Fourth Annual Teachers Summit to Take Place at California Campuses, Including CSU, Chico

Hundreds of teachers and educators from the North State will attend a one-day conference at California State University, Chico next week.

The fourth annual Better Together: California Teachers Summit takes place from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, July 27, at the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium at CSU, Chico, which is one of three North State campuses to co-host the conference. In all, more than 30 campuses across the state, including 19 CSU campuses, will co-host local summits, which are free and open to all California preK-12 teachers, teacher candidates, school administrators and other educators.

More than 250 educators attended last year’s summit, and the same number is expected to participate this year.

The theme of this year’s summit is “It’s Personal: Meeting the Needs of Every Student.” Deborah Summers, associate dean of CSU, Chico’s College of Communication and Education, stressed that while teachers strive to meet the varied needs of individual students, the benefits of added planning and assessments far outweigh any drawbacks.

“Individualized instruction prepares children to become active and effective learners developing the skills needed to be lifelong learners in an ever-evolving world,” said Summers, adding that focusing on meeting the needs of every student can increase student morale, aid in information retention and enhance in-class engagement.

Author and educator Sir Ken Robinson will provide the keynote speech for the event, which will be livestreamed to every site. Robinson is an internationally acclaimed expert on creativity and innovation, and currently boasts the most-viewed TED Talk titled, “Do schools kill creativity?” His latest book, “Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education,” tackles the critical issue of how to transform the nation’s troubled educational system.

“Sir Ken will challenge the way we’re educating our children and champion a radical rethink of our school system,” said Bruce Rojas, grant program coordinator for the California Teachers Summit.

Other items on the day’s agenda include a pair of EdTalks, modeled after the popular TED Talks, and EdCamps breakout sessions, opportunities for educators to further explore and discuss the challenges of teaching today.

Visit CATeachersSummit.com for more information, including event locations and pre-registration. Registration is also available on the day of the event. Those who require an accommodation in order to participate in the summit or who have questions about accessibility should contact the University’s Accessibility Resource Center at 530-898-5959.