BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS
SUMMER EDUCATORS CONFERENCE
June 12-13 * Birmingham Sheraton
Keynote Clips
Teacher Chris Emdin Finding Ways to Make Math Fun - Office Depot
Teacher Chris Emdin Finding Ways to Make Math Fun - Office Depot
Leaders of the New School- Chris Emdin
Classroom Management Martha Kaufeldt
Teachers Are Heroes Intro Mark A Garrett
Mark Anthony Garrett
Mark Anthony Garrett grew up in the tough inner city of Dayton, Ohio as a foster child and was then later adopted. Throughout his childhood he faced many hardships such as poverty, neglect, homelessness, abandonment and abuse, both physical and sexual. At 14, he lost his adopted mother to cancer, dropped out of school, joined a gang and was in and out of juvenile jail.
Although his surroundings were negative, Mark was encouraged by his third grade special education teacher to never give up on life and to always strive for excellence. He knew he had to take destiny into his on hands. After receiving guidance from influential mentors, Mark enrolled in college and majored in wildlife biology and went on to become a two-time U.S. Achievement Academy Award Winner, recipient of the National Collegiate Minority Leadership award and received the highest honors given by his college, which were the President and Trustee award.
This experience inspired him to dedicate his life to helping troubled youth and adults overcome the negative challenges within their own lives and discover that they have greatness within them. Mark is extremely passionate about helping raise the mental consciousness of people all over the world.
For over 20 years Mark Anthony Garrett has motivated audiences through his electrifying speeches, training and transformational seminars. Mark is a leading expert within the Child Welfare and K-12 educational industry on such topics as Teacher Leadership, Cultural Pedagogy, Staff Retention, Motivational Empowerment, Leadership, Service Excellence, Overcoming Adversity, Youth Empowerment, Building Relationships and Maximizing Human Potential.
Dr. Christopher Emdin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University; where he also serves as Director of Science Education at the Center for Health Equity and Urban Science Education. He is also the Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is an alumni fellow at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, and currently serves as Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy and the STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.
Dr. Emdin holds a Ph.D in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology; Masters degrees in both Natural Sciences and Education Administration, and Bachelors degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry.
He is the creator of the #HipHopEd social media movement, and a much sought-after public speaker on a number of topics that include hip-hop education, STEM education, politics, race, class, diversity, and youth empowerment. He is also an advisor to numerous international organizations, school districts, and schools where he delivers speeches, and holds workshops/ professional development sessions for students, teachers, policy makers, and other education stakeholders within the public and private sector.
Dr. Emdin provides regular commentary on Al Jazeera and the Huffington Post; where he writes the Emdin 5 series. He is the author of the award winning book, Urban Science Education for the Hip-hop Generation and For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll too, which is currently on the New York Times best sellers list.
Dr. Christopher Emdin
Luncheon Speaker
Opening Session Speaker Day 2
Martha Kaufeldt, M.A.
Martha Kaufeldt is a professional development specialist, author and a part-time enrichment teacher at a public charter school in California. Since 1984, her specialty has been interpreting and applying educational neuroscience into classroom practice. She travels internationally conducting workshops and trainings on curriculum development, differentiated instruction, school restructuring, natural learning, and brain-friendly strategies for teachers and parents. Martha has also been a district staff development specialist and gifted education program director. She has written several books including Begin With the Brain: Orchestrating the Learner-Centered Classroom 2nd ed. (Corwin, 1999), Teachers, Change Your Bait! Brain-Compatible Differentiated Instruction (Crown House, 2005), and Think Big, Start Small (Solution Tree, 2012). Her most recent book, co-authored with Gayle Gregory, is The Motivated Brain: Improving Student Attention, Engagement and Perseverance (ASCD, 2015) Martha, along with Gayle and Mike Mattos just published: Best Practices at Tier 1: Daily Differentiation for Effective Instruction (Elem and Secondary editions – Solution Tree, 2015).