Saturday, April 5, 2025
9:00 am – 2:00 pm • MU Campus • Townsend Hall • Free Event
Celebrate the profession of teaching at the 2025 Teacher Education Conference! We invite the teacher education community (current students, alumni, graduate students, instructors, partner district host teachers, professional staff, etc.) to join us for a day of conversation and learning.
Schedule at a Glance
Saturday, April 5, 2025
9:00 am – 9:30 am Registration, breakfast, and Children’s Literature Gallery
9:30 am – 10:05 am Keynote: Izayah Cristopher
10:10 am – 10:45 am Session 1
10:50 am – 11:25 am Session 2
11:30 am – 12:05 pm Session 3
12:10 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch and closing panel
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Wrap-up and prizes
Registration, Breakfast, and Gallery • 9:00 am – 9:30 am
Location: Townsend Hall Lobby and The Reflector, 201 Townsend
Registration: Check-in, connect with colleagues and friends, and plan for your day of learning and celebration.
Breakfast: Enjoy coffee and light breakfast snacks from Toasty Goat, a locally-owned, family-friendly coffee shop and roastery in Columbia, MO serving ethically-sourced coffee and in-house made baked goods.
Children’s Literature Gallery: Take a self-paced stroll through a gallery designed to inspire! Seniors in LTC 4241: Diverse Literature for Children and Youth present curated collections of texts, highlighting recommended books for today’s classrooms. As you explore this interactive gallery, turn the pages, be inspired by the art, and engage with future elementary educators as they share reflections on the transformative power of diverse literature in their student teaching experiences. Stop by anytime and leave with fresh ideas to enrich your own teaching practice!
Presenters: Kyle Bangert, Catherine Bettag, Kendall Carlson, Lindsey Hager, Madison Hayes, Paige Kelley, Trinity Lawson, Summer Lyons, Megan Prodohel, Alyssa Robinson, Hannah Sanders, Kayden Turner, Jamila White (Instructors Kirsten Tivaringe and Barri Bumgarner)
Keynote • 9:30 am – 10:05 am
Izayah Cristopher
Location: The Reflector, 201 Townsend Hall
Izayah Christopher, a junior at Battle High School, will keynote this year’s conference. Throughout his academic journey, Izayah has used his voice to become a 2025 district champion speaker. Beyond the awards, it’s his passion for speaking out and sharing his beliefs that drives him. He opened the 2024–2025 school year as a speaker at the Columbia Public Schools Convocation ceremony, where he addressed educators and spoke about the profound impact they’ve had on his life. Many of those teachers are University of Missouri alumni who have supported him throughout his many endeavors. Izayah balances his role as varsity cheer captain, with all-state recognition, with his leadership as speech captain on the Battle speech and debate team. He also excels academically as a gifted student, AVID scholar, and rising valedictorian with a perfect GPA. To him, these accomplishments paint a bigger and brighter picture of his future as an educator. Since elementary school, he has recognized a love for teaching and plans to continue the legacy of the many educators who uplifted him. In every new chapter of Izayah’s life, he brings his love, dedication, and hard work to create a world that is more educated, understanding, and authentic.
Session 1 • 10:10 am – 10:45 am
Early Teaching Career Panel: Alumni Voices
Moderator: Evan Gresham `27, Special Education
Panelists: Lucy Barber, Year 1 Kindergarten Teacher, P.S. 274, New York, NY (joining via Zoom); Liz Chlanda, Year 1 Science Teacher, Battle High School, Columbia, MO; Roman Leapheart, Year 2 English Language Arts Teacher, Battle High School, Columbia, MO; Megan Lyon, Year 1 Music Teacher, Lange Middle School, Columbia, MO; Ashley (Barth) Shattuck, Year 2 4th & 5th Grade Teacher, Rock Bridge Elementary School, Columbia, MO
Location: 205 Townsend Hall
Graduating Teacher Candidates, are you wondering about your next steps after commencement? New teachers, are you interested in connecting with other new teachers and hearing about their experiences? Hear from recent graduates of Mizzou’s teacher preparation program in Year 1 and 2 of teaching! Join the Early Teaching Career Panel to learn how recent alumni have navigated the transition into their first teaching position, their lessons, tips and tricks, and adventures.
What Teachers Can’t See and Might Not Know
Facilitators: Anna Syron, Charlotte Watson, Madelyn Ramos, Ally Oglander, Allison Smith, Mayah Bryant, Aerin Heckemeyer, Wyatt Conner, Lani Redecekr, Alleyna Neal, Claire Kaufmanschmidt, Faculty Mentor, Kathryn Fishman-Weaver
Location: 206 Townsend Hall
How can we best support students when we don’t always know what they are thinking, feeling, or experiencing? Built on the metaphor of an iceberg, this session complicates what we know about culture, inclusion, and neurodiversity. Based on a special research project conducted by teacher education candidates, this session also includes the release of a new children’s book and a teaching strategy guide. You won’t want to miss this engaging and creative session.
The Magic Ingredients of Teaching
Facilitator: Tom Whelihan
Location: 222 Townsend Hall
Teaching is the hardest, most rewarding, satisfying, crazy profession you will ever have, and you will never be bored. There are two words that will help you maximize your classroom and ensure that you will love teaching. Join Tom Whelihan in this breakout session to find out what they are.ion and leave elevated.
Creating a Prosocial Classroom
Facilitator: Lindsay Brockmeier
Location: 223 Townsend Hall
If you are interested in learning how to create warm, kind, and emotionally upbeat classrooms, Creating a Prosocial Classroom is the place to be! We will discuss ways in which teachers can promote prosocial behavior among students by using person-centered praise, inductive discipline, and building strong teacher-student relationships. Teachers will walk away with practical strategies to use in their everyday interactions with students that foster positive classroom environments.
Session 2 • 10:45 am – 11:25 am
ABC: Arts to Build your Classroom
Facilitator: Brian Stuhlman
Location: 206 Townsend Hall
In many schools, the arts are relegated to a single hallway of bulletin boards and rooms with sinks, advertised as non-cores, electives, and extras. But, as former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett says, “The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic…music, dance, painting, and theater are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.” This workshop will explore some of the ways teachers might bring the arts into their classrooms, as a way to help students develop creative and critical thinking, grow problem solving skills, cultivate curiosity and ingenuity…all to add to the effort of encouraging human beings to be more robust in their interactions with the world.
Curiosity, Critical Thinking, and Collaboration with AI in the Secondary Classroom
Facilitator: Christy Goldsmith
Location: 202 Townsend Hall
ChatGPT, Gemini, and other generative AI programs have, in many ways, asked educators to reconsider what counts as critical thinking in their classrooms. In this session, we’ll explore ways that GenAI can help pique students’ curiosity, teach them to ask the right questions, and drive them to deeper learning in our content areas. Bring a phone or laptop to engage in the activities with us.
From Novice to Expert: How Can We Understand the Learning Curve to Enhance Professional Growth?
Facilitators: Kevin Botkin and Sarah Walters
Location: 223 Townsend Hall
In this session, Kevin Botkin and Sarah Walters explore the feelings of self and identity when entering professional spaces that rely heavily on existing knowledge and cultural expectations. In an environment where constant comparisons to others define the status quo, this session will examine Imposter Phenomena and the Dunning-Kruger Effect, along with their impact on professional experiences. Participants will engage with mock scenarios and practice various techniques to help navigate these challenging situations.
Restorative Yoga
Facilitator: Kelsey Fishman
Location: 220 Townsend Hall, The Bridge
Accessibility meets joy in this restorative yoga and stretching session. All are welcome for a fun and engaging approach to wellness. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced yogi, you’ll find this class a delightful retreat to enhance your flexibility, strength, and peace of mind. This session will be taught through a modified Vinyassa practice where everyone belongs, and every movement is a celebration. Kelsey is a certified yoga instructor and a classroom aide in Columbia Public Schools. In both roles she focuses on wellness, accessibility, and celebrating strengths.
Session 3 • 11:30 am – 12:05 pm
The Robot Behind the Curtain: AI and the Future of Education
Facilitator: Cindy Dudenhoffer
Location: 202 Townsend Hall
Explore the hidden power of AI in education and how it’s shaping the future of teaching and learning. This session will demystify AI tools, reveal their potential and limitations, and provide practical strategies for educators to integrate them ethically and effectively.
Trauma-Informed Approaches for Supporting Students Navigating Foster Care
Facilitators: Kathryn Fishman-Weaver and Sara Echternach
Location: 206 Townsend Hall
Currently in the United States, there are close to 400,000 children and youth navigating foster care. This means that your classrooms often welcome students in care. This session, specifically designed for teachers, offers classroom-based strategies for supporting students who are navigating transition and trauma. Together, we’ll explore trauma-informed approaches to student support and learn more about local organizations who work with families and young people as they navigate foster care. Questions, hope, and engagement encouraged!
Instrument Petting Zoo
Facilitators: Jonah Hammontree and Kevin Botkin
Location: 222 Townsend Hall
The Higday and Mizzou Instrument Petting Zoo is an outreach event sponsored by the Paul D. Higday Mozart Trust and the MU School of Music. Participants will have the opportunity to try out brass, string, woodwind, and percussion instruments while being guided by Mizzou Music student volunteers.
Serving Multilingual Students and Families in Uncertain Times
Facilitator: Rose Metro
Location: 223 Townsend Hall
Learn about the foundational civil rights cases (Lau v. Nichols, Plyler v. Doe, Castañeda v. Pickard) that guarantee English Learners and their families the right to a public K-12 education, and discover how these cases are likely to be challenged in the next four years. We’ll cover the implications of recent Executive Orders for teachers, as well as the rescindment of restrictions on immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations” (e.g., schools). Drawing on materials produced by the ACLU, we will discuss how teachers can balance their legal and ethical responsibilities. We’ll also have the chance for in-service teachers to share recent experiences with student attendance and family engagement.
Playful Pathways to Proficient Reading: Hands-On Games, Centers & Small Groups
Facilitator: Kirsten Tivaringe
Location: 205 Townsend Hall
This hands-on workshop will explore how play-based learning can effectively support phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency in early literacy instruction. Participants will engage in interactive games, small-group activities, and literacy centers that make foundational skills fun and meaningful. Through modeling, discussion, and practice, early childhood and elementary educators will leave with practical, research-backed strategies to implement immediately in their classrooms. Get ready to play, learn, and boost student engagement in early reading!
Lunch and closing panel • 12:10 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch from Tammie’s Covenant Kitchen
Location: The Reflector, Townsend Hall
Free for conference attendees! A hearty lunch will be provided by Tammie’s Covenant Kitchen, a locally-owned caterer serving home-style comfort food, including vegan and gluten-free options. Come hungry!t.
Educator Panel: Empowering Teaching in a Changing World
Facilitator: Sarah Walters
Panelists: Shelli Adams, Executive Director of School Improvement, Columbia Public Schools; Eryca Neville, Principal, Douglass High School, Columbia Public Schools; Kimberly Uffmann, Assistant Principal, Russell Boulevard Elementary, Columbia Public Schools; Melia Franklin, Senior Associate, Ed Metric, Columbia Public Schools; Tara Link, Innovative Instructional Coach, Moberly Middle School, Moberly School District
Location: The Reflector, Townsend Hall
Our closing panel will engage practicing teachers and administrators in conversation around our theme, Empowering Teaching in a Changing World. This session aims to provide valuable insights and perspectives to both future and current educators, fostering a collaborative environment where educational leaders can share their experiences and expertise. Moderated by Sarah Walters, this panel discussion will focus on key topics such as the education job search, ideas for the future of the profession, and strategies for supporting and inspiring both educators and students. The panel will also explore ways to advocate for the profession and for education at large. Finally, panelists will have a chance to comment on the state of affairs in education and how to navigate its challenges while continuing the important work of teaching.
Wrap-up and prizes • 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Location: The Reflector, Townsend Hall
The final gathering will celebrate the day’s learning centered on the theme Empowering Teaching in a Changing World. Raffle prizes will also be awarded. Attendance is required to win, and the prizes are not to be missed! After a full day of shared insights and inspiration, attendees will leave reenergized and ready to return to their classrooms and communities with a renewed commitment to meaningful work.