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Educator PD Workshops
Levine Museum of the New South offers literacy and standards-based professional development workshops on cohesive topics designed to increase student engagement, develop critical thinking skills, and center students in the classroom.
2025 Workshop
Facilitating Civil Discussions in Schools
In an increasingly polarized nation and world, the ability to engage in civil discourse is a critical skill for students, educators, administrators, and families alike. This professional development session equips participants with practical tools and strategies to foster respectful, meaningful conversations across lines of difference. Whether guiding student dialogue in the classroom, navigating staff discussions, or communicating with caregivers, participants will explore adaptable frameworks and facilitation techniques to build a culture of trust, empathy, and open exchange within school communities. This PD is appropriate for educators and administrators of any subject or grade level.
Date: Friday, August 8, 2025
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Ascend Nonprofit Solutions, 601 East 5th Street #510 | Charlotte, NC 28202
Presenters:
- Val Brown, Levine Museum of the New South
- Katie Willett, Ballantyne Ridge High School
For questions on our professional development, please contact Lindsay Fairbrother-Henige.
Past Workshops
Facilitating Effective
Classroom Discussion and Debate
Engaging civil classroom discussions, especially in an increasingly polarized nation and world, has become a critical skill for teachers and students alike. In these workshops, participants will learn how to curate and design relevant discussion and debate goals, prompts, and resources as tools to support student thinking and standards-based instruction. Additionally, participants will examine best practices to facilitate classroom discussions and debates and leave the workshop understanding ways to analyze and formatively assess student learning during discussions. With these tools and strategies, participants will be able to cultivate classroom communities rich with meaningful discussion and civil discourse.
Presenters:
- Kathleen McMillan, Community School of Davidson
- Arianna Sherrill, Cannon School
Facilitating Effective
Classroom Discussion and Debate
Engaging civil classroom discussions, especially in an increasingly polarized nation and world, has become a critical skill for teachers and students alike. In these workshops, participants will learn how to curate and design relevant discussion and debate goals, prompts, and resources as tools to support student thinking and standards-based instruction. Additionally, participants will examine best practices to facilitate classroom discussions and debates and leave the workshop understanding ways to analyze and formatively assess student learning during discussions. With these tools and strategies, participants will be able to cultivate classroom communities rich with meaningful discussion and civil discourse.
Presenters:
- Kathleen McMillan, Community School of Davidson
- Arianna Sherrill, Cannon School
Inquiry? Creating Opportunities for Student Questioning in the Classroom
We’ve all heard that our lessons should be based on “inquiry” – but what exactly does that mean? Educators who participate in the Inquiry Workshop will explore the different levels of inquiry, how the strategy is relevant to a K-12 classroom, and tools and resources to develop their own lessons designed around student questioning. Participants will have time to collaborate and create standards-aligned inquiry resources to use in their classroom.
Presenters:
- David Harris, Providence Day School
- Ben Runkel, Jay M. Robinson Middle School
- Yvonne Wolf, James Martin Middle School
Accessing Writing in the Social Studies Classroom (and Beyond)
What is the value of getting students to write? Why is this necessary in what we do for our students? Why is writing considered a 21st century skill? Through this workshop, we explore academic language needed for argumentative and informational writing in social studies by exploring the writing process, the development and use of rubrics, and strategies to manage the workload to assess student writing.
Presenters:
- Kiara Eden, Mallard Creek High School
- Katie Willett, Ballantyne Ridge High School
Educator Professional
Development Workshops
Professional Development workshops are designed to target specific groups, including middle and high school Social Studies and ELA teachers, Curriculum Facilitators, Multi-Classroom Leaders, and Department Chairs. Educators of all grade levels are welcome to attend.
Each workshop will:
- Provide a clear rationale for why these instructional approaches are a worthwhile investment of educator and student time.
- Model strategies and best practices for instructional approaches.
- Offer takeaways that educators can immediately implement in their classrooms.
All workshops are created and facilitated by educators on Levine Museum’s Educator Advisory Group. Workshops are in-person experiences designed to model a classroom with a max of 30 participants per session.
Participants will receive certificates so they can request professional development credit for their participation.
