OHS Educators Learn New Teaching Techniques, Discuss How to Support Students at Edcamp

Supporting English-as-a-New-Language students, “flipped instruction,” co-teaching strategies and emotional first aid were some of the many sessions offered to Ossining High School educators at the second-annual Edcamp professional-development conference earlier this month.

Roughly 150 teachers, teacher assistants and administrators participated in the event, with sessions created by teachers and for teachers based on their interests and needs. EdcampOHS was organized by the OHS Coaching Team -- Tina Occhiogrossi, Adam Schoenbart and Patrick Wheeler.

Educators had about 30 sessions to choose from during the half-day conference. They were free to move among workshops if one wasn’t what they expected or needed. “Every minute of an Edcamp should be something that enhances your practice,” Ms. Occhiogrossi said.

Teachers were encouraged to network with people they don’t normally interact with, which is what art teacher Sanam Shams did. “It was nice to get to be with different departments because we don’t get to do that often,” she said.

Attendees entered raffles for prizes ranging from a gift certificate for a pedicure and $25 restaurant gift cards to Ossining athletics sweatshirts and a subscription to an education website. Edcamp sponsors included the school district, the Ossining PTA, the Athletic Booster Club, the Landmark Diner, DD’s Diner, Deli Bagel, Moonbeam Café, Starbucks, Capri, Ossining Pizza, Pear Deck and others. A group of OHS students volunteered to help out at the event.

After EdcampOHS, educators attended the PTA’s annual staff appreciation lunch. They were greeted by a large buffet spread, and tables with white cloths and tulips on them.

Educators were fascinated during the “Dealing with Plagiarism in a Google World” session when English teacher Jillian McRae demonstrated how to use the Google Chrome extension Draftback. She pressed a button and Draftback displayed every edit a student had made on her paper. She said having that tool helps detect potential plagiarism. For example, a large paragraph that gets pasted into a document could signal a student is copying someone else’s work.

“Big Brother is watching,” science teacher Charlie Di Vico said with a smile.

Mr. Schoenbart led a workshop on “flipped” and “blended” instruction techniques. Under the traditional education model, students learn material inside the classroom and complete homework outside the classroom. A blended model involves a mixture of classroom and online instruction. A flipped model allows students to learn theory at home, which can include watching a video and taking an online quiz to monitor comprehension. They do exercises and projects in class.

“It’s a way of making more use of classroom time to really help students,” Mr. Schoenbart said of flipped instruction.

In addition to new teaching methods and tools, educators discussed such weighty issues as how to advocate for LGBTQ students and how to help students whose anxiety and fear have increased because they are undocumented immigrants or have undocumented family members.

In a workshop on supporting LGBTQ students and staff, participants discussed how they can create or further develop safe environments. A handout from Gender Spectrum, a nonprofit that focuses on doing just that, gave definitions of frequently used gender terms like gender-normative and gender-expansive.

“We’re trying to teach the correct terminology and help people lessen their anxiety about LGBTQ students,” said Marybeth Griffin, a school counselor and mother of a 28-year-old transgender son.

Mr. Schoenbart said the second annual EdcampOHS (and third Edcamp in the district) was a success and a positive experience for educators. “The day focused on learning by and for Ossining educators on how to improve instruction and meet the needs of Ossining’s students.”