Conference Overview

Reference the schedule for the 2025 conference below to get an idea of what you can expect.

Events and times subject to change.

Wednesday, April 9

Welcome Reception and Registration | 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Located at Maklemore's Ale House & Bistro 
2304 North Street, Nacogdoches, TX 75965

Thursday, April 10

Registration and Continental Breakfast | 8 to 8:45 a.m.

Located at the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Welcome and Keynote Speaker | 8:45 to 9:20 a.m.

More details to come.

Session 1 - Concurrent Sessions | 9:30 to 10 a.m.

Sessions include:

  • Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT)
  • Writing for The Field Experience Journal
  • From Observer to Practitioner: Scaffolding Field Experiences for Online and Traditional Teacher Candidate
  • Classroom Management When You are in a Non-Traditional Learning Environment

Session 2 - Concurrent Sessions | 10:10 to 10:40 a.m.

Sessions include:

  • From Alert to Achievement: The Impact of a Targeted Professional Growth Process
  • The Importance of Calibrating Teacher Mentors
  • Fliers: A Pilot Program for Paid Student Teacher Internships
  • Building Reflective Practice in Teaching Candidates during Field Experiences

Session 3 - Concurrent Sessions | 10:50 to 11:20 a.m.

Sessions include:

  • Field Experiences and Partnerships: Using Shared Data to Inform and Transform our Programs and Practices
  • Embedded Field Experiences
  • Not Just Surviving: Mental Health Practices to Prepare Preservice Teachers for a Long-Term Career
  • Teach for IMPACT: Strengthening Alternative Certification (PBC) through District Partnerships

Session 4 - Concurrent Sessions | 11:30 a.m. to noon

Sessions include:

  • Support and Training for Mentors: Partnerships That Recruit, Support and Recognize Mentor Teachers
  • Reconceptualizing Clinical Practice in an Online Teacher Prep Program
  • Culturally Responsive Conversations: Collecting Evidence, Celebrating Successes and Identifying Gaps
  • Keeping a Pulse on Residents/Student Teachers

Lunch | Noon to 1 p.m.

Session 5 - Concurrent Sessions | 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Sessions include:

  • From Learning to Doing: Strengthening Literacy Instruction Through Practice-Based Opportunities
  • From Candidate to Mentor to Supervisor: Insights from All Roles
  • Elevating Clinical Practice through High-Impact Feedback
  • Field Experience Hurdles: Supporting Struggling Teacher Candidates

Session 6 - Concurrent Sessions | 1:40 to 2:10 p.m.

Sessions include:

  • From Learning to Doing: Strengthening Literacy Instruction Through Practice-Based Opportunities
  • Using Indigenous Knowledge and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Empowering Teacher Candidates through Field Experience
  • Using the Rights of the Learner to Highlight Effective Classroom Environments in Field Experiences
  • Maximizing Field Experiences for Teacher Candidates: A Hands-On Approach Using NIET Standards and Rubric

Session 7 - Concurrent Sessions | 2:20 to 2:50 p.m.

Sessions include:

  • Student Voices from the Field: Insights from Tomorrow's Teachers
  • Fostering Belonging in Asynchronous Online Learning Environments: Unraveling the Impact of Discussion Question Formats
  • Before They Arrive!
  • Strategic Staffing Partnerships: Examining Effective Practices for Supporting Clinical Practice Candidates throughout the Clinical Residency

Tour of SFA Charter School | 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

*Optional

Friday, April 11

Registration and Continental Breakfast | 8:15 to 8:45 a.m.

Located at the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Session 8 - Concurrent Sessions | 8:50 to 9:20 a.m.

Sessions include:

  • Making them “Happy” Using 4 “Cs” to Student Satisfaction
  • Reimagining the Office of Field Placement
  • Moving Away from edTPA? A New (and Better!) Tool for Assessing Student Teachers
  • The Importance of the P.O.P Cycle with Preservice Teachers

Session 9 - Concurrent Sessions | 9:30 to 10 a.m.

Sessions include:

  • Mentorship Model: Using Relationships with Supervisors to Strengthen Mentorship
  • Critical Reflection and the Evolving Sense of Self for Student Teachers
  • Structured Informal Feedback: Enhancing Secondary Student Field Placement Learning
  • They're Not Just Comics: Using Historical Graphic Novels to Teach Difficult Topics

Session 10 - Concurrent Sessions | 10:10 to 10:40 a.m.

Sessions include:

  • Understanding Clinical Performance Data to Inform Program Change
  • Exploring the Impact of Field Trips to Rural Schools on STEM Teacher Candidates: A Qualitative Case Study
  • Supervision Practices: Effective Observations and Feedback (In-Person and Virtual)
  • Flipping the Script: Boosting Pre-Service Teacher Confidence through Flipped Classroom Models for Inclusive Education

Session 11 - Concurrent Sessions | 10:50 to 11:20 a.m.

Sessions include:

  • Exploring the Consistent Evolution of UTPBs Teacher Residency Program
  • Incorporating Hands-on Field Experiences in a Special Education Course to Learn Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Three’s Company: Building a Strong Triad in the Student Teaching Experience
  • Integrating the TILT Method in the Supervision of Student Teachers

Session 12 - Concurrent Sessions | 11:30 a.m. to noon

Sessions include:

  • Reimagining the TEAM: New Rules Lead to More Stakeholders
  • Enhancing Teacher Preparation and Field Experiences through Virtual Simulation
  • Mentoring Practices Assessment Tool (MPAT): The Development of an Instrument to Identify Mentor Characteristics
  • Community Partnerships: Are our Future Teachers Serving or being Served?

Lunch | Noon to 1 p.m.

Session 13 - Concurrent Sessions | 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Sessions include:

  • Behind the Scenes: Coordinating Clinical Placements and Clinical Supervision at WGU
  • Staying the Course: Investigating the Retention of Yearlong Residents in Rural Education
  • The Role of AI and ChatGPT in Preservice Teacher Preparation: Transforming Teaching, Learning and Field Experiences
  • A Suitcase of Teacher Resources: Behavior Management for K-12 Students 

Session 14 - Concurrent Sessions | 1:40 to 2:10 p.m.

Sessions include:

  • Behind the Scenes: Coordinating Clinical Placements and Clinical Supervision at WGU
  • Training Teachers: How Do Clinical Work and Online License Programs Go Together?
  • Symbiotic Phonics Teaching: Teacher Candidates and Mentor Teachers in K-2 Classrooms

Session 15 - Concurrent Sessions | 2:20 to 2:50 p.m.

Sessions include:

  • Action Research in Mentor Teacher Preparation
  • Training Teachers: How Do Clinical Work and Online License Programs Go Together?
  • Signs of Success: A Journey into Deaf Education Teacher Residency