The Iowa Department of Education, in partnership with the Center for Authentic Intellectual Work, is hosting the 4th Annual Authentic Intellectual Work Midyear Conference. This weekend of professional dialogue and innovation will be held February 11 and 12.

The two-day event brings educators from around the state together to investigate the intellectual quality of one another's professional work. Day one, called Regional Collaboration Day, is being held regionally for the first time due to increased demand throughout Iowa. The Regional Collaboration Days are being held on Friday, February 11 at Atlantic High School, Humboldt High School, and Iowa Fall's Rock Run Elementary, and one week later at Valley High School in West Des Moines February 18. In small groups, teachers review assignments, student work and video clips of their instruction.  This process, known as AIW Learning Team Scoring, allows teachers to review and discuss the quality their work and receive feedback for improvement, ultimately leading to improved teaching and student learning.

The second day, called Extended Conversations, will be held on Saturday, February 12 at Valley Southwoods High School in West Des Moines. It will feature specialized workshops presented by educators in the field. For example, Social Studies and Tools of the Historian will give participants the chance to explore current events unfolding in Egypt through the eyes of a historian, geographer, and political scientist. Another session will feature a discussion about video excerpts of preschool and kindergarten classes from Council Bluffs St. Albert's Elementary School to help participants know how to encourage intellectual thinking from even our youngest learners.

2011-02-09