KATE Conference Reflections

I enjoyed the KATE conference and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to attend. The session that I enjoyed the most was "Fostering Student and Teacher Creativity", which was led by Kansas Teacher of the Year, Curtis Chandler. Mr. Chandler shed light on the fact that the more students are allowed to show their creativity in the classroom, the better they will do academically. As English teachers, we want our students to write, write, write, and then write some more. But Mr. Chandler suggested that we have them drawing a little more and writing a little bit less. It only makes sense, really. Having students draw representations of what they learned is a way to assess learning, and it's something they will actually enjoy (go figure).

Mr. Chandler posed several questions that teachers should routinely ask themselves: "Is it verbal, is it visual, am I giving chances to create?". During this session I realized, more than before, how valuable and imperative it is that students are actively engaged in their own learning. Having them draw a picture, get out of their seats, and step out of the monotonous routine of writing, writing, writing will not only capture their attention, but it will increase their interest in learning.