nowak, Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teacher Awardee
  • Recorded Session: Why I Teach?

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General Sessions

High-Quality Instructional Materials in Ohio: A session with EdReports
EdReports partnered with the Ohio Department of Education to increase the use of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) across the state. This webinar was about Ohio’s focus on HQIM and the partnership with EdReports. Upcoming partnership initiatives include training and support for materials adoption, HQIM educator ambassador cadres and a statewide HQIM webinar series. Participants will learn about ways to get involved with these initiatives and support high-quality instructional materials through their work.  Bridging the Gap with High-Quality Instructional Materials
Providing access to high-quality instructional materials for all students is an important step in boosting academic achievement. Choosing the best curriculum and supplemental materials is essential for bridging gaps, building vertical alignment and providing scaffolding for student success and accelerated learning. INFOhio, Ohio’s PreK-12 digital library, is committed to providing quality resources for educators, parents and students. This session shoared tools and criteria for choosing the best curriculum and supplemental resources for students in classrooms or districts. Not only did attendees use the tools for choosing high-quality instructional materials, but they also begn to plan how to share and advocate for district-wide implementation.
  • Presenter(s): Emily Rozmus and Matt Yauk , INFOhio
  • Recorded Session: Coming soon
Ohio’s Curriculum Support Guide Webinar Series

Instruction Partners, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education, hosted a five-part webinar series that detailed how to use the Ohio Curriculum Support Guide (OCSG) to select, implement and sustain new, high-quality instructional materials. Specific topics include developing a rationale, adopting and launching new instructional materials, determining educator support and gathering data that support instruction for all Ohio students. 

High-quality instructional materials can be a powerful lever for academic achievement for all Ohio students, especially in these challenging times. Having an aligned, accessible and usable curriculum is key to addressing unfinished learning and promoting equitable educational practices.

Learn more about Ohio’s Curriculum Support Guide series on the Instruction Partners website. Family Engagement
Family engagement is twice as correlated with high school graduation as socio-economic status. Learn how effective family engagement can reduce, rather than add to, workload and stress. Explore resources from the Department and the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at The Ohio State University, which can help educators engage families in ways that promote student success.
  • Presenter(s): Lydia Hunter and Alexandra Nardo, Ohio Department of Education and Tom Capretta, The Ohio State University 
  • Recorded Session: Family Engagement
Rediscovering the Joy of Teaching on the Road Less Traveled
In 2021, stressed to the max by online teaching and pandemic fatigue, Jeff Harr was seriously considering early retirement until he jumped on the opportunity to become an English teacher in an outdoor education program called the Expedition Academy. Later that year, while nearly passing out on his first hike up a ski slope in the mountains of Pennsylvania, he had an epiphany about his teaching career: Change is hard, but it offers a fresh perspective that can keep teachers invigorated, even when gasping for air. Better Together: Connecting Educators and Quality Instructional Resources Using INFOhio’s Open Space
Students aren't the only ones who benefit from quality content. Having access to a wide range of rich, creative lessons made, or vetted by other educators and agencies, can provide educators a means to overcome barriers and gaps in a curriculum, reduce stresses of lesson planning and allow teachers and educators to do what they do best. In this session, participants will learn the basics of Open Educational Resources (OER), explore INFOhio's Open Space, a platform for finding, sharing and creating OER and discover the benefits of using virtual groups to connect like-minded educators. STEM, SHTEAM: Bringing Humanity to STEM
In this session, participants will learn how to interpret STE(A)M as more than the traditionally defined content acronym (Science, Technology, Engineering, (Art), and Math), to see how STE(A)M approaches to teaching and learning can enhance all content areas, including world languages. Each participant will have the opportunity to design a learning experience that bridges the gap between STE(A)M and Humanities content using transdisciplinary themes and cross-cutting STE(A)M skills. Ohio Learns 360: PBS and Out-of-School-Time Learning
Learn about a new opportunity for educators and families to accelerate learning during out-of-school time for students K-5. Through Ohio Learns 360, a collaboration of Ohio’s PBS stations will provide PBS resources to local summer programs, after-school programs and families at home. Ohio Learns 360 is designed to help kids learn–even when they’re not in school. Virtual field trips, Camp-in-a-Box, Community Events and much more are part of this exciting initiative, supported by the Ohio Department of Education.
  • Presenter(s): Jason Dennison and Gloria Skurski, CET | ThinkTV
  • Recorded Session: Coming soon
Ohio Personalized Learning Network
The Ohio Personalized Learning Network will launch during the 2022-23 school year. Preview free professional learning opportunities available and learn how to become involved. Using District Culture to Navigate and Address Educator Well-Being as a Result of the Pandemic
District and school administrators are invited to join Jeff Talbert, Superintendent, Canton City Schools, as he talks about his district’s systemic efforts to focus on educator well-being during challenging times while continuing to embrace and promote the core values of their district's culture.
  • Presenter(s): Jeff Talbert, Superintendent, Canton City Schools
  • Recorded Session: Coming soon
Eye of Integration
Integrating content is a powerful strategy to address standards from multiple disciplines using a local context. The local context helps to make learning relevant for students. This session will explore examples created by the Eye of Integration Team. Hear about the successes, challenges and next steps for this project.
  • Presenter(s): The Office of Learning and Instructional Strategies
  • Recorded Session: Eye of Integration

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Sessions by Content Area

​Computer Science

Computer Science Updates
Computer science education is on the rise in Ohio. During this session, presenters will discuss current topics, including Computer Science licensure, standards and model curriculum revisions and the Computer Science K-12 State Plan process. Back to the top

English Language Arts and Library-Media

The Power of Stories to Connect Us: Multimodal / Multigenre Ideas to Inspire Student Choice and Voice
Explore essential questions, assignment ideas, writing activities, quickwrites and oral storytelling by expanding student understanding of what it means to compose in addition to pushing our students to see themselves as writers and storytellers. The session focuses on various formats and modes of storytelling and writing while providing practical ways for teachers to help students unearth their own stories. By expanding the definitions of writing and reading (as articulated by Shawna Coppola), teachers and students will see the differences that supporting diverse literacies has on student engagement/creation and community building. Decodable Texts in Phonics: Connected Texts to Build Automaticity
This session will explore the role of both decodable texts and grade –level rich texts in comprehensive literacy instruction. Participants will learn about the benefits of decodable texts and several instructional strategies for using them.
Teaching Complex History: Best Practices in Holocaust Education
Join the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center for an interactive session on best practices in Holocaust education. Whether establishing the context for Holocaust literature in English language arts or teaching the Holocaust as part of a wider World War II unit in social studies, educators will leave with an effective framework for navigating this complex history. Books that are LIT
In this high-energy, quick-paced presentation, learn about 100 books that are new or up and coming. Take away a list of 100 books to include in the classroom from middle school to high school.
  • Presenter(s): Brandi Young, Ohio Educational Library Media Association and Ashley Aldrich, Lillian E. Jones Museum
  • This session was not recorded.
Finding a Voice: The Impact of Speaking on Student Learning
This session will explore how the act of speaking can help students understand information on a deeper level and will investigate how students benefit differently from various forms of talk. Participants will leave the session with discussion strategies that will teach students to speak up, share their ideas and interact with their classmates.  Using Poetry to Teach All Year Long
Poetry month. Fear. Cramped Schedules. All of these are reasons to relegate poetry to April and the end of the year. Join the Ohio Writing Project for this one-hour session to explore the ways poetry can meet standards, inspire writing and teach reading skills all year long.
  • Presenter(s): Ohio Writing Project
  • Recorded Session: Coming soon
Developing Disciplinary Literacy Skills through Holocaust Education 
How can teachers promote inquiry and critical analysis through Holocaust education? In this session, teachers will use primary sources from the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center's collection. The session will conclude with ways to foster further student inquiry by connecting the lessons of the Holocaust to the current-day refugee crisis. Educators will gain access to all session resources and primary sources to implement into existing curriculum. Building Vocabulary to Connect to Grade Level Texts
Vocabulary knowledge contributes significantly to a reader's comprehension. A reader cannot understand a text without knowing what words mean. Most words are learned indirectly through everyday experiences with oral and written language, while other words are learned through carefully designed instruction that connects the words to the text. Vocabulary should be taught indirectly and directly to ensure students are ready for the demands of reading grade-level texts and writing. This session prompts participants to consider the role of vocabulary across the content areas and use text sets to build background knowledge. Participants will engage in examples showing what robust instruction looks like in action. Connecting Writers: Mentor Texts, Notebooks and Writing Inspiration to Start the Year
How do educators start the school year by connecting to writers in their classrooms? Join the Ohio Writing Project in this one-hour session to experience and share ideas for starting a writing notebook, using mentor texts, creating connections and building community through writing. Educators will leave with ideas for their classroom and a little writing of their own.
  • Presenter(s): Ohio Writing Project
  • Recorded Session: Coming Soon

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Financial Literacy

Introducing Ohio’s New Financial Literacy Requirements
Learn from the Ohio Department of Education about the new financial literacy graduation requirement for students starting high school on or after July 1, 2022, class of 2026. Educators also will learn more about educator licensure requirement.
  • Presenter(s): Linda McKean and Justin Leach, Ohio Department of Education
  • Recorded Session: Coming soon
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Fine Arts

Building Bridges for Arts Educators
The purpose of this session will be to share updates from the Department and the Ohio Arts Service Organizations in preparation for the school year ahead. Time will be given to allow art educators to network and connect in a virtual setting.
  • Presenter(s): Raymond Mueller, Ohio Department of Education; Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE) and Ohio Arts Service Organizations
  • Recorded Session: Coming soon
  • Resources: Fine Arts Resources

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Health and Physical Education

Connect and Engage for a Healthy and Physically Active Ohio
The Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (OAHPERD) will share initiatives that support health education, physical education and the whole child. The session will summarize legislation impacting health and physical education. Educators will have opportunities to collaboarte on coordinated policies, programs and practices aligned with the Ohio Whole Child Framework.

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Mathematics

Overview of the High School Math Pathways
In this session, educators will hear an overview of the High School Math Pathways Initiative with updated information for the 2022-2023 school year. Standards for Mathematical Practice Series
Come for an overview of the Standards for Mathematical Practice series with the Ohio Department of Education. This session will include links to the recordings and session materials from each of the Standards of Mathematical Practice professional development series from the 2021-2022 school. Critical Thinking and the Joy of Doing Mathematics
This session is focused on mathematical critical thinking. Educators will solve math problems and learn ways to implement research-based strategies in their classrooms to increase student learning potential.  

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Science

Partnering with Science Organizations and Resources
Ohio is a state known for innovation in science. There are many informal science and industry resources around the state that encourage student engagement. In this session, participants will meet representatives from science resource organizations to discover how they can be a classroom asset. GEODES (Global Education Outreach for Diversifying Earth Sciences)
Ohio’s Learning Standards and Model Curriculum for Science outlines physical geology and Earth science education. Mackenzie Rutherford will present on GEODES (Global Education Outreach for Diversifying Earth Sciences). Teachers will learn how to integrate Earth sciences into their classrooms while helping show marginalized representation by utilizing this website. This will benefit the environment, Ohio's agriculture and student success. Teaching About Ohio’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

The ancient American Indian societies known as the Hopewell culture lived in central and southern Ohio between AD 1 and 400. Eight of their magnificent earthen enclosures are in the process of being nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks will include Newark’s Great Circle and Octagon Earthworks, five separate earthworks that are part of the Hopewell National Historical Park and the Fort Ancient Earthworks.

Participants will learn why these earthworks belong on the World Heritage List and what sorts of educational resources are out there to help provide students with an understanding of their history that meets the goals of Ohio’s Learning Standards for Social Studies and Science. Incorporating Student Research Projects 
Join the Ohio Academy of Science and the Ohio Division of Wildlife to learn more about State Science Days, the Student Wildlife Research Symposium, funding for research projects and other student research opportunities found around Ohio.

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Social Studies

Teaching Complex History: Best Practices in Holocaust Education
Join the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center for an interactive session on best practices in Holocaust education. Whether establishing the context for Holocaust literature in English language arts or teaching the Holocaust as part of a wider World War II unit in social studies, educators will leave with an effective framework for navigating this complex history. ​Ohio Social Studies Resource Fair
Learn about free resources from content providers around Ohio that have programs, resources and opportunities for continued learning. Participants include the Ohio History Connection, Civic Education and Outreach Learning Center of the Ohio Supreme Court, Kids Voting Ohio and Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center.  Teaching About Ohio’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

The ancient American Indian societies known as the Hopewell culture lived in central and southern Ohio between AD 1 and 400. Eight of their magnificent earthen enclosures are in the process of being nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks will include Newark’s Great Circle and Octagon Earthworks, five separate earthworks that are part of the Hopewell National Historical Park and the Fort Ancient Earthworks.

Participants will learn why these earthworks belong on the World Heritage List and what sorts of educational resources are out there to help provide students with an understanding of their history that meets the goals of Ohio’s Learning Standards for Social Studies and Science. Developing Disciplinary Literacy Skills through Holocaust Education 
How can teachers promote inquiry and critical analysis through Holocaust education? Using primary sources from the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center's collection, teachers will explore a model lesson around a common student question: Why didn’t Jews just leave? The session will conclude with ways to foster further student inquiry by connecting the lessons of the Holocaust to the current-day refugee crisis. Educators will gain access to all session resources and primary sources to implement into their existing curriculum. OER Conference for Social Studies 2022
The OER Project held its annual free, virtual conference for social studies teachers on August 3-4. The conference offered practical ideas and strategies for teachers to consider and featured keynote speeches from Dr. Danielle Allen, Bakari Sellers, Sam Wineburg and Kathy Swan. The conference also features “Track Talks”, which are short TED-style video presentations recorded by leading educators on the topics including assessing historical thinking, bringing context to world events, crafting inquiry, literacy and taking informed action.
  • Presenter(s): The OER Project
  • Recorded Session: Coming soon
Civic Education with Kids Voting Ohio

Give students the chance to put civics into practice with the Kids Voting Ohio Mock Elections. The easy-to-use mock election system is free to educators and allows students to learn the importance of voting and civic involvement in an engaging and fun way.

The Kids Voting Ohio Mock Elections are interactive, exciting and provide knowledge about informed voting. Kids Voting Ohio recognizes that many teachers often cannot bring additional activities and subjects to their classrooms that fall outside subject standards. With this in mind, participating in mock elections is simple and requires little to no extra work for teachers. Kids Voting Ohio's staff customize all the ballots, create voter IDs for students, provide all the curriculum and information necessary for mock election prep and provide participating schools with "Future Ohio Voter" stickers. Back to the top

Technology

Deep Dive into the Technology Model Curriculum
Join this session to see the new Technology Model Curriculum. The model curriculum connects standards to instruction, providing clarity as well as information to assist educators in planning and implementing their local curriculum. The model curriculum can be thought of as a road map that local educators construct to get students to the desired destinations of targeted knowledge and skills. Back to the top

World Languages & Cultures

Responding to Language Learner Data
Participants will set goals for enhancing practices for collecting and responding to language learner data. Participants will also acquire protocols for providing meaningful feedback for student growth in proficiency and analyzing student products and performances to inform instructional decisions. High-Quality Student Data for World Languages
This session will provide information for world language teachers on gathering High-Quality Student Data that is aligned with the state standards and meets the criteria outlined in OTES 2.0. Participants will use proficiency rubrics to score student samples and lead the discussion. Implementing the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy
This session will provide an overview of the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy Program and the essential information to help schools and districts implement the program locally. It will serve as a refresher for anyone seeking recent updates to the program’s guidance and those who want to ensure that their existing program is aligned with recommended best practices. Organizing and Implementing a Virtual Exchange
Planning an exchange can be exciting, even if there is no travel involved. Bring the target culture into the classroom by connecting students with students abroad. Participants will learn how the presenter contacted, organized and implemented a virtual exchange between her students and students in Germany on different topics in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. This session is applicable for all language teachers. The Global Scholars Diploma Program
Join the Columbus Council on World Affairs as they share information on how to implement their Global Scholars Diploma Program in Ohio schools. Go GLOCAL in the World Language Classroom
This session will provide an overview of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help teachers learn how the SDGs connect to the language learning environment at all levels. Teachers will discover intersections with their current curriculum and find new avenues of exploration for their students through access to language-rich resources and real connections to the community and target culture. Learn how to provide today’s students with relevant learning through actionable “glocal” tasks. STEM, SHTEAM: Bringing Humanity to STEM
In this session, participants will learn how to interpret STE(A)M as more than the traditionally defined content acronym (Science, Technology, Engineering, (Art), and Math), to see how STE(A)M approaches to teaching and learning can enhance all content areas, including world languages. Each participant will have the opportunity to design a learning experience that bridges the gap between STE(A)M and Humanities content using transdisciplinary themes and cross-cutting STE(A)M skills. Introducing Delaware’s High-Quality Instructional Materials Rubrics for World Languages
Consultants from the Departments of Education in Delaware and Ohio have collaborated to create a rubric that can be used to determine if world language and culture curricular materials and textbooks meet the requirements to be considered High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM). In this session, participants will become familiar with the tool and consider how to ensure that the materials they are selecting are of high quality to encourage the growth of students’ language proficiency and interculturality. Back to the top

Additional Information

Meeting norms:
  1. Be respectful and supportive.
  2. Recognize that everyone has expertise.
  3. Assume positive intent.
  4. Seek clarification in language and ideas.
  5. Share experiences.
  6. Use the chat feature when you have a question.
  7. Mute your microphone when not speaking.

Closed captions for Microsoft Teams: Participants can turn on closed captions by clicking on the three dots (More Actions) at the top of the Microsoft Teams screen. Then, click on “Turn on live captions.”

Recordings: Recorded sessions for the Building Bridges for Educators: The Heart of the Matter professional learning series will be posted shortly.

Note: Not all sessions will be recorded.

​Contact hours:

Certificates of attendance are offered to those who attend live virtual professional learning sessions. Participants will receive a link to the exit ticket at the end of each live session. Once completed, the certificate of attendance will be emailed to those participants. Please allow a few weeks to receive a certificate of attendance. Educators watching the recorded sessions may not receive the certificate of attendance but may contact their LPDC on how to obtain contact hours.

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The Ohio Department of Education is committed to providing access and inclusion and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws. To request a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please contact Aleshia McNutt, ADA coordinator, at ADAaccommodation@education.ohio.gov or (614) 387-2200 (voice) no later than 72 hours from the meeting date.

Last Modified: 4/3/2023 2:04:08 PM