CONCORDIA PD CONFERENCE
- A chance to share teaching experiences with other educators and enhance your teaching performance -
Music
Music
Join us for a 2-day
Professional Development Conference on November 20-21, 2015
Professor Shanna Opfer
Concordia Faculty (2014-15)
The theme of this conference is the U.S. Common Core Curriculum and its potential impact on students and teachers in international schools in Asia, where most students are not English language learners.
The Guest Speaker is Prof. Shanna Opfer, Professor of Education and Elementary Education Program Director at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. She is passionate about equipping future educators with research-based skills and instructional strategies, Christ-centered teaching dispositions, and joyful enthusiasm for their vocation. Her career began with six years in public education where she taught fourth-sixth grades. In her first two years of teaching she was named an outstanding educator in her district and received the Peter Keiwit Award for Teaching Excellence, largely due to creative, multidisciplinary, standards-based learning experiences she developed. Prof. Opfer received her Master’s degree in Elementary Administration from Concordia University, NE in 2005. She began teaching at Concordia University in 2006 and continues to share her love for teaching, enthusiasm for differentiation, and Christ-centered instruction with the students there. She teaches Introduction to Education, Differentiated Instruction, and several Elementary Education Methods classes. Mentoring students in her program and supervising elementary student teachers are rewarding aspects of her responsibilities. She’s given presentations at Professional Conferences in the areas of faith integration, implementing technology in the classroom, and mentoring first year teachers.
​
When
Friday, November 20th and
Saturday, November 21st

Where
Buena Vista Concordia International School
XiCheng (Buena Vista),
BaoAn, ShenZhen, China
Schedule of the Conference:
Friday (November 20, 2015)
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Meet & Greet (Coffee/Tea)
8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Welcome Speech: Rev. Dr. Yung
Ice breaker: Miss Libby Gray
Keynote: The Truth about the Common Core State
Standards Initiative
Professor Shanna Opfer
Concordia University Nebraska
Group photos
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break (Coffee/Tea/Snack)
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Session #1A: Data-Driven Instruction (Maryann Obrien)
Session #1B: Classroom Management (Claire Berger)
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Session #2A: Service Learning
(Tom Du & Michelle Yang)
Session #2B: Beyong Word Walls: Vocabulary Strategies
for All (Cynthia Roberson,
Zachary Antonik, Sean Hickman)
Session #2C: Classroom intervention Strategies
(Laura Zaglauer)
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Session #3A: Integrating Technology: "Every Student Responds" Assessment Strategies
(Prof. Shanna Opfer)
Session #3B: How to challenge your most able pupils (Libby Gray)
Saturday (November 21, 2015)
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Meet & Greet (Coffee/Tea)
8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Session #4A: Reading Systems in the Classroom (Claire Berger)
Session #4B: The J Factor: Bringing the Joy to Your Classroom (Laura Zaglauer)
Session #4C: Motivating Your Students to Boost Their Performance (Nuno Soares)
9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Break (Coffee/Tea/Snack)
10:00 a.m. - 11:15 p.m. Session #5A: Read to Write (Claire Berger)
Session #5B: Technology and the Classroom (John Hinkle)
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Closing Reflection: Professor Opfer
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch & Presentations
(Session topics are subject to changes without further notice)
Teachers of other international schools are welcome to join this conference.
Registration fee per person: US$100
- inclusive of conference materials and lunch for both days
- payable in cash at the registration desk on the first conference day, RMB and HKD accepted.
Enquires
If you would like more information regarding the conference, please contact the following person:
Ms. Natalie Mitchell
Email: nmitchell@concordiaintl.edu.hk
Tel: (852) 2789 9890 Fax: (852) 2392 8820
Registration Please visit
http://concordiaintl.wix.com/pdconference2015
Register online by filling the form below and click "SEND".
- Teaching Pedagogy -
- Service Learning -
- Collaboration -
