More than 100 educators joined us from their living rooms, offices, and patios on February 6 for our Third Annual Powerful Learners Conference, an incredible day of learning and collaboration focused on helping educators “Reenergize, Reconnect, and Refresh” their practice during these challenging times.
While this is Gateway’s third conference, it was our first-ever large-scale virtual professional development offering for external audiences. The robust attendance speaks not only to the reputation Powerful Learners has cultivated in just three years, but the enthusiasm among educators for content that can help rebuild community though and beyond distance learning.
The day’s agenda was anchored by a keynote presentation on “Teaching for Powerful Learning” by Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, Founder and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute and, just recently, head of President Biden’s Education Transition Team. The conference featured 17 interactive workshops, yoga and dance breaks led by Gateway movement teachers, and a virtual happy hour after the programming day.
“The timing, organization, and content was great this year,” said one participant. “I think I will take and use something from every workshop I attended!”
This year the Powerful Learners Conference was a collaborative effort between Gateway, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). This wide range of expertise and perspectives allowed us to provide sessions targeted toward anyone and everyone who supports K-12 students, whether they work in the classroom, in the non-profit sector, or are still in university studying to become a teacher.
We are deeply appreciative of our partners, presenters, and our many attendees who spent the day with us, and look forward to next year’s conference!