Inspired Teaching Academy

Targeted professional development

Long-term courses – Short-term workshops – Classroom-embedded coaching

Inspired Teaching Academy offers a variety of 3-4 day courses, as well as shorter workshops; the professional development offerings are steeped in improvisational theater techniques, and built on the belief that teachers are the ultimate purposeful improvisers. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every student has a meaningful, creative, engaging education. Our most popular courses and workshops are available on an open-enrollment basis. Other courses are available on a contract-basis with schools, districts, and other educational organizations. To learn more about contracting with Inspired Teaching, please contact us.

In the event that courses are not aligned with school goals, we can develop personalized courses drawing upon our extensive library of workshops and 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.

Our open-enrollment courses and workshops bring together educators from many schools on a variety of topics, shifting educators toward more engaging, student-centered instruction.

Course Offerings

Read more about our innovative Professional Development workshops. Find out how to have your school partner with Inspired Teaching or sign up for open-enrollment courses.

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!

Humanities Hub

Join a cohort of English teachers, Social Studies teachers, and Library Media Specialists as they take an interdisciplinary approach to developing new curriculum.

Inspired Workplace

Bring Inspired Teaching facilitators to your workplace to experience the benefits of learning & collaborating in an engagement-based setting.

Learn More

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 training

of 2016-2017 Inspired Teaching Academy participants rated trainings 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!

— SCALE Teacher Leader (’14)

A Taste of Inspired Teaching

Experience our actively engaging professional development through this mini workshop

Time & Location

Schedule this 90 minute training at your school

About The Event

Want to add more joy to your classroom? Are you interested in experiencing a different kind of professional development 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 an Inspired Teaching workshop and learn about other workshops 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!

Brittany Jones

Associate, Recruitment & Program Operations

Brittany supports the operations and logistics of the Inspired Teaching Residency, implementing Inspired Teaching’s recruitment plan and ensuring a smooth application process for interested candidates. Before joining the Inspired Teaching team, Brittany worked as a reading teacher, cultivating a love of reading in elementary through adult-aged students. Previously, she has also worked or volunteered with numerous education nonprofits in DC, including DC Reads, 826DC and the PEN/Faulkner Foundation’s Writers in Schools programs. Brittany graduated from American University with a BA in Literature and a minor in Education Studies and French.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in unexpected encounters with strangers: those small, chance connections that we can create through even just a shared glance or comment with the people we run into while on the bus, for instance, or a hiking trail or a grocery store checkout line.

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

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.

Individuals

Individual giving highlights the grassroots support of the work we do for the Washington, DC community. To contribute to our mission, click here to donate.

Institutional & Community Partners

Foundations & Corporations

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

Brittney Oswald

Teaching & Learning Coordinator

Brittney supports the Inspired Teaching Residency, recording and tracking information for all Inspired Teaching Fellows, while also serving as their main point of contact. She oversees the successful recruitment and selection of Inspired Teaching Fellows, as well as state licensure and AmeriCorps reporting and compliance. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Emerson College, she interned at Boston Children’s Chorus and Boston Children’s Theatre, supporting production and program management. She also directed and performed in one of Emerson College’s competitive a cappella groups. Upon graduation, she worked as a technology editorial assistant at National Geographic Learning in Boston, helping to create ELL e-products, before moving to Washington DC.

What have you been curious about lately?

I’ve been curious about things that are considered “taboo” -- their origins, implications, and why we abide by them.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Robyn Sperling

Director, Research and Evaluation

Robyn began working in education as a program instructor at a civic education organization in Washington, DC and then spent five years teaching high school social studies in New York City. Most recently, she worked as a researcher at the Institute for Education and Social Policy while earning her PhD in Educational Administration, Leadership, and Policy at NYU. Robyn’s dissertation research focuses on charter school founders in New York City. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

What is your favorite lesson to teach?

I loved teaching anything that got my students to debate whether a historical event should have happened the way it did, and how the present day might be different if various historical events had never occurred.

Martha Tesfaye

Director, Development & Strategic Partnerships

Martha cultivates champions for Inspired Teaching’s mission while overseeing development and new site expansions. Martha previously served as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Teach For America, where she helped lead the DC regional development team’s fundraising goals and managed a $3M+ portfolio of corporate, foundation, and public dollars. She has also served as a Development Consultant at The Washington Center and as a Director of Development & External Affairs at Charter Board Partners. Martha holds a law degree from Howard University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University.

What brought you to Inspired Teaching?

My young children will one day be a product of our education system; I work every day to ensure they receive a quality education that prepares them to solve novel, complex problems in whatever situation they may find themselves in.

Abigail Wacker

Manager, Research & Evaluation

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?

David Yarmchuk

Director, Teaching & Learning

Dave is the director of Inspired Teaching’s programs for in-service teachers, including the Inspired Teaching Institute, a program designed to transform teachers from information providers to Instigators of Thought. He also leads Inspired Teaching’s science content professional development workshops. Dave’s 14+ years in education include six years as a classroom science teacher in Baltimore, two as an outdoor educator, and six as a curriculum specialist and teacher coach. He has worked in charter schools and traditional public schools, with students in grades K-12. The focus of his work has been with low-income students and students of color in Baltimore, Washington DC, and Prince George’s County, MD. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University and his Masters in Education from the University of Maryland.

What motivates you?

My greatest motivation is knowing that I am in the company of a long history of amazing individuals, working across the centuries, to make the world a better place for all people.

Mara Duquette

Director, Program Operations & Community Engagement

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.

Becky Zeisel

Manager, Teaching & Learning

Becky works primarily with in-service teachers, as well as manages the Instigator of Thought Challenge. Becky entered teaching through the New York City Teaching Fellows and taught numerous science courses at a large public high school in the Bronx, NY. She then taught and led the science department at a small public school in the south Bronx. While in the classroom, Becky also worked with the NYC Teaching Fellows program, training and coaching new teachers. Most recently, She worked as the Associate Director of Science with a charter school network, writing curriculum and developing teachers and leaders. Becky has a BA in Animal Science and Zoology from Washington University in St Louis and a MS in Education from Lehman College.

What is your favorite lesson to teach?

I love to teach lessons about evolution, because they tie in content from all science areas and raise questions that students never knew that they had

Bill Andresen

Associate Vice President for Federal Relations, University of Pennsylvania

Since July 2006, Bill has served as Associate Vice President for Federal Relations for the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Penn, he was Senior Vice President at Dutko Worldwide where he worked with a variety of organizations including many non-profits corporate clients. Before that, he was Vice President for Federal Affairs to the Democratic Leadership Council, where he served as a liaison to Democratic Members of Congress. Bill also served as Chief of Staff to Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, and during his time as Chief of Staff, he was repeatedly named one of the 50 most influential Congressional Staffers by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.
Bill is married with three kids. He has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California. He is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center for Excellence in Education and is a Senior Advisor to Third Way.

Tess Gann

Communications Associate

Tess works closely with staff across the organization to ensure the faithful, organization-wide implementation of the communications plan to promote Inspired Teaching’s programs and messages. Prior to joining Inspired Teaching, Tess earned her certification in Teacher English as a Foreign Language and volunteered teaching English in South America. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Human Services & Social Justice, Tess was the co-founder and headliner of Open Space, an Open Mic poetry collaborative that hosted bimonthly events for university students and connected English Department resources to the student body. Tess also organized and led a service-learning trip for students to learn about sustainability while working on an organic farm.

What brings you joy?

Sitting on an airplane right before take-off to a new country, knowing that a new culture and adventure awaits.

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.

Pamela Greene

Senior Operations Manager

Pamela Greene has worked as an operations manager and coordinator for several years in diverse companies. She is pleased to be putting her experience to work as part of a dynamic community that is passionate about education, social justice, and making a difference in the lives of children. At Center for Inspired Teaching she works with a team of staff members on organizational growth and strategic planning projects and manages day-to-day administrative operations.

What motivates you?

Knowing that I can choose to make the most of my journey as well as a strong cup of coffee in the morning.

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.

Cosby Hunt

Senior Teaching & Learning Officer

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.

Jane Dimyan Ehrenfeld

Executive Director, Center for Inspired Teaching

Jane is an educator and attorney with a decade of teaching experience in the classroom. Jane first joined Inspired Teaching in 2014 as a member of the Board of Directors; in April 2015, she joined the staff as Inspired Teaching’s Director of Teaching and Learning before becoming Executive Director in July 2016. Jane is deeply involved in the DC education community and she has taught in public elementary schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland and in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Jane’s classroom was the focus of Jonathan Kozol’s 2007 book, Letters to a Young Teacher, and she has worked with Mr. Kozol on advocacy projects related to public education; she has also published education-related essays in a number of publications. Jane received her JD, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a Public Interest Law Scholar. Following law school, she served as Deputy Director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy; clerked for The Honorable Judith W. Rogers on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; and served as an attorney in the Office for Civil Rights at the US Department of Education. Jane is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Swarthmore College (BA, Sociology, Anthropology, and Education) and holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Follow Jane @JaneEhrenfeld

What is great about young people?

My favorite thing about young people is their powerful, inherent sense of justice, and the way they draw on so many sources in the real and imagined worlds to distinguish right from wrong and fair from unfair.

Vaishali Joshi

Deputy Director

Vaishali oversees all program components including curriculum and coursework, partnerships, and operations for the Inspired Teaching Residency and provides oversight, thought partnership and guidance to all of Inspired Teaching’s program leaders on both the daily organization and management of programs and on the larger strategic vision for the work of the organization. Vaishali has nearly 15 years of experience as a teacher, curriculum and program designer, and instructional leader in the field of education. She began her career as a fourth grade teacher in Baltimore City through Teach for America. She went on to become a founding teacher at Southwest Baltimore Charter School, where she taught first and third grades, served as a literacy instructional coach and mentor teacher, and served on the the School Leadership Team. During her tenure in Baltimore City she mentored and supported new and aspiring teachers as a literacy instructor and resident advisor with the Baltimore City Teaching Residency. Vaishali spent six years in the Boston area, serving as the inaugural Lower School Academic Dean at Codman Academy Charter Public School, guiding the development and growth of the school’s lower school division and, most recently, led a team of curriculum writers for EL Education to design and write comprehensive, integrated literacy curriculum for grades K-2. Vaishali holds a B.A. in International Relations and Music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.Ed in Literacy Education from Loyola University of Maryland, and a Doctorate in Education Leadership (Ed.L.D) from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

What is great about young people?

Young people are innately curious about the world around them and are eager to find answers to the questions, whether big or small, that bubble up for them.

Shelley Fidler

Chair; 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).

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.

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.

Jéri Ogden

Manager, Fellow Development

Inspired Teaching Residency

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.

Dion Rudnicki

Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Building Technology and Safety

As the Chief Operating Officer for IBTS, Dion Rudnicki is responsible for its day-to-day operations, working across the organization to ensure IBTS delivers high-quality services. He is accountable for the organization’s overall profit and loss, and oversees growth into new markets that will maximize value for our clients, our stakeholders, and the entire organization. Prior to joining IBTS, Mr. Rudnicki served as Vice President for the IBM Corporation. His thirty plus years of business experience primarily focused on the US Federal Government as well as the international and regional/local government marketplace. Dion also serves on the board of directors for Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

LaTonia Smith Cokely

Manager, Professional Development

Equity & Elementary Education

LaTonia is the Manager of Teaching & Learning, Elementary Specialist for in-service teachers. 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.

Rebecca Bauer

Manager, Communications

Rebecca serves as the organization's storyteller, promoting Inspired Teaching’s programs and messages. She manages Inspired Teachings's social media platforms, digital communications, and program visits. Prior to joining our team, Rebecca worked as an Executive Assistant at Character.org. She also spent two summers managing the day program at Exploration Schools at Wellesley College, an academic program for 8th and 9th graders. She earned her BA in Psychology, with a minor in Education, from Vassar College, and her M.S.Ed. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

What brought you to Inspired Teaching?

After having the privilege of experiencing truly engaging educational experiences throughout my childhood, I was drawn towards Inspired Teaching's mission of making education-based teaching and learning the norm in schools.

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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