Buckle up for an exciting journey in professional learning at Summer Inspire: Destination Excellence on May 28-29 from 8:30 to 4:00! This summer, we’re hitting the road toward innovation, impact, and instructional excellence. Please note: Our main location will be Shepton High School, but some sessions may be at the Plano ISD Sockwell Center.
Shepton High School: 5505 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093
Here are some helpful tips for navigating Sched:
You can filter for session types by using the menu bar on the right side of the screen (Elementary, GT Credit, Full-day, etc.)
(For elementary) This high-energy professional development session equips educators with practical, student-centered strategies that drive active learning and deep engagement. Participants will explore the essential components of an engaged classroom, gaining hands-on experience with techniques that get students actively involved in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The session focuses on increasing critical thinking, fostering student ownership of learning, and integrating higher-order thinking into daily instruction. Educators will leave with ready-to-use tools and strategies to create a language-rich, interactive environment where students thrive. This session provides an engaging and immersive learning experience, ensuring that teachers walk away with actionable strategies to transform instruction and maximize student success. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For elementary) This engaging professional development session explores the power of formative assessment as a tool to drive student achievement and instructional decision-making. Educators will examine how assessments shape learning, impact instructional choices, and support students in reaching their full potential. Through hands-on experiences and actionable strategies, participants will learn how to assess for learning rather than just of learning, incorporate student self-assessment as a powerful learning tool, and develop a collaborative classroom culture where assessment fuels growth. This session equips teachers with practical, ready-to-use methods to make assessment a meaningful and integral part of the learning process. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For elementary) Strengthen literacy skills by unlocking the powerful connection between reading and writing! This engaging professional development session provides educators with learner-centered, active strategies to enhance student comprehension, writing fluency, and content mastery. Participants will uncover how reading fuels better writing, and gather practical tools to lessen writing anxiety while building student confidence. Through hands-on experiences, educators will leave with a ready-to-use toolkit of dynamic strategies designed to boost engagement, deepen understanding, and empower students to thrive as both readers and writers. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For secondary) This interactive professional development session empowers educators with strategic questioning techniques designed to deepen student understanding, foster inquiry, and enhance critical thinking. Participants will explore how to craft purposeful questions, encourage student-generated questions, and shift from content coverage to true comprehension. Through fast-paced, hands-on experiences, educators will analyze question types, refine questioning strategies, and practice techniques that promote higher-order thinking and meaningful student interactions. This session provides practical, immediately applicable methods to create a dynamic, inquiry-driven classroom environment where students take an active role in their learning. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For secondary) A positive classroom culture is the foundation for student success. This engaging professional development session equips educators with practical strategies to build strong relationships, lower student anxiety, and foster an inclusive learning environment where every student feels valued. Participants will explore techniques to create an “I can!” culture, ensuring students have the comfort and confidence to tackle challenging content. Educators will gain actionable ideas to celebrate diversity, honor multiple intelligences, and create a culture of second chances where learning thrives. Through hands-on experiences, this session provides ready-to-use strategies to enhance student engagement and build a connected, supportive classroom community. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For elementary) This interactive professional development session empowers educators with strategic questioning techniques designed to deepen student understanding, foster inquiry, and enhance critical thinking. Participants will explore how to craft purposeful questions, encourage student-generated questions, and shift from content coverage to true comprehension. Through fast-paced, hands-on experiences, educators will analyze question types, refine questioning strategies, and practice techniques that promote higher-order thinking and meaningful student interactions. This session provides practical, immediately applicable methods to create a dynamic, inquiry-driven classroom environment where students take an active role in their learning. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For elementary) A positive classroom culture is the foundation for student success. This engaging professional development session equips educators with practical strategies to build strong relationships, lower student anxiety, and foster an inclusive learning environment where every student feels valued. Participants will explore techniques to create an “I can!” culture, ensuring students have the comfort and confidence to tackle challenging content. Educators will gain actionable ideas to celebrate diversity, honor multiple intelligences, and create a culture of second chances where learning thrives. Through hands-on experiences, this session provides ready-to-use strategies to enhance student engagement and build a connected, supportive classroom community. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For secondary) This high-energy professional development session equips educators with practical, student-centered strategies that drive active learning and deep engagement. Participants will explore the essential components of an engaged classroom, gaining hands-on experience with techniques that get students actively involved in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The session focuses on increasing critical thinking, fostering student ownership of learning, and integrating higher-order thinking into daily instruction. Educators will leave with ready-to-use tools and strategies to create a language-rich, interactive environment where students thrive. This session provides an engaging and immersive learning experience, ensuring that teachers walk away with actionable strategies to transform instruction and maximize student success. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For secondary) This engaging professional development session explores the power of formative assessment as a tool to drive student achievement and instructional decision-making. Educators will examine how assessments shape learning, impact instructional choices, and support students in reaching their full potential. Through hands-on experiences and actionable strategies, participants will learn how to assess for learning rather than just of learning, incorporate student self-assessment as a powerful learning tool, and develop a collaborative classroom culture where assessment fuels growth. This session equips teachers with practical, ready-to-use methods to make assessment a meaningful and integral part of the learning process. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
(For Secondary) Strengthen literacy skills by unlocking the powerful connection between reading and writing! This engaging professional development session provides educators with learner-centered, active strategies to enhance student comprehension, writing fluency, and content mastery. Participants will uncover how reading fuels better writing, and gather practical tools to lessen writing anxiety while building student confidence. Through hands-on experiences, educators will leave with a ready-to-use toolkit of dynamic strategies designed to boost engagement, deepen understanding, and empower students to thrive as both readers and writers. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
Educators have multiple resources they are expected to internalize and implement with integrity. And classrooms are increasingly diverse places, full of students with a variety of strengths and needs. What if we could find better ways to incorporate that diversity into the lesson internalization process and remove barriers to achievement for ALL learners? Participants will: examine principles of universally designed instruction and how they connect with the instructional cycle, enhance the lesson internalization process to ensure that rigorous learning experiences meet the needs of ALL learners, explore options for engagement, representation, and expression that reduce barriers for diverse learners across content areas, and practice teaching strategies that support effective classroom behavior management. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
How can we promote engaging, dynamic, differentiated instruction with minimal teacher preparation and maximum results? With lead4ward’s low-prep/high-yield instructional resources! Move from teacher-centered instruction with passive, bored students to exciting, engaging instruction where students move, do the talking, comprehend content, correct mistakes, and deepen connections. Get ready to move, interact, and have lots of fun as we rehearse activities that engage students to learn academic vocabulary, analyze complex visuals, comprehend difficult text, and THINK! TALK! WRITE! You’ll be able to use the strategies we practice in the session with students the very next day! [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
This workshop, based on the book Teaching Gifted Multilingual Learners (MLs) with Depth and Complexity, provides practical answers for educators seeking to better identify and serve gifted multilingual learners. Participants will learn how to combine best practices in gifted education with best practices in education for multilingual learners to meet the needs of these students. Tools and information will be provided to help educators become talent scouts in the gifted identification process. Strategies will be shared to meet the social and emotional needs of these students. Guidance and examples of how to combine sheltered instruction with Depth and Complexity will help participants simultaneously meet their students’ language and learning needs. Participants will leave with practical ideas to identify and serve gifted multilingual learners. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
In this session, Elementary PLANners will gain hands-on experience with BenQ Boards, AI tools, and iPads. The session will discuss alignment with the district’s Digital Learning Plan and Tech TEKS, emphasizing the "why" behind digital integration and equipping educators with strategic approaches to implementation on their campuses. PLANners will expand their leadership skills and learn best practices to lead adult learning on their campus. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
Educators have multiple resources they are expected to internalize and implement with integrity. And classrooms are increasingly diverse places, full of students with a variety of strengths and needs. What if we could find better ways to incorporate that diversity into the lesson internalization process and remove barriers to achievement for ALL learners? Participants will: examine principles of universally designed instruction and how they connect with the instructional cycle, enhance the lesson internalization process to ensure that rigorous learning experiences meet the needs of ALL learners, explore options for engagement, representation, and expression that reduce barriers for diverse learners across content areas, and practice teaching strategies that support effective classroom behavior management. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
How can we promote engaging, dynamic, differentiated instruction with minimal teacher preparation and maximum results? With lead4ward’s low-prep/high-yield instructional resources! Move from teacher-centered instruction with passive, bored students to exciting, engaging instruction where students move, do the talking, comprehend content, correct mistakes, and deepen connections. Get ready to move, interact, and have lots of fun as we rehearse activities that engage students to learn academic vocabulary, analyze complex visuals, comprehend difficult text, and THINK! TALK! WRITE! You’ll be able to use the strategies we practice in the session with students the very next day! [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
This workshop, based on the book Teaching Gifted Multilingual Learners (MLs) with Depth and Complexity, provides practical answers for educators seeking to better identify and serve gifted multilingual learners. Participants will learn how to combine best practices in gifted education with best practices in education for multilingual learners to meet the needs of these students. Tools and information will be provided to help educators become talent scouts in the gifted identification process. Strategies will be shared to meet the social and emotional needs of these students. Guidance and examples of how to combine sheltered instruction with Depth and Complexity will help participants simultaneously meet their students’ language and learning needs. Participants will leave with practical ideas to identify and serve gifted multilingual learners. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
In this session, Secondary PLANners will gain hands-on experience with BenQ Boards, AI tools, and iPads. The session will discuss alignment with the district’s Digital Learning Plan and Tech TEKS, emphasizing the "why" behind digital integration and equipping educators with strategic approaches to implementation on their campuses. PLANners will expand their leadership skills and learn best practices to lead adult learning on their campus. [Please note: This session is at the Sockwell Center.]
