WISIT Summer Institute 2026: Full Schedule

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

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

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

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

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

Speakers

Georgina Ardalan

Janney Elementary School

Macu Yrureta

Washington International School

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

Speakers

Riana Fisher

Sacred Heart School

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

Speakers

Cathy Richardson

Washington International School

Marie López

Washington International School

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

Speakers

Noelani Mussman

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

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

1:45pm EDT

Buzzworthy: How all Professional Learning Should Be

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 103

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Speakers

Elizabeth Dean

The Village School

Shannon Quinn

Randolph Elementary School

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 103

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Driving School Change Through Thoughtful Leadership and Inquiry

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 107

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Speakers

Kristin Gilliland

Washington International School

Anne Leflot

Washington International School

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 107

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

From Ideas to Action: Building a Culture of Thinking

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 105

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Speakers

Kara Kling

Maret School

Thursday August 6, 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

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Carriage House Room 106

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Speakers

Federico Pisano

Washington International School

Allie Wilding

Washington International School

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Carriage House Room 106

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Intro to Digital Thriving: Essential Tools for Educators Living & Teaching in a Tech-Filled World

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

The Gallery - Le Centre Brown

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Technology is both helpful and harmful, connecting and dividing, inspiring and dispiriting. Our students’ experiences with technology are multi-faceted and our approach needs to be, too. In this mini course, you’ll get hands-on with resources from the Center for Digital Thriving and engage specific mindshifts that help you go from assuming to asking, from referee to coach, from an abstinence model to agency. We’ll engage in activities that are designed to surface values, make our thinking visible, and support digital agency for educators and students alike. You'll experience these activities yourself and explore how to adapt them for your context where you can use them right away.

Speakers

Dr. Carrie James

Co-Director of Project Zero, Center for Digital Thriving

Dr. Carrie James (she/her) is a sociologist, researcher, and the current Co-Director of Project Zero. Emphasizing qualitative methods, her work focuses on young people’s digital experiences, including opportunities and challenges for their well-being, social connections, and civic... Read More →

Dr. Beck Tench

Center for Digital Thriving

Dr. Beck Tench (she/her) has deep and abiding curiosities about how to live well in a radically connected world. She is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero, where she serves as a senior researcher, designer, and co-leader of the IMAGINE AI portfolio of work at the Center for Digital Thriving. Her research explores how people find hope and digital agency, individually and collectively. Beck also teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.Beck earned her Ph.D. in Information Science at the University of Washington, where... Read More →

Dan Be Kim

Center for Digital Thriving

Dan Be Kim is a startup founder turned educational technologist, committed to reimagining how we teach and learn in the age of AI. Her current work centers on designing human-centered AI literacy programming for educators and learners. As a third culture kid with a multicultural upbringing... Read More →

Thursday August 6, 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

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Mad Lab (2nd Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

Speakers

Gerald D Smith Jr.

Smithsonian

Thursday August 6, 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

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 215

Limited Capacity seats available

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Speakers

Aaryn Drapiza

The Village School

Bridget Yoko

The Village School

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 215

Interactive Course

1:45pm EDT

Safe Brains Learn Best: Trauma, Memory, and Language Acquisition

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Room 110

Limited Capacity seats available

Feedback Survey

How do brain science, emotional safety, and experiences of stress and trauma shape students’ ability to learn, especially for multilingual learners? In this interactive workshop, we will examine how stress and trauma impact key brain systems and what this means for attention, memory, and language development. Together, we will connect this research to practice, identifying concrete strategies that we can implement immediately to support engagement, strengthen working memory, and create conditions where all learners can thrive.

Speakers

Patricio Cortez

Garnet-Patterson STAY

Patricio Poblete is a certified Spanish, ESOL, Biology, and Special Education teacher with over 14 years of experience in language acquisition and culturally responsive instruction. He holds a teaching degree and a master’s in TEFL with a major in linguistics from Universidad Metropolitana... Read More →

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Room 110

Interactive Course