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

Acting Up and Acting Out: Using Stories and Drama to Uncover Perspectives and Build Empathy

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 215

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Storytelling is a fundamental way in which humans connect; it allows us to share experiences, evoke empathy, and understand perspectives beyond our own. Through narratives, we can explore the intricacies of global issues and recognize our shared humanity. Using storytelling, thinking routines, and drama conventions, we will immerse ourselves in these intricate topics and work to make the invisible visible. Join us in this thought-provoking journey, and be inspired to step outside of your comfort zone to connect with others through the power of dramatic storytelling!

Speakers

Foun Tang

Georgetown Day School

Foun Tang is currently an elementary school teacher at Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC. She has been working as an educator for over 20 years in international schools in Hong Kong and Japan, as well as in independent schools in the DC area. Since attending the Project Zero... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 215

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Building Agency with AI Tools: A Maker-Centered Approach

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 216

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How can we leverage AI in ways that amplify student agency, imagination, and deep understanding? In this interactive workshop, we will explore how Maker-Centered Learning can position AI as a tool for creativity, playful exploration, and ethical decision-making. Together, we will engage with a range of tools and routines, looking closely at their possibilities and complexities while considering how to thoughtfully integrate them into inquiry-based classrooms. No prior experience with AI is required—just a willingness to experiment, reflect, and shape a classroom culture where AI supports meaningful, student-driven learning.

Speakers

Jaime Chao Mignano

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Jaime Chao Mignano is the Director of Technology and Innovation at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, MD. She has been a technology and maker educator in Washington, DC for over a decade, serving schools and nonprofit organizations in developing and delivering curriculum... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 216

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Buzzworthy: How all Professional Learning Should Be

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 103

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

“For classrooms to be cultures of thinking for students, schools must be cultures of thinking for teachers.” (Ron Ritchhart) This interactive workshop invites us to reimagine professional learning as engaging, inquiry-driven, and deeply relevant to our daily practice. Together, we will experience collaborative inquiry, self-reflection, and thinking routines as active learners, exploring how these approaches can foster vibrant cultures of thinking among adults. We will leave with practical tools and strategies that can be applied across contexts and designed not only to deepen professional practice, but to spark energy, curiosity, and conversations that continue well beyond the session. Meaningful learning isn’t just for students—it should be dynamic and enjoyable for adults, too!

Speakers

Elizabeth Dean

The Village School

Elizabeth has spent the past twenty years working in various roles in public and private schools as a high school English teacher, Department Chair, and Instructional Coach. She is currently the Head of Learning at The Village School, a learner-centered and project based learning... Read More →

Shannon Quinn

Randolph Elementary School

Shannon Quinn is the IB Coordinator at Randolph Elementary School, where she leads efforts to build a culture of thinking grounded in the principles of Harvard’s Project Zero. She also serves on the Board of the Mid-Atlantic Association of IB World Schools, facilitating professional... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 103

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

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

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 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

Tuesday August 4, 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

Tuesday August 4, 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 →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 112

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Ethics & Emotions: Reflecting on and Navigating AI Use

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 105

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 →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 105

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

From Routine to Agency: Integrating AI into Cultures of Thinking

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 106

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How can we use AI to extend and deepen student thinking—without replacing it? In this interactive workshop, we will explore how thinking routines can position AI as a partner in inquiry, supporting perspective-taking, analysis, and evidence-based reasoning. Together, we will experience the LENS Framework (Launch, Expand, Navigate, Synthesize), a structured approach that keeps students at the center of the thinking process while using AI to broaden perspectives and navigate complexity. Through hands-on activities, we will engage in media literacy analysis, prompt design, and routines that surface bias, evaluate claims, and strengthen argumentation. We will leave with practical tools we can use immediately in our own unique contexts.

Speakers

Federico Pisano

Washington International School

Federico Pisano is a Middle School Spanish Teacher, Middle School Spanish Coordinator, and Grade 8 Coordinator at Washington International School in Washington, D.C., where he brings over 20 years of classroom experience to his practice. Throughout his career, Federico has been at... Read More →

Allie Wilding

Washington International School

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 106

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

How Do You Know? Reimagining Thinking in Math Class

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 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

Cathy Richardson

Washington International School

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 →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 214

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Making Thinking Visible 2.0: New Routines, New Maps, and New Possibilities

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

The Gallery - Le Centre Brown

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Since their introduction some 20 years ago, thinking routines have become enormously popular with teachers around the world and have continued to evolve through the ongoing work of researchers at Harvard Project Zero. It has now been over 15 years since Making Thinking Visible first appeared, and Mark Church, Karen Morrison, and Ron Ritchhart are currently at work on a revised and updated edition: Making Thinking Visible 2.0.
In this interactive course, participants will get an early look at some of the new routines being developed for the new book, explore an updated version of the Understanding Map, and examine a new section we are adding to help folks understand and discuss with colleagues how routines look in action: “A Closer Look: Examining A Video Picture of Practice.” Together, we will consider what we have learned over the past two decades about how teachers can frame, launch, and situate thinking routines so that they do more than structure an activity. This will include some of the common pitfalls of why thinking routines fail to launch in some classrooms. Following WISIT, we hope participants try out some of these new routines in their own contexts and share examples of student thinking and classroom practice with us. We are always looking for powerful examples, and we would be delighted to consider participants’ work for possible inclusion in the new book.

Speakers

Dr. Ron Ritchhart

Cultures of Thinking

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
The Gallery - Le Centre Brown

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Students as Change-makers: Rethinking Power, Partnership, and Civic Action

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 111

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Join us in reimagining youth-adult partnerships that cultivate students’ civic agency within and beyond the school’s walls. In this interactive session, participants will engage with visual texts using the Values, Identities, Actions routine, explore stories and resources from the John Lewis Leadership Program (Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia), and exchange ideas with colleagues from diverse contexts. Participants will leave with fresh perspectives, practical resources, and a template for fostering more empowering youth-adult relationships in their own communities.

Speakers

Deborah March

John Lewis High School

Deborah envisions a world where all young people experience belonging and agency, within and beyond the school walls. As the Senior Manager for the John Lewis Leadership Program in Fairfax County Public Schools, Deborah partners with students, staff, and community organizations to... Read More →

Mirella Saldana Torres

John Lewis Leadership Program

Mirella Saldana Torres is a Work-Based Learning Resource Teacher with a Master’s in Education in School Counseling from George Mason University. Drawing on her background in college-access work, counseling, and educational leadership, Mirella is committed to fostering student agency... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 111

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

The Neighborhood is Our Classroom

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 211

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

What becomes possible when the neighborhood becomes the classroom? Inspired by core ideas from Project Zero, this session shares the story of a Pre-K classroom that reimagined a traditional “community helpers” unit through the lenses of agency, inquiry, and civic engagement. You will explore how young learners engaged with their community in meaningful ways while also unpacking the educators’ own thinking and design process behind the work. Through reflection and discussion, you’ll consider the key ingredients that make learning experiences truly powerful and how to bring these ideas into your own context. While especially relevant for early childhood educators, this session welcomes all who are interested in rethinking what’s possible when we center student thinking and agency at the heart of the curriculum.

Speakers

Kerstin Schmidt

Briya Public Charter School

Kerstin Schmidt is a long-time pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teacher and currently works as an instructional coach and early childhood curriculum specialist at Briya Public Charter School in Washington, DC. Originally from Chicago, she holds a BA in linguistics from the University... Read More →

Nury Sandoval

Briya Public Charter School

Nury Sandoval is an experienced Early Childhood Educator and Inclusion Specialist with over 22 years of work in multilingual, neurodiverse, and culturally responsive classrooms. Holding degrees in Special Education and a Master’s in Education, she has led inclusive practices across... Read More →

Kathryn Gillon

Briya Public Charter School

Kathryn Gillon is a pre-K teacher at Briya Public Charter School in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC. Originally from Winston-Salem, NC, she studied history at American University and began her career in education as an assistant pre-K teacher with DC Public Schools. Kathryn... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 211

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

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

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 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 →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 210

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Weaving Legacies: Migrant Contributions to the Fabric of American Communities

LIMITED

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 212

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

What stories does our cultural library hold? What voices unveil the threads of our national tapestry? Come engage with Project Zero pedagogical tools to explore how our individual and collective narratives are woven into a shared fabric of belonging. In this interactive course, we will unmute voices often left out of the migration conversation and reveal connections across time, place, and identity. Discover practical strategies to support students in elevating overlooked perspectives, and revealing the rich, woven narratives of our collective past

Speakers

Àngels Natal-Asensio

Oakton High School

Àngels Natal-Asensio is a Spanish instructor and World Languages Department Chair at Oakton High School. Previously she taught English and German in her native Barcelona, where she started integrating Project Zero thinking routines along with art in the teaching of world languages... Read More →

Denise Rodríguez

Henderson Middle School

Denise serves as the MYP Coordinator for Falls Church City Public Schools. She previously taught Spanish Humanities at the middle school level and participates in Project Zero professional learning communities at the Washington International School. At WISSIT ‘26 she will co-lead... Read More →

Tuesday August 4, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 212

Interactive Course

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

From $500.00

Tickets

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WISIT Summer Institute 2026

1:45pm EDT

Foun Tang

1:45pm EDT

Jaime Chao Mignano

1:45pm EDT

Elizabeth Dean

Shannon Quinn

1:45pm EDT

Deborah Hull

1:45pm EDT

Georgina Ardalan

Macu Yrureta

1:45pm EDT

Riana Fisher

1:45pm EDT

Federico Pisano

Allie Wilding

1:45pm EDT

Cathy Richardson

Marie López

1:45pm EDT

Dr. Ron Ritchhart

1:45pm EDT

Deborah March

Mirella Saldana Torres

1:45pm EDT

Kerstin Schmidt

Nury Sandoval

Kathryn Gillon

1:45pm EDT

Noelani Mussman

1:45pm EDT

Àngels Natal-Asensio

Denise Rodríguez

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