Call For Presentations

General Guidelines

The Transforming Learning Summit is seeking session proposals that reflect sound adult learning principles and reflect the best thinking in the field of K-12 education. To deliver exceptional learning experiences, preference may be given to proposals that feature an interactive presentation style, supports the conference’s purpose and theme, and delivers an effective mix of the following:

Content:

• Reflect innovative, cutting-edge content, and evidence-based practice
• Explore issues important to a mixed audience of K-12 education professionals.
• Present a compelling case with evidence supported by research or data

Instructional design:

• Stimulate and provoke discussion, audience engagement, and outcome-focused design
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and development of new competencies and "take-aways"
• Use methods that draw out relevant past knowledge and experiences.

Thoughtful consideration of the audience:

• Target audience represents diverse functions, cultures, settings and geographies
• Provide approaches for diverse types of learners
• Demonstrate relevance of lessons through "real-life" case studies and best-practices.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COMMERCIAL COMPANIES/ORGANIZATIONS:
Breakout sessions at the Transforming Learning Summit are learning experiences and are noncommercial. Under no circumstances should a presentation be used for direct promotion of a speaker's product, service, or other self-interest.

If you are a commercial company/organization doing business within the K-12 field as a product and/or service provider, you are invited to submit a session proposal within the following guidelines:

• Proposals must be submitted via the sponsor registration form and must be accompanied with financial support (sponsorship) for the conference.
• Proposals must be submitted as a joint presentation with a K-12 education partner/customer.
• Presentations must be focused on a specific case study or application of product and/or service within a classroom, school, district or other education-related setting.

No submissions from commercial companies/organizations will be accepted outside of these guidelines.

Please download the Sponsor Prospectus for more information, or contact Mary Wynne at mwynne@mngts.org for more information.

Agenda & Session Formats

Conference agenda
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. – registration and professional group meetings
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – introductory remarks and keynote speaker
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – break
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – 60 minute concurrent sessions
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – break
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 p.m. – 60 minute concurrent sessions
11:45 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. – lunch
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – featured speaker
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – break
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – 90 minute concurrent sessions
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. – break
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. 60 minute concurrent sessions
OR
1:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. – 2.5 hour concurrent sessions (with a 15 minute break built in)
4:15 p.m. - end

Session format options
Adult learners usually prefer to engage in self-directed learning. The Transforming Learning Summit seeks to offer a variety of learning formats with a range of instructional methods that give attendees more control over setting priorities and choosing the right content, materials, and methods that match their learning styles and objectives.

• Solutions-driven workshop (90 minute or 2.5 hours) - Information-intensive sessions aimed to provide tactical knowledge and actionable next steps. Built to explore issues in greater depth, workshop attendees will experiment with new modes of thinking and formulate the application of presented strategies to address relevant issues through small group exercises and discussion. These workshops are highly interactive and incorporate a variety of presentation methods to engage attendees, including: mini lectures, large and small group discussions, individual and group exercises, demonstrations, hands-on activities. Attendees should leave with practical application ideas and a list of tools and resources.
• Tech-based learning lab (90 minute or 2.5 hours) – Computer or technology-based sessions that allow participants to learn about a software program or application through a combination of presentation/instruction and hands-on exercises.
• Transforming Learning Showcase (15 minute presentation) – A fifteen minute presentation illustrating an example of transforming learning from a classroom, school or district. These concise speaking slots lend themselves to a more conversational and storytelling presentation style, with the number of PPT slides limited and focused on images and graphics to illustrate examples. Five, fifteen minute presentations will be selected to be delivered in a 90 minute session. All presenters will speak individually (15 minutes approximately) and there will be additional time for discussion and questions.
• Panel discussion (90 or 60 minute session) – Interviewer/interviewee-style sessions featuring a moderator to facilitate the discussion/ask questions, and 3-4 panelists representing diverse points of view to share/demonstrate experiences, information and best practices with the audience. Opening remarks/presentation by the moderator followed by moderator-driver question and answers (determined in advance) with at least 10-15 minutes audience question and answer session to conclude the session.
• Case studies (60 minute session) – A case study session includes a presentation/analysis by one or two presenters of a real-life situation or scenario that addresses a dilemma, conflict, or problem. The audience is asked to consider the scenario either individually or in small groups, with at least 10-15 minutes audience question and answer session to conclude the session.
• Lecture/Formal presentation (60 minute session) – One or two co-presenters speaking from the front of the room supported by presentation slides. Highly didactic session with minimal attendee participation. This format is best used when a large amount of content can to be conveyed with minimal interaction. Presentation should include 10-15 minutes for Q&A.

Learning Pathways

As you reflect on your proposal, please consider topics that support the Summit’s purpose and theme and that fit into the following learning pathways (tracks) for the conference program. While proposals may address more than one area, you will be asked to select one which is the best fit. Some examples of topics are listed after each pathway. There are many other topics that can fit under each pathway.

• Building a Culture of Learning - i.e. professional learning communities, using assessment in formative ways, classroom management, tracking and analyzing school culture data
• Leadership/Professional Development - i.e. adult collaboration, system thinking, guaranteed and viable curriculum, professional learning community frameworks, using data to inform instruction, designing common formative assessments, and creating a balanced and coherent system of assessment to transform learning in a school system
• Innovation - i.e. new and technological approaches, flexible and different curriculum pairings in an effort to reach all students, unique professional development opportunities
• Linking assessment with learning - i.e. using formative, common, and summative assessments in a school assessment system; using achievement levels, summative results, and depth of knowledge to inform instructional planning
• Student-centered Learning - i.e. cooperative learning, inquiry-based learning, integrating technology in a student-centered classroom, project-based learning, student involvement in performance evaluation
• Social Emotional Learning - i.e. impact of adverse childhood experiences on learning, effective Tier 1 and 2 interventions, how positive school culture influences positive student results
• Culturally Responsive Learning - i.e. culturally responsive teaching strategies and activities, developing and using culturally responsive learning assessment, student voice and choice, building accountable relationships, and encouraging multiple ways for students to share their learning

Proposal Format

All proposals must be submitted using the Transforming Learning Summit online proposal website. Upon submitting a proposal, you will receive an automatic confirmation for your records if it was submitted successfully.

Plan your submission in advance. We suggest that you first collect your thoughts for your proposal. Collect contact information and biographies from your co-presenters before beginning the form. Session proposals require clear and concise titles, persuasive learning outcomes-focused descriptions in a short and long version, and three action-oriented learning outcomes that answer the question "upon completion of this session, participants will be able to...". The following is the order and type of questions asked on the online proposal submission form:

• Presentation Title (character limit applies)
• Suggested Learning Pathway
• Presentation Format
• Presentation Abstract (character limit applies)
• Presentation Description (character limit applies)
• Presentation Specifics (Target Audience, Content Difficulty, Learning Outcomes, etc.)
• Primary Presenter Name, Position, Organization, Address, and Email
• Previous Speaking Experience (optional upload of video)
• Primary Presenter Bio (character limit applies)
• Additional Presenters Questions – (List each Co-Presenters Names, Positions, Organizations, and Emails)
• Presentation Accessibility
• Comments/Questions

Accessibility
Federal and State law require that public conference information systems, venues, tools and content be accessible to people with disabilities. In addition, GTS Educational Events is committed to ensuring the Transforming Learning Summit is accessible to a diverse audience.

How will you present your session in a way that is accessible (slides, videos, etc.) to everyone who attends? NOTE: All electronic files provided to GTS for attendees are required to be accessible. Visit the State of Minnesota's accessible documents page for training and other resources.

Selection Criteria & Process

We seek to create a premiere event for the K-12 education field, and therefore priority will be given to those sessions that meet the following criteria:

Timely – Does the topic address a current or emerging concern?
Relevant – How significant is the topic to the theme and purpose of the conference?
Clarity – Is the proposal clear and understandable?
Engaging – Is the session designed to engage the audience?
Equity – Does the session content address issues of equity?
Non Commercial – Commercial companies/organizations are invited to submit a session proposal within the guidelines as stated in the General Guidelines section.

Policies

Submission
Proposals must be submitted via the online submission form. Proposals sent by email will not be considered. Presenters may submit more than one submission.

The online submission form closes on Monday, February 25, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. CST. Incomplete and/or late proposal submissions are accepted by invitation only.

The person listed as the lead presenter will be automatically notified of receipt by an email sent to the address that you provide. If you do not receive such a notification, please email gts@mngts.org to confirm that your proposal was received. You will be able to return to the proposal to edit it until the submission deadline on February 25th at 4:00 p.m. CST. Information on how to do so will be included in the automated email.

Submission of a proposal does not guarantee inclusion in the program. GTS Educational Events reserves the right to work with presenters to revise presentation titles, reassign the identified topic area and edit session descriptions for promotional and program publication purposes.

How are proposals reviewed/accepted?
An advisory committee with diverse representation of K-12 settings and functions will meet to review, rate and prioritize ALL proposals to determine which ones will be selected for the 2019 Transforming Learning Summit.

When are proposals selected?
Final selections will be made by mid-March. Confirmation letters will be sent to selected lead presenters at this time. Signed confirmation letters will be due back to GTS Educational Events on Friday, March 29th, 2019.

Session scheduling
The Advisory Committee will schedule selected sessions. All types of sessions will be scheduled to minimize topic overlap. Some presenters may be asked to repeat their sessions. Sessions will be scheduled for the follow timeslots:

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – 60 minute sessions
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 p.m. – 60 minute sessions
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – 90 minute sessions
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. 60 minute sessions
1:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. – 2.5 hour sessions (with a 15 minute break built in)

Presenter honorarium
For each proposal selected, one presenter/moderator/facilitator will receive a complimentary registration for the day of the conference ($150 value). No additional compensation is available. All presenters will be required to register prior to the event using an online registration system.

Cancellations
Once a session has been accepted and listed online, cancellation imposes a serious burden. Do not submit a proposal if you are uncertain that you will be able to fulfill your obligation to organize and conduct the session.

Deadline & Important Dates

Monday, February 25th at 4:00 p.m. CST – deadline to submit online proposal form

Mid-March – proposals selected and lead presenters notified

March 29th – signed presenter agreement forms due

April 10th – attendee and presenter registration opens

July 19th – Presentation Power Point slide deck and handouts due

July 26th – Final session times/room assignments sent to lead presenters

August 8th – Transforming Learning Summit

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When you are ready to complete your online submission, click here to be redirected to the submission form.

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