WISIT Summer Institute 2026: Full Schedule

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

August 3 to 7, 2026
Washington International School, Tregaron Campus

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1:45pm EDT

Affirmation, Identity, and Engagement: Helping Students S.O.A.R. in the Classroom and Beyond

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 110

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How can we design learning experiences that cultivate student ownership, deepen critical thinking, and inspire agency? In this interactive workshop, we will explore the S.O.A.R. Model for Engagement as a framework for promoting motivation, inquiry, and student-centered learning. Together, we will examine practical strategies that shift students into active roles in their learning and consider the power of intentional affirmation in shaping identity and belonging. We will leave with concrete approaches to help students see themselves as capable, empowered learners—ready to contribute meaningfully within their classrooms, communities, and beyond.

Speakers

Kashira Turner

Fairfield Middle School

Kashira Turner is an IB Coordinator and middle school math educator in Richmond, Virginia, with over a decade of experience in public education. Kashira designs and leads professional development that helps educators implement engagement and inquiry-based practices (including Project... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 110

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Dance, Move, Breathe (Repeat!): Embodied Teaching and Learning Beyond the Screen

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Studio Sol (1st Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How can we fully engage students’ minds and bodies in the learning process, especially in our increasingly screen-centered classrooms? In this interactive workshop, we will explore how dance, theater, and embodied play can re-center learning in the body. Together, we will experiment with kinesthetic approaches that make thinking visible while fostering connection, identity, and belonging. We will consider emerging research on the impact screen-based learning has on students' academic performance, while also and exploring practical ways to “skip the screen” in favor of more active, human-centered experiences. Through social dance, creative movement, mindfulness, and improvisation, we will engage together as learners -- moving, reflecting, and designing strategies that can be adapted across disciplines. Come ready to move, collaborate, and reimagine learning that centers the body and "embodied cognition" as essential to learning, regardless of age or stage!

Speakers

Deborah Hull

Park School

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Studio Sol (1st Floor)

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Designing for Agency: Building a Culture of Belonging

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 112

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Every child is a citizen with a story to tell. Join us for a hands-on exploration of how our daily routines and physical materials can become a canvas for self-expression. By shifting our perspective, we move beyond "management" and into true partnership. We will explore how to curate environments that celebrate identity and empower our youngest learners to shape their world, ensuring every child feels the profound sense of belonging that comes from having a seat at the table.

Speakers

Georgina Ardalan

Janney Elementary School

Georgina Ardalan is an early childhood educator in DC Public Schools. She draws on her first career in architecture to create a nurturing, collaborative environment that encourages a culture of thinking, where both teachers and children question, reflect, and listen. Georgina serves... Read More →

Macu Yrureta

Washington International School

Inmaculada “Macu” has been an early childhood educator for over 20 years, teaching in various countries including Italy, Spain, China, and Washington, D.C., which she now calls home. She holds a BA in Early Childhood Education, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 112

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Driving School Change Through Thoughtful Leadership and Inquiry

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 107

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How can school leaders enculturate thoughtful inquiry in our learning communities and what role can thinking routines play in this shift? Come and explore ways to leverage thinking routines to inspire faculty and drive positive changes in the classroom. Through the lens of school leadership, we will delve into the practice of documenting teacher thinking and explore how this can be used to enhance classroom practices and guide decision-making. Join us as we embark on a journey to foster a vibrant culture of learning and reflection in our schools.

Speakers

Kristin Gilliland

Washington International School

Kristin Gilliland has worked for many years at the Washington International School, first as a Middle School Math teacher and now as the Middle School Assistant Principal. She earned her BS in Middle School education from Elon University and her MA in Education with a Math Specialist... Read More →

Anne Leflot

Washington International School

Anne is the Upper School Assistant Principal for Student Life and Grades 9 and 10 at Washington International School. As a French native, Anne taught literature for 10+ years in both public and private schools in various locations in France and the United States. She extensively uses... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 107

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Ethics & Emotions: Reflecting on and Navigating AI Use

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 103

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

AI is changing the way we understand teaching and learning, but many of the hardest questions aren’t technical – they’re human. As educators, it is important that we build our own capacity to reflect on and navigate AI use, and help young people do the same. In this workshop, participants will explore the emotional and ethical complexity of their personal AI use, build shared understanding of responsible AI practices, and consider how to navigate future moments more intentionally.

Speakers

Riana Fisher

Sacred Heart School

Riana Fisher is an instructional lead and science educator at Sacred Heart Bilingual Catholic School. Riana has participated in the Project Zero Classroom summer institute at Harvard, presented at DC-Project Zero professional learning events, and worked with PZ researchers on pilot... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 103

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

From Ideas to Action: Building a Culture of Thinking

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 105

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Who are your students becoming as thinkers through their time with you? This question will guide you on an engaging and reflective journey as we explore the ideas from Ron Ritchhart’s Cultures of Thinking in Action. Together, we will examine the types of thinking we wish to nurture in our classrooms and identify the essential habits of mind to prioritize. We will delve into the PZ Thinking Routine Toolbox, learning how to adapt routines for deeper, more complex understanding. Join us for dedicated time to apply these concepts to your own context and plan intentionally for the upcoming year.

Speakers

Kara Kling

Maret School

Kara Kling (she/her) teaches Humanities and serves as 8th Grade Dean at Maret. She is committed to experimenting with instructional approaches that support equity and promote students' understanding and engagement. In her curriculum design work, and as co-coordinator of Maret's "Middle... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 105

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

How Do You Know? Reimagining Thinking in Math Class

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 214

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Is math class a destination or a journey? Too often, students experience mathematics as a race toward the right answer, where speed is valued over sense-making. This interactive session invites you to shift the focus from answer-getting to deep thinking. Come and explore how to cultivate a vibrant Culture of Thinking in the math classroom, one where reasoning, curiosity, and student agency take center stage. Through hands-on engagement, we will examine how thinking routines can make student thinking visible, how documentation can honor diverse approaches, and how small shifts in practice can move classrooms from “Is this right?” to “How do you know?”

Speakers

Marie López

Washington International School

Marie Lopez is currently the Primary School Math Coordinator at Washington International School. Marie started her teaching career in 2001. Prior to being a math coordinator, she was an English homeroom teacher, but she has also taught Spanish immersion, and Spanish at the elementary... Read More →

Cathy Richardson

Washington International School

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 214

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Questions Drive Thinking and Learning

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

The Gallery - Le Centre Brown

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Questions are drivers of inquiry, catalysts for changing our perceptions, vehicles for developing understanding, promoters of action, and opportunities to clarify our thinking . . . and, a major way that teachers interact with their students. There is evidence that shows that teacher questions consume between 10-20% of the time students spend in classrooms. However, research shows that more than 80% of all teacher questions only require students to recall facts. Is this true in our classrooms? How can we collect data to help us better understand our own questioning and the questions students experience across our schools? How can we better understand what effective questioning looks, feels, and sounds like in a cultures of thinking classroom? In addition, if we recognize questions are important vehicles for learning, they shouldn’t totally be the purview of teachers. How can we engage students in asking better questions that increase engagement and deepen learning? Questions are one of the most powerful ways learners to express their thinking, enhance problem-solving, monitor understanding, and improve as active and autonomous learners. How can we harness the potential of questioning to develop more independent learners?

Speakers

Dr. Ron Ritchhart

Cultures of Thinking

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
The Gallery - Le Centre Brown

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Quilting the Fabric of Freedom: Stitching Liberation, Belonging, and Agency into Learning Communities

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Mad Lab (2nd Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How might we create learning communities that do more than include—that affirm, liberate, and empower? This interactive session invites you to explore the metaphor and practice of quilting as a framework for building culturally responsive, inclusive schools. Drawing on findings from ethnographic research with Black middle school students, the presentation weaves together Gloria Ladson-Billings’ Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, the Street Data Agency framework, and thinking routines to illuminate how student voices can shape liberatory classrooms. We will engage in reflection, dialogue, and a hands-on quilting activity, creating “identity quilt squares” that symbolize our commitments to affirming student voice and agency. Together, we will stitch new understandings of belonging, mastery, and liberation into the heart of our learning communities.

Speakers

Gerald D Smith Jr.

Smithsonian

Gerald D. Smith Jr. is the former Principal of St. Thomas More Catholic Academy in Washington, DC, where he led with a focus on equity, innovation, and community partnerships. Currently he is the Lead Education Specialist for Youth Development Programs at the Smithsonian Institution... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Mad Lab (2nd Floor)

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Ready, Set, Play!: Reclaiming Play as a Catalyst for Deep Learning

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 215

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Are you ready to play? This session challenges participants to rethink the essential role of play as a powerful driver of learning well beyond the early childhood years. Grounded in research, we will examine how play fuels engagement, deepens creativity, and strengthens social-emotional development across age groups. Together, we’ll analyze what meaningful play looks like in diverse classroom contexts and uncover practical, intentional ways to embed it into everyday teaching and leadership practices. Designed for teachers and school leaders alike, this session will leave you inspired and equipped to intentionally design for learning that is dynamic, joyful, and deeply engaging.

Speakers

Bridget Yoko

The Village School

Bridget Yoko is a lifelong educator and child advocate who believes every child carries a story worth discovering—and that play is one of the most powerful ways to tell it. With over 13 years of experience in PreK–8 education and advanced degrees in Integrated Studies, Elementary... Read More →

Aaryn Drapiza

The Village School

Aaryn Drapiza (she/her) is devoted to learner-centered and community-oriented education. Her education journey began with elementary learners, and the insights she gained from those foundational years inspire and inform her approach to middle school, a stage she's deeply passionate... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 215

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Think, Feel, Lead: Empathy and Emotional Agility By Design

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 210

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

In leadership, can you stay grounded, curious, and values-driven under pressure? True leadership extends beyond strategy; it’s fundamentally about our relationships. In this interactive workshop, we will explore how empathy and emotional agility are essential for leading with authenticity, resilience, and connection. Using Project Zero thinking routines, we’ll recognize emotional currents in ourselves and others, examine how our mindsets shape our leadership choices, and practice perspective-taking as a vital skill. Together, we’ll build trust, uncover insights, and engage with complexity—not by dismissing emotions, but by embracing them with clarity and compassion. Whether leading a team, classroom, or system, you will leave with practical strategies for navigating challenges while fostering belonging, courage, and meaningful change.

Speakers

Noelani Mussman

Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) - Washington, DC

Noelani Mussman loves infusing joy, play and maker thinking into developing teachers and school leaders. Currently she works on professional development and supports for public and public charter schools in the office of teaching and learning at OSSE (Office of State Superintendent... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 210

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

WISIT 101: An Introduction to Project Zero Pedagogy

LIMITED

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 106

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How can we make student thinking visible, valued, and central to learning? In this interactive workshop, we will dive into the core ideas of Project Zero by experiencing them firsthand. Together, we’ll try out thinking routines like See, Think, Wonder, explore the forces that shape classroom culture, and reflect on how small moves can spark deep thinking. Designed with beginners in mind, this session is the perfect entry point and will provide a powerful foundation for your week at WISIT. Let's build a shared language, ignite our curiosity, and explore practical tools that are immediately applicable for the school year ahead!

Speakers

Lauren Wright

Washington International School

Lauren Wright is curently working at WIS in Human Resources, but her passion is middle school teaching and learning. In her previous role as a classroom teacher, she worked with her colleagues to design a new curriculum based on a strong foundation of classroom documentation that... Read More →

Monday August 3, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 106

Interactive Course

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

From $500.00

Tickets

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WISIT Summer Institute 2026

1:45pm EDT

Kashira Turner

1:45pm EDT

Deborah Hull

1:45pm EDT

Georgina Ardalan

Macu Yrureta

1:45pm EDT

Kristin Gilliland

Anne Leflot

1:45pm EDT

Riana Fisher

1:45pm EDT

Kara Kling

1:45pm EDT

Marie López

Cathy Richardson

1:45pm EDT

Dr. Ron Ritchhart

1:45pm EDT

Gerald D Smith Jr.

1:45pm EDT

Bridget Yoko

Aaryn Drapiza

1:45pm EDT

Noelani Mussman

1:45pm EDT

Lauren Wright

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