Future Educators Conference
LU's School of Education hosts the 5th annual Future Educators Conference. This year's theme is "The Innovators - Developing Excellent Instruction." Open to all students, faculty and staff.
9:00 a.m.
Welcome
9:15 a.m.
Keynote by Dr. Regina Ciphrah
“Who Gets to Do Science? How History, Place, and Community Shape STEM Learning and Participation”: This keynote explores Culturally Sustaining STEM (CS-STEM) as a framework for expanding access to STEM learning by integrating local knowledge, historical narratives, and real-world problem-solving. Drawing from examples in aquaponics, flood resilience, and workforce development in a Gullah Community, this talk will challenge educators and leaders to rethink how STEM is taught and how to create meaningful, place-based opportunities that prepare students for the future.
10:15 a.m.
Workshops:
Dr. Regina Ciphrah at Pawley Theatre
"Sankofa in STEM: Teaching Science with Place and Purpose": This interactive professional development session will focus on aligning STEM education with Jefferson City’s 2040 goals, specifically workforce development, sustainability, and local innovation. Participants will explore practical strategies for integrating place-based learning into their teaching, ensuring that students see STEM as a pathway to solving real-world problems in their own communities.
Dr. Jana Gerard at MLK Hall, Room 6
“Full STEAM Ahead - STEAM Kits”: Learn how you can connect Literacy and STEAM with these fun kits that you can use in your classrooms! Students apply concepts from the book to complete the activity in the kit!
10:50 a.m.
Workshops:
Dr. Jana Gerard at MLK Hall, Room 6, "Innovating by Design-Design Thinking": This interactive workshop will help you develop your creativity in STEAM.
Tyler Fankhauser at Pawley Theatre, "Not Like Us": Learn how to build meaningful relationships with our students that will make big differences in your classroom climate!
Keynote speaker:
Regina E. Ciphrah, PhD
CEO - Verbalizing Visions, LLC
Regina E. Ciphrah PhD, MT is an education practitioner, researcher and evaluator with over twenty years of experience. Her efforts support research, learning, and practice within culturally-sustaining operations and education entities through fidelity of implementation and continuous improvement frameworks. She served as the co-PI and Director of Education for the Culturally Sustaining STEM Institute, a feasibility study funded by the National Science Foundation designed to support professional learning of in-service and preservice teachers in community-based settings. Dr. Ciphrah’s scholarship in culturally-sustaining STEM pedagogy is fueled from her lived experiences as a Gullah woman born and raised in Georgetown, South Carolina, USA. She beheld as a child and continues to redress as a practitioner opportunities for reclamation of historical and current STEM enterprise participation of diverse cultures and individuals. Her platform as Ms. Palmetto Pride Plus America 2017 included a focus on STEM literacy as a matter of socioeconomic justice for underrepresented youth. Dr. Ciphrah currently serves as the CEO of Verbalizing Visions LLC, the Policy and Practice Strategist for the South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium through Higher Education Research (SC TEACHER), and Chair of the Advisory Board for the SC Coalition for Mathematics and Science.