Inspired Teaching Academy

Targeted professional learning

Short-term courses – School-wide professional learning – Classroom-embedded coaching

Inspired Teaching Academy offers a variety of courses that are intellectually, emotionally, and physically engaging–very different from traditional “sit-and-get” approaches to professional development. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every student has a meaningful, creative, engaging education. Our courses are available on a contract basis with schools, districts, and other educational organizations.

In the event that courses are not aligned with school goals, we can develop personalized offerings drawing upon our extensive library of activities. In addition to these offerings, Inspired Teaching provides a variety of services including instructional coaching, leadership support, consulting services, an online library of innovative instructional improvement tools, and more.

To learn more about contracting with Inspired Teaching, please contact us.

A Taste Of Inspired Teaching

Want to sample Inspired Teaching professional learning before signing up for a longer course? Do you want staff at your school to see why you love Inspired Teaching? A Taste of Inspired Teaching might be for you!

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Course Offerings

Read more about our innovative professional learning courses. Find out how to have your school partner with Inspired Teaching to bring these engaging experiences to a team or the whole school.

Instigator Of Thought Challenge

Browse our self-guided activity library to find ideas that spark your professional learning. Build your practice and hone your craft!

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Success

of 2016-2017 Inspired Teaching Academy participants reported that Inspired Teaching significantly influenced their practice

of 2016-2017 of Inspired Teaching Academy participants surveyed would recommend the courses

of 2016-2017 Inspired Teaching Academy participants rated the courses as effective or stronger than other learning experiences

This has been nothing like what I’ve experienced before in professional development. Inspired Teaching’s program has been fantastic!

— Inspired Teacher Leader (’14)

Max Peterson

Youth Programming Coordinator

What have you been curious about lately?

How do we really know that the color I see is the same color someone else sees? Is there a way to ever really know for sure?

John Nolan

Chair; CFO, Determine Inc.

John Nolan is a finance executive with over 30 years of of experience at organizations of various sizes. He currently is the CFO of Determine Inc., an international provider of contract management and procurement software. Formerly, John spent a decade as CFO and then CEO of Quadel Consulting, a provider of services to low income housing programs. John's other professional experience includes 3 years at IBM and 15 years at MCI, where he ran Corporate Finance for the Fortune 100 company. He has an undergraduate degree from Tulane University, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and a CPA license. John's work with non-profits has primarily focused on educational organizations. He served for five years as the Treasurer of the Blessed Sacrament School board in DC. For three years he was on the board of Imagination Stage (IS) of Bethesda, a youth focused arts and education organization. John also served for six years on the corporate advisory board of So Other Might Eat (SOME), the DC based poverty services organization that is greatly expanding its job training programs.

Want to bring Inspired Teaching to your team or school?

Access school or district professional learning funds: Some districts have professional learning discretionary funding for schools, or other funds that can be accessed for this purpose. Principals, district supervisors, curriculum supervisors, professional learning directors, and superintendents are good people to check with. Depending on how many colleagues at your school participate, and the subject of the course, you may be able to access school improvement funds as well (e.g., for a course in Relationship-Based Classrooms, which would address school climate).

Talk to your PTA representatives. These groups often have grants and money set aside for professional learning and school improvement.

Donors Choose is an organization where educators can post projects for donors to browse and fun, including professional learning that is used to further your craft. Go to their website to create a free account and find out more. Remember to post your project to social media, so that your friends and family can see the work you're doing and share it with others!

The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education awards grants that support the professional learning of public school teachers and faculty in public institutions of higher education. Grants may fund professional learning experiences, such as summer institutes or action research, mentoring experiences or lesson study. Professional learning must improve practice, curriculum and student achievement, and recipients must put professional leadership into practice by sharing what they learn with their colleagues. For specific information, visit the NEA Foundation’s application instructions page.

Fund for Teachers is unique in that it awards grants for professional learning based on the principle that the teacher is the one who knows what they need to grow as an educator. These grants are self designed and allow teachers to create their own professional learning opportunity based on what is most beneficial to their teaching in their own opinions. The application encourages educators to think about their objectives, motivations and the impact their particular plan of action will have on students. Applications are due in January.

The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation provides Teacher Development Grants for individual teachers or small teams working in K-12 education. To foster insightful and innovative professional learning and growth, the grants allow you to implement new teaching methods and strategies in the classroom. Projects can take a variety of forms, but each of them must be geared towards having a significant and lasting impact in the classroom. Winners work closely with the foundation to implement their ideas and are awarded up to $10,000 for the first three years of the project.

Earn PLU hours while taking a workshop!

Washington, D.C. educators can receive PLU hours for participating in courses. Each day of a course is 6 hours of credit - we will provide a certificate upon completion of the course. Please see the OSSE certification website for more information.

Inspired Teaching Course Costs

Please contact us for pricing for team or school contracts. Pricing scales based on the length of the course and the number of participants.

Teams or schools that return for additional courses or contract work may be eligible for a discount. Additionally, if you refer other individuals or schools for engagements with Inspired Teaching, we will gladly discount your next contract in appreciation for helping us reach new teams and schools!

Refund Policy: You may cancel your registration for a full refund more than 30 days before the course. Two weeks or more before the course you may receive a 50% refund or reschedule. Less than two weeks before the course you will receive a 25% refund.

A Taste of Inspired Teaching

Experience our actively engaging professional learning through this introductory workshop

Time & Location

Schedule this 90 minute workshop at your school

About The Event

Want to add more joy to your classroom? Are you interested in experiencing a different kind of professional learning that models what engagement-based instruction looks like? Curious about how improvisational theater can add excitement and build relationships in your classroom while helping students to master content? Join this introductory workshop from Inspired Teaching to learn more.

This workshop will let you try out Inspired Teaching professional learning and discover all the courses and programs that we offer. Free to schools with Inspired Teaching alumni.

Appropriate for all educators at all grade levels

Mary Kadera

Interim Executive Director

Mary is Inspired Teaching's interim executive director and oversees the organization's work to support teachers and their students as changemakers in education and in their communities. Mary has more than 25 years of experience in the education field, working in a variety of capacities to support educators and students and to transform K-12 teaching and learning so that it is more engaging, effective, relevant, and joyful. She has most recently worked as a consultant with nonprofits including The George Lucas Educational Foundation, Learning Forward, TED, PBS, and others, where she’s led strategic planning, audience needs assessments and market research, program and product development, financial modeling, operations planning, and grant proposal development. Prior to her consulting work, Mary was the vice president for education at PBS, where she managed PBS’s portfolio of national digital education services and coordinated the educational initiatives of PBS and its local member stations. She began her career as a high school teacher of English and Biology in Virginia’s public schools.

What is your favorite lesson to teach and why?

As an English teacher, I loved reading Craig Raine's poem "A Martian Sends a Postcard Home" with my students. It's all about metaphor and is a terrific example of seeing everyday things with an entirely fresh perspective--something we could all use from time to time!

The school experience should build intrinsic motivation, not extrinsic motivation

Schools that place too much emphasis on control, rewards, and competition can hinder self-motivation. Instead of motivating students by external rewards or teacher demands, classrooms that cultivate curiosity and students’ love of learning deepen student growth. The desire to learn is a powerful innate drive that should be respected in all learners; tapping learners’ intrinsic motivation pushes them to work harder and learn more.

Students’ work must reflect students’ lives

Student creativity, collaboration, and engagement increase when learning situations include real-life scenarios and they set their own learning agenda. Directly relating learning to students’ lives ensures that students recognize the importance of their work instead of needing an educator to tell them why what they learn is important. In this type of classroom environment, educators can provide opportunities for multiple forms of evidence of student learning so that test scores are not the only source of data.

Play is essential to the learning experience

Play enhances learning and it important during both recess and academic instruction. Excelling educators bring play-based learning into classrooms at every grade level and utilize teacher evaluation tools that value physical (and social-emotional) engagement as much as intellectual engagement.

Classroom and School environments should support mutual respect

Social-emotional skills are an integral part of curriculum and must be taught explicitly. A thriving classroom community requires the teacher to know each students, and the students to know each other. These positive relationships help students feel supported by teachers, administrators and peers.

Teachers should be trained the way we want them to teach kids

When teachers themselves are intrinsically motivated and engaged in the teaching process, it is far more likely that they will teach in a way that nurtures intrinsic motivation within students, thereby eliminating the need for harsh, teacher-determined disciplinary procedures and fully teacher-directed and teacher-centered learning.

Effectively Engage Your Audience

In order to inspire and captivate an audience, effective facilitation is required. Participants will learn and practice the methods that skilled facilitators employ to engage all kinds of audiences. Activities will center around the importance of flexibility while facilitating, presenting with con dence, and leading reflective discussions.
Outcomes:

Facilitate and plan engaging meetings with improved presenter skills
Captivate diverse audiences with a portfolio of activities
Design effective internal and external trainings, meetings, & presentations
Increase capacity to captivate, convince, advocate, & sell

Creativity & Flexible Thinking Through Improv

In order to effectively work as a team, employees must take a “Yes, and” approach to brainstorming and collaboration. This not only enhances the ow of discussion, but also fosters a workplace environment that welcomes new and innovative ideas. Participants will practice the art of improvisation, first theoretically, and then in relevant work situations. Participants will come away with an understanding of the need for improvisation in the workplace, and with new skills to both boost their individual and team performance.
Outcomes:

Generate new ideas and build on ideas of others
Strengthen improvisational skills
Develop a more flexible mindset and adapt to a variety goals
Increase effectiveness through creative problem solving

Motivate Employees with Meaningful Feedback

Information that employees get from managers can be as minimal as “good job!” and as complex as a ve-page evaluation. It can also take the form of rewards or punishments. This session focuses on the ways that managers communicate with employees, namely through feedback and motivational strategies, and teaches how to use feedback effectively to advance employee learning and performance.
Outcomes:

Develop effective methods for giving & receiving feedback
Improve communication & teamwork
Increase overall job performance aligned with company goals
Strengthen morale, workplace engagement, & intrinsic motivation

Creating Environments Where Employees Thrive

Successful companies harness employees’ creativity and divergent thinking to drive innovation and growth in a rapidly changing world. These companies employ systems and policies that foster the learning of new skills, challenge entrenched routines, and push staff members to develop open mindsets. This workshop can be tailored to directors/managers, or all employees.
Managers will experience what an engagement- based work environment feels like, through activities that inspire them as learners and professionals. They will learn approaches to creating engagement-based spaces for employees. Participants will come away with a concrete vision of their their own engagement-based workplace and methods they can employ to cultivate this in their offices
Outcomes:

Unlock the benefits of an engagement-based work environment
Implement engagement-based management techniques
Activate 21st century skills in employees
Foster a more energized & invested staff
Increase creativity & innovation in problem solving, new product development, etc.

Employees will engage in activities that shift mindsets and improve 21st century skills including critical thinking, creativity, and systems thinking. Participants will learn how to directly apply these skills to speci c roles and situations.
Outcomes:

Tap into the benefits of 21st century skills in the workplace
Enhance morale, workplace engagement, & intrinsic motivation
Develop methods for promoting innovation & effective problem solving
Strengthen analysis of complex tasks & situation

Build Trust & Teamwork for a High-Performing Workplace

Positive workplace culture leads to effective collaboration and achieving shared goals. Participants will explore ways they can foster and sustain positive office culture and relationships through self re ection, understanding personal needs, relationship building with colleagues, improvisational activities, and role playing conversations.
Outcomes:

Strengthen ability to collaborate with colleagues
Enhance of ce morale & employee job satisfaction that yield increased retention
Build and maintain positive workplace relationships with a repertoire of techniques

Authentic Assessment

Authentic assessment means assessing students in a way that is meaningful, significant, and requires students to apply learning and research in a variety of ways. In this 1-day course, educators will investigate various forms of authentic assessment, and how authentic assessment can be applied in their individual grades and content areas. They will also experience authentic assessment from a student perspective to establish a firm point of reference in contrast to traditional assessments of learning.

Appropriate for: all educators at all grade levels

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The Art of Classroom Discussion

Student-centered classrooms depend heavily on discussions that are designed and often facilitated by teachers. Too often, these discussions become a series of back-and forth exchanges between the teacher and individual students. In this course, we'll explore a variety of ways to infuse discussion into classrooms so that students contribute more content and own the discussion itself.

Appropriate for: all educators at all grade levels

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Why Improv--Yes, Improv--will Transform Your Classroom

Success in school and in the workplace requires quick thinking, constant adaptation, creativity, and a willingness to accept and build on novel - and at times, bizarre - ideas. All of these skills are at the heart of the improvisational artist's repertoire. In this 1-day course, we'll play and learn improvisational games and activites that educators can bring directly into their classrooms and organizations.

Appropriate for: all educators at all grade levels

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STEM Outside the Traditional Classroom

This 2-day course is built for informal educators who are interested in improving their instructional practice in STEM, and in building strong STEM programs that work in concert with the PK-12 school system.

During the two days, we will:

Align informal education program goals with formal education system goals to ensure that informal programs can build on and extend what students are learning in school
Build engaging, student-centered, hands-on STEM lessons that promote critical thinking and content-knowledge development.
Practice facilitation skills that are essential for leading student-centered STEM lessons in a productive and safe way.
Take a critical look at different models for informal STEM programs with the goal of designing new programs or improving existing ones
Take a deep dive into the Next General Science Standards (NGSS) as a way to connect with the formal school system, and as a framework for designing meaningful STEM programming

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Owning Identity & Practicing Equity

Participants will explore and acknowledge personal, perceived and ascribed identities, their intersections and how these identities shape the ways in which we live our lives, both as individuals and as practicing educators. As a group, we will explore various meanings and stances around equity to grapple with both the ambiguity around the word “equity” itself and its implementation in schools. Participants will collaborate with each other and facilitators to plan for and grow equitable classroom practices through sharing, exploring, creating, and modeling new strategies.

Appropriate for: all educators at all grade levels

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Inspired Leaders: Supporting Teachers in Engagement-Based Instruction

This two-day course is designed to provide a background in engagement-based teaching and learning that will allow leaders to effectively support their teachers. Specific topics include how to lead engaging professional learning, what to look for during walkthroughs and observations, promoting positive teacher mindsets, and how to provide effective feedback to teachers. Participants will practice providing feedback, design professional learning, and engage in improvisational theater-based activities to enhance their decision making skills.

Appropriate for: School leaders (principals, assistant/vice principals, instructional coaches, central office staff) and other staff who support teachers.

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Teaching STEM in the Elementary School Classroom

This 3-day course is built to support elementary school teachers who want to grow and enhance STEM instruction in their classrooms. We will take a closer look at the Next Generation Science Standards, and use them to build engaging, student-centered, hands-on STEM lessons that promote critical thinking and content-knowledge development. We will also practice skills that are essential for facilitating these kinds of lessons in a productive and safe way.

Appropriate for: STEM Teachers and other STEM educators who work with students in grades PreK - 5th grade

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The Relationship-Based Classroom

This four-day course leads participants through the philosophy and practice of using teacher-student relationships to run effective, efficient classrooms. Topics include restorative justice, engaging children’s cooperation, redefining discipline, and providing feedback that promotes motivation and learning. Participants will explore student needs, learn to apply relationship-based techniques, engage in role-playing, and reflect on current practices.

Participants in this course should be familiar with student-centered instructional strategies.

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Becoming an Instigator of Thought: The Essentials of Engagement-Based Teaching & Learning

This four-day introductory course focuses on the essential elements of leading engaging, student-centered, inquiry-based instruction, from writing lesson plans to implementing powerful questioning techniques. Threaded throughout the course are methods for building positive classroom culture that supports intrinsic student motivation. Participants will engage in a variety of activities, including improvisational theater exercises, lesson analysis, and reflection on current practice.

Appropriate for: all educators at all grade levels

Sign up to learn more!

Individuals

Individual giving highlights the grassroots support of the work we do for the Washington, DC community. If you'd like to see Inspired Teaching in more schools and classrooms, we welcome your donation.

Institutional & Community Partners

Organizations and community stakeholders partner with us in a variety of ways to advance and amplify our goal of promoting engagement-based education. We partner with a diverse group of individuals and organizations, including Teaching for Change, Ashoka, City Year, and the Astra Center for Innovative Education.

Inspired Teaching Demonstration School

The Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School puts Inspired Teaching’s instructional model into action in every classroom. The school, a professional learning community of master teachers and teacher residents, ensures that a diverse group of students achieve their potential as accomplished learners, thoughtful citizens, and imaginative and inquisitive problem solvers through a demanding, inquiry-based curriculum. The standards-based curriculum and student goals are centered  on the 4 I’s: Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity.
The school is a primary partner site for the Inspired Teaching Residency, welcoming many Inspired Teaching Fellows each year for their Residency Year. Learn more about the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School.

Institutional & Community Partners

Foundations & Corporations

Our foundation and corporate partners provide the critical resources we need to do our work. If you’re an organization interested in ensuring equitable access to engagement-based teaching for every student, contact Caitlin Wolf, our Development Manager, at caitlin@inspiredteaching.org.

Inspired Teaching Demonstration School

The school is a primary partner site for the Inspired Teaching Residency, welcoming many Inspired Teaching Fellows each year for their Residency Year. Learn more about the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School.

Network of Changemakers

Inspired Teaching alumni work as educational changemakers influencing the landscape of public education. Throughout the year, Inspired Teaching alumni have opportunities to attend special events, participate in free workshops, access valuable resources, and connect with one another through networking opportunities. Inspired Teachers open their doors to the public to showcase and advocate for engagement-based education.

Alumni Teaching Commitment

Becoming an Inspired Teaching Fellow represents a long-term commitment to the field of education and to Center for Inspired Teaching. Inspired Teaching Fellows make a minimum teaching commitment of two years beyond program completion.

Inspired Teaching will make periodic visits to Fellows’ classroom for program evaluation purposes to assess the success of alumni as Inspired Teachers. Inspired Teaching’s research and program evaluation team conducts regular surveys of alumni, allowing for observation of longitudinal trends.

Fellowship Year

As teachers of record, Fellows are supported by intensive mentoring as they create classrooms grounded in instructional best practices and foster strong relationships with students. Fellows embody the Inspired Teaching Instructional Approach and tap into each child’s innate desire to learn. Fellows continue taking coursework at Trinity Washington University and complete all requirements for their Masters of Arts in Teaching by the end of the school year. Fellows receive increased mentoring to smooth the transition to being the teacher of record.

Summer Teaching Practicum

Fellows co-teach summer school classes that result in student-centered, data-driven classrooms. Fellows plan and implement student learning experiences that consist of standards-based, interdisciplinary, thematic projects that build on students’ interests. This culminates in a student exhibition where learners present and explain their work to the community, including parents, teachers, students and invited guests. Inspired Teaching staff provide intensive support during the summer teaching practicum.

Residency Year

Under the guidance and support of an experienced lead teacher who models exceptional instructional approaches, Fellows immerse themselves in the day-to-day realities of the classroom for a full year. Lead teachers gradually release all classroom responsibilities to the Fellow over the course of the year, facilitating growth in all aspects of the profession. In the spring semester, Fellows begin taking coursework at Trinity Washington University in the evenings, helping to make connections between education theory and the classroom practice being observed in their residency year. Residency year partner sites are innovative urban schools that are dedicated to supporting new teachers, and showcasing best teaching practices.

AmeriCorps

As Inspired Teaching Fellows, and AmeriCorps members, Fellows are called to apply their skills and ideals toward helping others and meeting critical needs of the community. Fellows join a national network of like minded individuals working to serve their country. AmeriCorps engages over 80,000 individuals each year, including 1,400 members in the District of Columbia.

Fellows who complete 1700 hours of service are eligible for a Segal AmeriCorps Educational Award of $5,920 which can only be used for repayment of student loans, for future costs at institutions of higher education, or for educational training.

Being an AmeriCorps member is a benefit of being an Inspired Teaching Fellow, but it is not required. Fellows who have received two AmeriCorps awards previously, or have started but not successfully completed an AmeriCorps program, are not eligible. Potential enrollment in AmeriCorps will not affect the application process.

AmeriCorps funding is granted on an annual basis and notifications are made in the summer. Inspired Teaching fully expects its renewal application to be successful, but Inspired Teaching Fellows’ status as AmeriCorps Members is contingent on grant renewal, and cannot be guaranteed.

Summer Institute

The month long Summer Institute jumpstarts Fellows’ thinking about teaching and learning. Comprised of intensive coursework and an introduction to to Inspired Teaching’s instructional model, the summer serves as a critical community building experience for the cohort

Tai A. Dixon, J.D.

Chief Talent and Equity Officer, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Network

Prior to joining staff at Haynes, Tai worked at the Children’s Defense Fund, a national child policy and advocacy organization where she served as the National Director of State Offices and Field Operations and led an 80+ person team. Dixon has dedicated her career to advocacy, social justice, and developing others to become ever stronger leaders and agents of change. Her non-profit management work centers on managing teams to successful outcomes in fundraising, external relations, talent acquisition, talent strategy, and client management. She has held prior roles leading fundraising for Teach For America-Baltimore and leading National Talent Acquisition for Teach For America. She practiced law as a civil litigator at Goodell DeVries, LLP in Baltimore, and taught 7th and 8th Grade English and ESL in Houston, Texas. Dixon holds a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, a master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas, and a Juris Doctorate from the Howard University School of Law.

Shelley Fidler

Principal, Van Ness Feldman

At Van Ness Feldman, Shelley supports clients and coalitions interested in policy and business strategies relating to energy innovation including smart grid, electricity, green buildings, energy efficiency, clean diesel engines, carbon capture, EPA regulation, and clean energy. She has worked with and trained clients in effective advocacy; brought former adversaries to new, constructive relationships; and assisted a prominent organization to manage its explosive growth.

Prior to joining Van Ness Feldman, Shelley held a variety of high profile positions within the federal government, including Chief of Staff to the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). She also served as the Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Energy and Power of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Assistant to the Chairman for Policy for the House Subcommittees on Fossil and Synthetic Fuels and Energy and Power for Congressman and Subcommittee Chair Philip Sharp (D-IN).

Shelley is a graduate of Brown University. In addition to serving on the Board of Center for Inspired Teaching, she is a member of the Keystone Center’s Energy Board, Treasurer and Board Member of the Energy and Environmental Study Institute, a member of the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC), and a mentor for the Women’s Launch Pad, both at Brown University. Shelley is a Founding Member of the Women’s Council on Energy and Environment (WCEE).

Shanika Hope

Content Strategy and Research Lead, Amazon Web Services

Dr. Shanika Hope possesses over 20 years of experience in education. Shanika is a former elementary school teacher, principal and high school turnaround specialist. She has managed and/or supported more than three dozen DC public schools and public charter schools in various capacities. Prior to her current role as the Digital Content Strategist and Research Lead at Amazon – Shanika’s experience includes serving as the Vice President of National Urban Markets Initiatives at McGraw Hill Education, the Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction at Discovery Education, the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary & Secondary Education for the D.C. State Education Office, as well as time as a School Performance Officer for DC Public Schools. She also served as a school Principal and teacher in both Washington, D.C. and Virginia. Dr. Hope earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education Leadership and Masters in math and science education from Old Dominion University, where she was selected as a Holmes Scholar.

Katherine Wolfe

Vice President, Square 1 Bank

Katherine Wolfe is Vice President and Client Manager at Square 1 Bank in Washington, DC. She manages client relationships in the technology banking portfolio across the Mid-Atlantic. Prior to Square 1, she was a vice president at Bridge Bank focusing on venture banking in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Katherine began her career at PNC within their Trade Finance Group. She earned a BS in Finance from Wake Forest University and is a CFA Charterholder.

Joy Zaben

Vice President, Chief of Staff to the President of Retail and Direct Banking, Capital One

Joy Zaben is Vice President, Chief of Staff to the President of Retail and Direct Banking at Capital One. Prior to this role, Joy held positions including the Head of Organizational Development at ING Direct and Assistant Director of Human Resources at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel. She recently served on the boards of Eastside Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware, and YWCA Delaware. In addition, she has coached nationally competitive youth cheerleaders for more than twenty years. Joy holds a Bachelor of Science from The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Mara Duquette

Director, Program Administration

Mara oversees the Inspired Teaching Residency program operations including managing residency partner sites & program stakeholders, recruitment & selection, and government reporting & compliance. Additionally, Mara is responsible for creating a community of Inspired Teachers through her work with all of Inspired Teaching's programs, alumni engagement, brand management, and event coordination. She previously worked for Peace First Boston, coordinating college volunteers and teaching conflict resolution classes to early childhood, elementary and middle school students. She has volunteered as a dental assistant and Spanish translator in rural El Salvador. Mara earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Emerson College in Political Communication: Leadership, Politics, and Social Advocacy.

What brings you joy in life?

Solving complex problems and coming up with new rules to established games.

Cosby Hunt

Secondary Specialist & Youth Programs

Cosby is the course creator and instructor for Real World History and also works with BLISS: Building Literacy in the Social Studies. He is a native Washingtonian who earned his Bachelor’s degree in Non-Western History at the University of Pennsylvania and began his teaching career in rural Georgia as part of the Teach for America program (’93 Corps). He stayed in Georgia to get his Master’s in Secondary Social Science Education at the University of Georgia. He returned home to DC in 1997 and spent thirteen years teaching social studies at Bell Multicultural High school (now the Columbia Heights Educational Campus) where he led the social studies department as well as the tennis and debate teams. Cosby earned his National Board Certification in 2006 and is one of only a handful of National Board Certified social studies teachers in the city.

What brings you joy in life?

It gives me great joy (and contentment) to build a fire in the backyard fire pit and talk with friends or just sit with my own thoughts.

Aleta Margolis

Founder and President

Aleta Margolis founded Center for Inspired Teaching in 1995, and served as the organization’s Executive Director until 2016, when she assumed the role of President. As President, Aleta focuses on amassing public support for transforming school from a place that prizes compliance to one that promotes engagement. Previously, Aleta worked first as a public school teacher, then as a professor of education at American University. In 2001, Aleta was awarded a Fellowship from Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. Aleta holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Brown University, and an MS in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University.

What is your favorite lesson to teach?

The Math Dance! I originally developed it for my 6th grade students, and now engage teachers in the challenge of choreographing a dance with parallel and perpendicular lines; acute, right, and obtuse angles; concentric circles; odd, even, and prime numbers; and many more mathematical concepts.

Jéri Ogden

Pre-K & Elementary Specialist

Jéri works primarily with the Inspired Teaching Residency, providing classroom-based support to Inspired Teaching Fellows and collaborating with lead teachers and mentors to ensure successful program completion. Jéri graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor’s in Communication and Culture. Upon graduation, she spent one year working at DC’s first all-boys public charter school as a substitute teacher and assistant director of the after-school program. She is a Summer 2010 DC Teaching Fellow and has seven years of classroom experience in public and charter schools in DC and Houston, as well as experience at an international school in Abu Dhabi. During her time in the classroom she served as a Smithsonian Science in Pre-K Educator and a Flamboyan Family Engagement Fellow, completing over 100 home visits and engaged with families from all 8 Wards in DC. She has taught Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 3rd-5th grade English Language Arts. Jéri also hold a M.Ed from American University in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in Educational Leadership and Policy.

What motivates you?

My family motivates me, but more specifically my grandparents. They were both educators and big supporters of getting an education, so when I think about the work I am doing I often think about the legacy they set in motion.

Hetal Patel

Director, Finance and Operations

Hetal oversees all finance, operations and HR functions for Center for Inspired Teaching. Prior to joining Inspired Teaching, Hetal spent nine years serving as the Director of Finance and Administration at an international DC based NGO, Bank Information Center. In this capacity, Hetal was responsible for managing the overall growth and sustainability of the organization. Hetal’s 15 years of experience in finance and operations also include working with the New York Charter School system and experience working closely with teachers and students. Originally from California, she holds a BS in Financial Management and Investments from California State University, Long Beach.

What brings you joy in life?

Spending time with my family, a really great meal and the beach!

Amanda Sadie

Manger, Teaching & Learning

Amanda works primarily with the Inspired Teaching Residency. She provides classroom-based support to Inspired Teaching Fellows and collaborates with lead teachers and mentors to ensure successful program completion. Her teaching experience includes work with public schools in DC and Maryland and at an international school in South Africa. She lived in Nicaragua on several occasions collaborating with local organizations to develop community-based programs focused on caring for and educating vulnerable children. Amanda holds a Masters of Social Work from University of Maryland at Baltimore and a BS in Early Childhood Education from University of Maryland College Park.

What is your favorite lesson to teach?

I love teaching writing to young children because it gives them a completely new way in which to express themselves.

Abigail Wacker

Deputy Director, Research & Strategy

Abigail conducts research in support of Inspired Teaching’s Programs, and collaborates with Inspired Teaching’s founder and president in her outreach and relationship-building work. Her research experience prior to joining Center for Inspired Teaching includes conducting market and donor research for a consulting firm serving DC-area nonprofits, and spending three months in Delhi and Patna, India, with the Aga Khan Foundation, conducting research on teacher-principal relationships in Aga Khan Foundation-supported government schools. Her teaching experience includes several years teaching English to children and young adults in New Delhi, India, and in New Jersey, USA. She earned her BA in English with a minor in Theater from Haverford College, and her MSEd in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

What brings you joy in life?

One thing that brings me joy in life is being outside in nature, particularly in the mountains, or close to a river or lake.

Caitlin Wolf

Manager, Development

Caitlin Wolf manages Inspired Teaching's development operations, and designs and facilitates professional development. Originally from Maine, Caitlin has a BA in European history from the University of Vermont, and an MA in religious history from Boston College, where she studied women fighting for agency in society and religion during the late Medieval/early modern period and colonial New England. Caitlin has over six years of experience engaging both youth and adult learners. She served in Peace Corps in Botswana, where she established her school's library, created its first computer lab, and pioneered and facilitated a reading program that improved school-wide literacy. She taught life skills related to HIV/AIDS both in a classroom setting and in village health clinics. And she conceived of and supervised a team to plan and execute the region's first girls' leadership camp focused on self-esteem building and gender-based violence. After Peace Corps, Caitlin remained in Botswana and managed the country's first Montessori school before returning to the US in search of an organization similarly committed to her focus on authentic engagement to create lifelong lovers of learning.

What have you been curious about lately?

How do we really know that the color I see is the same color someone else sees? Is there a way to ever really know for sure?

Maria Laura Acebal, J.D.

Ashoka’s Youth Venture, North American Group Leadership Member

Maria works with Ashoka’s Start Empathy and Youth Venture teams to bring the vision of “Everyone a Changemaker” to young people across North America. She has been working in the nonprofit sector for the last fifteen years, both in executive and governance roles. She began her nonprofit career in the food allergy field; first, as the founder of Safe@School Partners, a nonprofit working with schools across the country on food allergy safety, and later as the General Counsel and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. Before joining Ashoka, Maria worked at a consulting firm serving a broad range of nonprofits organizations, including charter schools.
Maria also has experience in business and law, having worked for McKinsey & Company as a strategic business consultant and for Williams & Connolly, a litigation firm in Washington, DC. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School and her B.A. in Mathematics from Duke University.

LaTonia Smith Cokely

Elementary Specialist

LaTonia is the Elementary Specialist at Inspired Teaching. She possesses over a decade of progressive service and experience in the field of education, particularly in the areas of literacy at the elementary level, instructional leadership, and community building. She has worked as an educator in the Montgomery County Public School system within the Northeast Consortium, serving very diverse communities. LaTonia has taught in grade three through six in various capacities, more recently working in the Individuals and Societies department as a Digital Literacy teacher at an IB World school and as an instructional leadership team member and grade level team leader. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from the University of Richmond, a Masters in Education from the University of Maryland and certificates in Administration I and II from Hood College’s Educational Leadership Program.

What brought you to Inspired Teaching?

What initially attracted me to Center for Inspired Teaching was the name and the idea that teaching can be both inspired and inspiring. What I loved most about my career as an educator was that I felt inspired by my students to create lessons that were really engaging and sparked in them the curiosity, interest, and fervor to continue exploring and learning new things. I wanted to join a group of educators committed to this mission and found my home at Inspired Teaching.

Content

Questioning techniques for inquiry-based learning

Teachers learn how to identify and integrate the Inspired Teaching Instructional Model into their classrooms. Experience a truly engaging classroom as it compares to a compliance-based classroom, in order to develop an understanding of how engagement more effectively supports learning.

Engagement-based Teaching & Learning: Basics of the Inspired Teaching Instructional Model

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