WISIT Summer Institute 2026

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

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

9:00am EDT

Plenary Session: Ron Ritchhart - Who are our students becoming as thinkers and learners as a result of their time with us? Black Box Theater - Middle School BuildingDr. Ron Ritchhart

10:45am EDT

Learning Groups Various Rooms Across Campus - See Description for Room #s

12:45pm EDT

Lunch Huffard Hall - Le Centre Brown, WIS Campus

1:45pm EDT

Affirmation, Identity, and Engagement: Helping Students S.O.A.R. in the Classroom and Beyond Middle School Building Room 114Kashira Turner

Dance, Move, Breathe (Repeat!): Embodied Teaching and Learning Beyond the Screen Middle School Building Studio Sol (1st Floor)Deborah Hull

Designing for Agency: Building a Culture of Belonging Middle School Building Room 112Georgina Ardalan • Macu Yrureta

Driving School Change Through Thoughtful Leadership and Inquiry Mansion Room 206Kristin Gilliland • Anne Leflot

Ethics & Emotions: Reflecting on and Navigating AI Use Mansion Room 202Riana Fisher

From Ideas to Action: Building a Culture of Thinking Le Centre Brown Design LabKara Kling

How Do You Know? Reimagining Thinking in Math Class Middle School Building Room 214Marie López • Cathy Richardson

Questions Drive Thinking and Learning The Gallery - Le Centre BrownDr. Ron Ritchhart

Quilting the Fabric of Freedom: Stitching Liberation, Belonging, and Agency into Learning Communities Middle School Building Mad Lab (2nd Floor)Gerald D Smith Jr.

Ready, Set, Play!: Reclaiming Play as a Catalyst for Deep Learning Middle School Building Room 215Bridget Yoko • Aaryn Drapiza

Think, Feel, Lead: Empathy and Emotional Agility By Design Middle School Building Room 210Noelani Mussman

WISIT 101: An Introduction to Project Zero Pedagogy Mansion Davies HallLauren Wright

9:00am EDT

Plenary Session: A WISIT Film Festival, led by Ron Ritchhart Black Box Theater - Middle School BuildingDr. Ron Ritchhart

10:15am EDT

Learning Groups Various Rooms Across Campus - See Description for Room #s

11:45am EDT

12:45pm EDT

Lunch Huffard Hall - Le Centre Brown, WIS Campus

1:45pm EDT

Acting Up and Acting Out: Using Stories and Drama to Uncover Perspectives and Build Empathy Middle School Building Room 215Foun Tang

Building Agency with AI Tools: A Maker-Centered Approach Middle School Building Room 216Jaime Chao Mignano

Buzzworthy: How all Professional Learning Should Be Mansion Room 202Elizabeth Dean • Shannon Quinn

Dance, Move, Breathe (Repeat!): Embodied Teaching and Learning Beyond the Screen Middle School Building Studio Sol (1st Floor)Deborah Hull

Designing for Agency: Building a Culture of Belonging Middle School Building Room 112Georgina Ardalan • Macu Yrureta

Ethics & Emotions: Reflecting on and Navigating AI Use Mansion Room 203Riana Fisher

From Routine to Agency: Integrating AI into Cultures of Thinking Mansion Room 204Federico Pisano • Allie Wilding

How Do You Know? Reimagining Thinking in Math Class Middle School Building Room 214Cathy Richardson • Marie López

Making Thinking Visible 2.0: New Routines, New Maps, and New Possibilities The Gallery - Le Centre BrownDr. Ron Ritchhart

Students as Change-makers: Rethinking Power, Partnership, and Civic Action Middle School Building Room 111Deborah March • Mirella Saldana Torres

The Neighborhood is Our Classroom Middle School Building Room 211Kerstin Schmidt • Nury Sandoval • Kathryn Gillon

Think, Feel, Lead: Empathy and Emotional Agility By Design Middle School Building Room 210Noelani Mussman

Weaving Legacies: Migrant Contributions to the Fabric of American Communities Middle School Building Room 212Àngels Natal-Asensio • Denise Rodríguez

WISIT 101: An Introduction to Project Zero Pedagogy Mansion Davies HallLauren Wright

9:00am EDT

Plenary Session: National Gallery of Art - Honoring the Past, Designing the Future: Stories, Inquiry, and Possibility National Gallery of Art - East BuildingGerald D Smith Jr. • Àngels Natal-Asensio

10:45am EDT

Engaging Students with Plant Science: Sensational Seeds U.S. Botanic Garden ConservatoryEmily Hestness • Grace Anderson • Lilly Andersen

Excavating Memory and Imagining the Future with Nick Cave: "Mammoth" Smithsonian American Art MuseumPhoebe Hillemann

Homelands: Exploring Complexity through Close Looking at Art National Gallery of Art - East BuildingNathalie Ryan

Learning on the Fly: Explore. Play. Design. Share. National Air and Space MuseumElizabeth Dale-Deines • Ashley Rattanawan

Let's Play: Early Childhood Education in Art Museums National Gallery of Art - East BuildingDena Rapoport

My Other Set of Wheels is a Synagogue (and Other Stories of Jewish Washington) Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish MuseumAnna Barr

Out of Many, One National Museum of Women in the ArtsAshley Harris • Carla Freyvogel • Adrienne Gayoso • Monica Cohen Lenoff

Revolutionary Questions: An Inquiry-led Exploration of America's Founding Documents Library of CongressAbby Krolik

Telling Our Story: Bringing Together Diverse Perspectives to Understand Our Present Moment National Portrait GalleryBriana Zavadil White

This Is Not Recess: Learning Through Play Ford's TheatreAxel Cruz • Tricia Patrick

Uncovering Hidden Stories in American Art National Gallery of Art - West BuildingElizabeth Diament • Deirdre Palmer

Whose Story of Progress: Reading Westward Expansion Through Native Perspectives National Museum of the American IndianSarah Cappo

12:45pm EDT

Lunch - On Your Own National Mall

2:15pm EDT

Dear America: An Interactive Museum Course National Gallery of Art - West BuildingKerri Redding • Sheryl Anderson Petty

Engaging Students with Plant Science: Sensational Seeds U.S. Botanic Garden ConservatoryLilly Andersen • Grace Anderson • Emily Hestness

Finding Your Flow: Explore the Power of Water Through Contemporary Art and Art-Making National Museum of Asian ArtBrigitte Pollio • Scarlett McCullough • Bryn Vasquez

Homelands: Exploring Complexity through Close Looking at Art National Gallery of Art - East BuildingNathalie Ryan

Learning on the Fly: Explore. Play. Design. Share. National Air and Space MuseumElizabeth Dale-Deines • Ashley Rattanawan

Let's Play: Early Childhood Education in Art Museums National Gallery of Art - East BuildingDena Rapoport

Making Place, Making Meaning: Solidarity, Story, and the Art of Nick Cave Smithsonian American Art MuseumGerald D Smith Jr. • Jaime Chao Mignano

Material Value: Making Meaning with Sculpture National Gallery of Art - East BuildingEmily Mendonca

My Other Set of Wheels is a Synagogue (and Other Stories of Jewish Washington) Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish MuseumAnna Barr

Out of Many, One National Museum of Women in the ArtsAshley Harris • Carla Freyvogel • Adrienne Gayoso • Monica Cohen Lenoff

Revolutionary Questions: An Inquiry-led Exploration of America's Founding Documents Library of CongressAbby Krolik

This Is Not Recess: Learning Through Play Ford's TheatreAxel Cruz • Tricia Patrick

9:00am EDT

Plenary Session led by the Center for Digital Thriving - The AI to Z Workshop: Finding the Words Schools Need Now Black Box Theater - Middle School BuildingDr. Carrie James • Dr. Beck Tench • Dan Be Kim

10:15am EDT

Learning Groups Various Rooms Across Campus - See Description for Room #s

11:45am EDT

12:45pm EDT

Lunch Huffard Hall - Le Centre Brown, WIS Campus

1:45pm EDT

Buzzworthy: How all Professional Learning Should Be Mansion Room 202Elizabeth Dean • Shannon Quinn

Driving School Change Through Thoughtful Leadership and Inquiry Mansion Room 206Kristin Gilliland • Anne Leflot

From Ideas to Action: Building a Culture of Thinking Le Centre Brown Design LabKara Kling

From Routine to Agency: Integrating AI into Cultures of Thinking Mansion Room 204Federico Pisano • Allie Wilding

Intro to Digital Thriving: Essential Tools for Educators Living & Teaching in a Tech-Filled World The Gallery - Le Centre BrownDr. Carrie James • Dr. Beck Tench • Dan Be Kim

Quilting the Fabric of Freedom: Stitching Liberation, Belonging, and Agency into Learning Communities Middle School Building Mad Lab (2nd Floor)Gerald D Smith Jr.

Ready, Set, Play!: Reclaiming Play as a Catalyst for Deep Learning Middle School Building Room 215Aaryn Drapiza • Bridget Yoko

Safe Brains Learn Best: Trauma, Memory, and Language Acquisition Middle School Building Studio Sol (1st Floor)Patricio Cortez

Students as Change-makers: Rethinking Power, Partnership, and Civic Action Middle School Building Room 111Deborah March • Mirella Saldana Torres

The Neighborhood is Our Classroom Middle School Building Room 211Kathryn Gillon • Nury Sandoval • Kerstin Schmidt

Weaving Legacies: Migrant Contributions to the Fabric of American Communities Middle School Building Room 212Denise Rodríguez • Àngels Natal-Asensio

9:00am EDT

Learning Groups Various Rooms Across Campus - See Description for Room #s

11:15am EDT

Closing Plenary Session: Co-Creating the Future Together: AI, Agency, and Cultures of Thinking Black Box Theater - Middle School BuildingJaime Chao Mignano • Georgina Ardalan • Aaryn Drapiza

12:45pm EDT

Lunch Huffard Hall - Le Centre Brown, WIS Campus

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

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