The One Thing Conference
Professional Learning to Transform Education for Good
The One Thing Workshops
The One Thing Workshops provide high-quality, practice-based, MSDE PDP-aligned professional learning experiences for Maryland PK-12 educators, school leaders, and education professionals facilitated by the world-class faculty, researchers, and staff at the University of Maryland College of Education.
The One Thing Workshops are:
Small and Personal: Each workshop will be limited to a maximum of 35 learners.
Expert Facilitation: Workshops will be led by teams of 2-3 College of Education faculty and staff.
Deep, Practice-Based Learning: Four full hours on a single topic during which learners will experience, explore, engage with, and plan to implement new practices.
Stand-Alone Workshops: Learners can register for one, two, three, or all four workshops—each workshop is designed to be complete on its own.
The Learning Cycle
Each workshop will be designed to engage learners through a, practice-based learning cycle:
- Experience – Engage directly with the strategy or practice
- Explore – Learn about and reflect on challenges and solutions relevant to your context
- Engage – Practice and rehearse new approaches
- Plan for Enactment – Create concrete plans to implement in your classroom
Example: A four-hour workshop on increasing student talk might have learners participate in a lively discussion (experience), brainstorm solutions to common challenges (explore), rehearse facilitation strategies (engage), and develop a plan for their own classroom (plan for enactment).
MSDE Professional Development Areas
Each workshop topic will align with one or more of these MSDE professional development areas:
- Content or pedagogy related to an area on your educator's license
- English as a Second Language, Sheltered English, or Bilingual Education
- Strategies for teaching students with disabilities or differentiated instruction for diverse learning needs
- Culturally Responsive Teaching or diverse student identities in education
