Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators
Embrace the essence of DuFour’s 4th Question, “What do we do when students already know it?” This session is dedicated to igniting educators’ approaches to teaching, focusing on enriching students who surpass standard academic benchmarks. Learn to identify and cultivate each student’s unique talents, fostering curiosity, creativity, and emotional and social intelligence. Discover interdisciplinary methods and sustainable practices to keep the flame of learning alive for all students.
Ideal for educators aspiring to create a dynamic, engaging, and comprehensive educational experience that fuels every student’s potential.
For more information, contact lindsey.ellis@ckec.org
Target Audience: Science/Social Studies Educators (General Inquiry Teachers), Admins, Instructional Coaches
Stop teaching—start investigating! Inquiry in Motion gives you the tools to design lessons that move students from passive to powerful thinkers. Leave with ready-to-use inquiry units and strategies that transform student learning. Get ready to set your classroom in motion!
This dynamic professional development experience is designed for social studies, science, and general educators who want to spark curiosity, deepen thinking, and empower students to take charge of their learning.
Through hands-on exploration of the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), participants will learn to craft compelling questions, design meaningful inquiry tasks, and implement strategies that move students from passive listeners to active investigators. You’ll dive into questioning techniques, scaffolding strategies, and practical tools that make inquiry accessible, engaging, and transformative for every learner.
By the end of the day, you’ll leave with a ready-to-implement inquiry unit, practical strategies to ignite curiosity, and a classroom culture buzzing with questions, exploration, and discovery. Step into the flow of learning—get your classroom moving with Inquiry in Motion!
PD/EILA Available
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: 6-12 Teachers (Social Studies) & Instructional Coaches
Join fellow social studies educators for a dynamic four-part virtual book study of Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education by S.G. Grant, Kathy Swan, and John Lee. In this interactive professional learning series, participants will unpack the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) to reimagine teaching and learning through meaningful questions, authentic tasks, and rich sources.
Each one-hour session explores key chapters of the text and offers practical, classroom-ready strategies to design and implement inquiry-based instruction that deepens understanding and student engagement.
Walk away with inquiry blueprints, adaptable templates, and a clear plan for transforming your next unit into an authentic, student-driven investigation of the world.
January 14, 2026; February 25, 2026; March 25, 2026; April 15, 2026
No Fee: Please note that this is a bring-your-own-book book study. Books can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Inquiry-Based-Practice-Social-Studies-Education/dp/1032202351/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
PD/EILA Credit Available
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators, Curriculum Coordinators
This 3-day session equips teachers with easy-to-use tools to improve student writing in any subject at any grade level. Based on Judith Hochman’s The Writing Revolution, this session covers clear, step-by-step methods for building sentence and paragraph writing skills. Teachers will learn ways to help students express ideas clearly, understand content better, and gain confidence in their writing. By the end of the session, participants will have a toolkit of effective, research-based strategies to transform writing instruction and boost student success.
One registration for all sessions.
February 24, 2026; March 5, 2026; April 14, 2026
The registration fee provides each participant with a copy of The Writing Revolution 2.0.
For more information, contact Tabor Placido at tabor.placido@ckec.org.
Target Audience: DSC, School Administrators, Instructional Coaches
This professional learning series is designed for district and school leaders responsible for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Through a sequence of collaborative sessions, participants will explore how to effectively implement and maximize their High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIRs) to drive improved student outcomes.
Using the Curriculum Implementation Framework as a guide, leaders will learn how to develop and refine a local curriculum document, utilize the Pedagogical Practices Mapping Tool, and align learning targets, standards, lessons, and assessments to ensure coherence across their instructional system.
Each session will balance learning, reflection, and collaboration, providing opportunities for participants to:
- Examine tools and processes that strengthen curriculum implementation;
- Apply learning to their own district or school context;
- Engage in meaningful discussion and problem-solving with peers; and
- Hear from other districts about their implementation successes and challenges.
By the end of the series, participants will leave with actionable tools, aligned curriculum structures, and strategies to ensure improved teaching and learning across classrooms.
One registration for the following dates:
January 22, 2026
February 19, 2026
March 19, 2026
April 16, 2026
Contact heather.brown@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: K-12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators
Embrace the essence of DuFour’s 4th Question, “What do we do when students already know it?” This session is dedicated to igniting educators’ approaches to teaching, focusing on enriching students who surpass standard academic benchmarks. Learn to identify and cultivate each student’s unique talents, fostering curiosity, creativity, and emotional and social intelligence. Discover interdisciplinary methods and sustainable practices to keep the flame of learning alive for all students.
Ideal for educators aspiring to create a dynamic, engaging, and comprehensive educational experience that fuels every student’s potential.
For more information, contact lindsey.ellis@ckec.org
Target Audience: Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Library Media Specialists, School Technology Coordinators, Digital Learning Coaches, Administrators
In this two-day cohort, educators will explore the potential of artificial intelligence in the classroom, centered on the six educator functions presented in The Artificial Intelligence Playbook by Meghan Hargrave, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey. Through these interactive sessions, participants will engage in hands-on activities that demonstrate how AI can streamline lesson planning and boost student engagement.
Day 1 will explore managing content, fostering student engagement, and meeting students’ instructional needs. Day 2 will focus on assessing student learning, providing effective feedback, and supporting lifelong learning. By the end of the cohort, participants will have a toolbox tailored to their teaching context, leaving with new, time-saving tools to enrich learning experiences in meaningful ways.
Participants will receive a copy of The Artificial Intelligence Playbook (1st Edition).
Fee: Free for Member Districts; $125.00 for Non-Member Districts
6 Hours of PD/EILA Credit each day
Contact holly.lawrence@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Administrators and Principals
With Kentucky schools looking for more ways to engage students in authentic and meaningful learning experiences, teachers must consider how to create these experiences and assess Portrait of a Learner competencies such as collaboration, communication, and higher-order thinking skills. This in-person session will focus on formative and summative assessments for these competencies, developing performance tasks, and engaging students in feedback protocols. Time will be devoted during the session for participants to workshop and plan a performance task for their classrooms.
Participants will receive a copy of Designing Authentic Performance Tasks and Projects: Tools for Meaningful Learning and Assessment by Jay McTighe, Kristina J. Doubet, and Eric M. Carbaugh.
Fee: $25.00 for Member Districts, $125.00 for Non-Member Districts
6 hours PD/EILA will be provided.
Contact holly.lawrence@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators
Thinking Maps is a set of 8 visual patterns that correlate to specific cognitive processes. Based on the building blocks of brain-based learning, they are used across all grades and content areas to build critical thinking, problem-solving, comprehension, and communication skills necessary for academic success in every domain.
Participants will gain:
- Overview of Theory, Research Basis
- Introduction to the Defining Characteristics of Thinking Maps
- Learning the Thinking Maps: 8 Visual Patterns for Critical Thinking – Asking Questions
- Strategies for Developing Independent Learners: Teaching the Maps to Students
Participants will receive a copy of Thinking Maps: A Language for Learning, 2nd Ed. Teacher’s Guide.
Fee: $125.oo for Member Districts; $200.00 for Non-Member Districts
6 Hours PD/EILA Credit
Contact holly.lawrence@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Teachers (all grades), Instructional Coaches, Administrators
Step into the vibrant world of EduProtocols in this interactive professional learning experience! Inspired by The EduProtocols Field Guide, Volume 1, this session will guide you through flexible, high-impact lesson frames that engage students in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Just like a Mardi Gras parade, each EduProtocol adds energy, movement, and excitement to your classroom.
Participants will:
- Explore the “why” behind EduProtocols and their role in driving student engagement.
- Experience several protocols firsthand in a fun, hands-on way.
- Walk away with actionable templates and strategies ready to implement immediately.
Join the parade and bring the celebration of learning to your classroom—complete with actionable tools to boost student participation and collaboration! All participants will receive a copy of the anchor text The EduProtocols Field Guide, Volume 1 as well.
6 Hours PD/EILA Credit
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
