Running head: IBE EDUCATION CONFERENCE

IBE Education Conference

Tanesha Cook
Ivy Tech Community College

IBE EDUCATION CONFERENCE

InTASC Standards Rationale Page

Standard #3: Learning Environments
The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative
learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and selfmotivation.

Name of Artifact: IBE Education Conference Reflection Paper

Date: July 18, 2016
Course: EDUC 240 Physical and Health Education for teachers
Brief Description:
This is an assignment in which we reflect on an education conference we attended at the
Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. In the reflection we must cover a minimum of
four specified topics which include: highlights of the conference, how it helps us grow
professionally, our interest or disinterest in being a speaker at a future event, and ideas we gained
that would benefit our future.
Rationale:
To document my understanding of InTASC Standard 3, Learning Environments, I have
selected to include a reflection on an experience we had while attending an education conference
at the convention Center. This experience allowed us to work with others, and individually.
During the Conference we met as a group three times to listen to a Panel, and keynote speakers.
Between those group meetings, we all scattered, and chose our own workshops to attend. We
also interacted socially and actively in our own learning process. . During the workshops, we
were able to respond to and ask questions about the presentations, jot down notes, and share our
opinions.

IBE EDUCATION CONFERENCE

On Thursday July 14, 2016 our class session was held at the Convention Center in
downtown Indianapolis, instead of at school. We met up at the school, and then carpooled to the
Convention Center where an education conference was taking place. When we arrived there we
were each given a bag of supplies that included: writing materials, a water bottle, a name tag, a
neck lanyard, an evaluation sheet, an informational workshop booklet, and a schedule of events.
After collecting our bags, we began participating in the days festivities. According to the
Agenda, there were seven major events in store for us. Those events included: a continental
breakfast, a plenary session, two workshops from a list of seven, lunch and the viewing of two
keynote speakers. I was able to attend five of those activities. This experience offered us the
opportunity to grow professionally, and it provided us with some great ideas that would be
beneficial for the future. Thursday was quite an eventful day, but there were some highlights that
really grabbed my attention.
During the conference I attended a workshop called "Out of Mind Experiences. It was
led by a lady named Dr. Lori L. Desautels, who is an assistant professor at Marian university.
Dr. Desautels went into depth about brain development. She explained how it connected to
trauma, learning, and engagement. During her presentation, we were able to understand
behaviors from the root opposed to just receiving ideas on how to respond to them. After Dr.
Loris workshop, I met with my group and we had lunch. I also attended a speech presented by
one of the keynote speakers whose name was Robert Jackson. Mr. Jackson talked about some of
the adversities that students face, especially black male students, while attending school. He
pointed out the systematic way of handling behaviors, and some of its flaws. He provided us
with some alternative solutions to responding to these behaviors. During the entire Conference, I
was faced with some amazing highlights.

IBE EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Although, the majority of the conference was interesting, there were some moments that
stood out to me more than others. As I listened to Dr. Lori speak about how the brain is wired
for survival, she captured my undivided attention. Ive always wondered why so many people
take offense if they catch someone staring at them. The person staring may have been
daydreaming, but the person being stared at will often assume the worst. Dr. Loris researched
logic behind this explained it all in a few short terms. The brain is constantly on guard and
scanning during survival mode, which may distort its ability to properly tell whether or not we
should be offended. Another highlight for me during the event, occurred during the speech given
by Mr. Jackson. I enjoyed how he incorporated comedy into his speech. He addressed some reallife issues that may make a diverse audience feel somewhat uneasy if not presented carefully. I
also loved that fact that Mr. Jackson incorporated spirituality into his presentation. Ive been to
too many speeches where the presenter would stay clear away from spiritual topics in order to
prevent offending anyone. I feel like thats understandable, but sometimes it takes away from
who the person really is, and I like to see presenters in their purest form even if we have different
beliefs. As I took notes during the highlights of the conference, I jotted down a few ideas.
While attending the workshops and speeches, I was able to collect some awesome ideas
that will be beneficial to my future. Dr. Lori pointed out that we all have an amygdala which
holds our triggers. Everyones triggers are different. This information gave me the idea to pay
attention to what may future students triggers are, in order to take preventative steps for future
behavioral outbursts. Her workshop provided me with the idea to ask power questions during
behavioral outbursts. An example of a power question is what do you need or how can I help
you? I was able to formulate another amazing idea during Mr. Jacksons speech as well. He
suggest that we be transparent with our students. He said it would help them realize that we go

IBE EDUCATION CONFERENCE

through things too. I thought this was awesome because Im one of those people who can relax
around other people when I find out that I can relate to them in some way. Im pretty sure there
are many students who think similarly. Not only did the conference provide me with
opportunities to form some great ideas, but it also gave me a chance to grow professionally.
Many of the conferences features offered subjects that could help current/ future
educators develop professionally. The conference scratched the surface of many important
subjects. It was able to make us aware of certain things, and with that awareness we can build on
our knowledge through research. Something that I plan on looking deeper into is how the five
core emotions may affect the behavior of students. I also want to look into strategies that would
calm the amygdala in order to reverse what damage ones triggers may have done.
In conclusion, I think the conference was a success. It offered us great ideas,
opportunities to grow professionally, and excellent service. The fact that lunch was prepared for
us with such elegance made me appreciate the facility. The presentations made me appreciate
the knowledge so, I am definitely satisfied. As far as being a future presenter, Im a little unsure
of myself. I have speech anxieties when speaking in front of adults so, Id have to develop in
that area first. After attending the conference I realized I have plenty of room for improvement.