Actionable Professional Development Sessions

Lisa can design an informative, engaging workshop on any topic that you need. She customizes each session for her audience, and she can adapt on the fly when necessary. These are a few of Lisa’s most popular workshops:

What do we really mean by conceptual understanding?

“Conceptual understanding” is a phrase we hear thrown around often but few educators are clear on what it really means. Lisa explains the brain science of conceptual understanding with memorable metaphors and examples. She gives teachers concrete steps for checking that they are teaching conceptually, and she facilitates lively group work to help teachers plan with their very own curriculum.

Fostering Student Voice and Student Writing

True success in mathematics is shown when students communicate about their understanding. In this workshop, Lisa inspires teachers with an ambitious vision for encouraging student voice and writing in every math lesson. She gives easy, practical steps that can be implemented the very next day.

Solving Word Problems Across Grade Levels

Often students have learned the content but word problems are still a challenge. Lisa gives teachers a simple and effective routine that truly changes students’ approach to word problems. The first part of this session is a guided investigation to illuminate what thinking word problems require. The second part covers the components of word problem instruction along with teaching rehearsal.

How to Build True Number Sense

In this workshop, teachers engage in a fun and mind-bending math investigation that allows them to experience what it is like to learn a new number system. This leads into teacher-driven discussion about the principals of instructions that they want to center as they build students’ numbers sense throughout the school year.

Feedback that Leads to Learning

When students put pencil to paper, do we lean in or lean out? And what do we say? Lisa inspires teachers to see feedback on student work as key to their instruction. She shares metaphors and examples to help teachers choose the right type of feedback in the moment. Through fast-paced activity that is set up like speed dating, the teachers are able to practice the moves that will improve their instruction for the very next time they teach.

Creating an Inclusive Math Culture

Math is the only subject where we might hear an adult proudly announce that they “just aren’t good at it” as if there is a math gene that someone is either born with or not. This attitude is especially harmful to women and people of color because they have been excluded from STEM fields throughout our country’s history. In this session, Lisa takes on the role of facilitator as educators discuss the math myths that undermine student confidence and plan what steps they will take to dismantle them.

Whether you’re unsure about what you need or ready to start your next big initiative, Lisa would love to talk to you about ways she can help.