By Chris Drew, Assistant Professor and English Teaching Program Supervisor, Indiana State University
As the supervisor of our English Teaching program here at Indiana State University, I’ve watched the restoration of the Indiana Council of Teachers of English closely, knowing that it would be an invaluable resource for the preservice teachers in our program. The first I heard of ICTE’s latest iteration came at the 2017 NCTE Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. I received an email prior to the conference asking if I’d be interested in attending an informal get-together offsite with other Hoosier stakeholders interested in reorganizing and relaunching ICTE. Of course, I was interested, and I still remember how much positive energy filled the room that night as we snacked on appetizers and discussed next steps, one of which was an annual conference.
We all exchanged emails, finished our food, and left the restaurant, excited about our collective professional future. Since then, the ICTE newsletter began appearing in my inbox, we had a follow-up meeting at the 2018 NCTE in Houston, and shortly thereafter, I received news that the first ICTE conference would be held in Indianapolis in March 2019. Needless to say, my first action after receiving this news was to share it with my preservice teachers. I explained that they could not only attend, but that, thanks to Dr. Luke Rodesiler’s work on the “Future Is Now” panel, they could also submit roundtable proposals or serve as session chairs. In the end, our program was represented by three students participating in the roundtable session and four students serving as session chair.
After the conference ended, as students and teachers were perusing the book table, I had a chance to chat with ICTE President Laura Gellin about what a successful conference it had been, and how impressed all of my students had been with the wealth of pedagogical expertise being shared throughout the various sessions. She mentioned that it would be great to have a short article from these students’ points of view regarding the conference, so when we got back to Terre Haute, I asked the students who attended to share their responses to a short five-question survey about the conference.
I received responses back from four of ISU’s preservice English teachers: Julie Schubert, Alisha VanArsdale, Codi Quick, and Bianca Sloan. Their responses follow, lightly edited for grammatical consistency.
Question 1: What were your expectations for your first ICTE conference? Did it meet those expectations? Exceed them?
Julie Schubert: Because I’d never attended a professional conference like this before, I didn't really know what to expect. However, I did expect to be surrounded by passionate, inspiring people in my field who would be willing to share ideas and stories. My expectations were definitely met in this case.
Alisha VanArsdale: My expectations for my first ICTE conference were exposure to new pedagogies, technologies, and approaches to instruction. The sessions I attended taught me these things and more. I saw a passion and love for education that was authentic and powerful. The vitality and enthusiasm of the ICTE speakers was tangible, creating messages that resonated with me and exceeded expectations.
Codi Quick: My expectations for my first ICTE conference were a professional environment, a diverse audience, and a welcoming feeling. This conference went beyond my expectations. I honestly enjoyed every aspect of this conference. I have always considered myself as willing to step outside of my comfort zone, but I’d never actually done so before. Since this was my first time doing it, I was quite nervous. When I arrived, I was welcomed and I felt as if I was meant to be there. I never felt out of place and never felt unwanted.
Bianca Sloan: My expectations for the ICTE conference were to gain professional development experience and learn about new, creative curriculum ideas. I personally enjoyed every session I attended, and I feel like the conference exceeded my expectations overall.
Question 2: What most surprised you about the conference?
Julie Schubert: I was really surprised about the vast differences that educators all from within the same state had experienced. It allowed me to see the many teaching options that I could get into after I graduate and how every teacher's experience is different.
Alisha VanArsdale: The welcoming and communicative atmosphere of the conference surprised me. As an undergraduate, I felt nervous attending a conference, especially since it was my first. However, the receptiveness of each individual made my experience positive and productive.
Codi Quick: What surprised me the most was the diversity of people who attended the conference. There were teachers who have been teaching for thirty-plus years, teachers who have only been teaching for two years, and undergrads likes me. I loved the opportunity of getting to know so many different people who all have the same passion for teaching and English that I do.
Bianca Sloan: I was most surprised by the range of English teachers at the conference. It was a great opportunity to talk with teachers who taught a variety of grade levels at both public and private schools.
Question 3: Describe one specific panel or presentation you sat in on that you really enjoyed. What did you enjoy/find useful about it?
Julie Schubert: I really enjoyed Leigh Anne Eck's presentation on book clubs in the classroom. Her presentation was more conversational, and she provided really direct uses in the classrooms. She also addressed practical problems teachers may face and how she would tackle them. It was really inspiring, and I can't wait to try such approaches in my own classroom.
Alisha VanArsdale: The presentation I most enjoyed was “Using Informational Texts with Digital Tools to Promote Equality and Social Justice: From EL to AP,” presented by Jessica Bell and Juli Wakeman. I found this presentation useful because the women discussed bridging existing gaps between more and less advanced classrooms by addressing similar engaging subject matter. As this can be a difficult and daunting task, the bridging of these classes using a platform such as social justice issues is an innovative and engaging method that can carry over into other content areas.
Codi Quick: “Using Visual Thinking Strategies to Make Meaning from All Texts” by Mary Nicolini was the presentation I chaired, and I enjoyed it because Mary had 30+ years of experience. She was very knowledgeable on the subject she chose and willing to answer any questions about it. I was able to learn a good deal from this presentation about using art to teach literature.
Bianca Sloan: I personally really enjoyed two sessions: “Energized by Empathy: Using Theater Education to Create an Empathetic Classroom Culture and Bridging Gaps” and “Podcasting: Creating and Writing in the Classroom.” Both presentations related to my interests and explained how to incorporate these topics to teach specific concepts such as writing a research paper or understanding vocab.
Question 4: What was the best teaching advice you heard while at the conference?
Julie Schubert: The best teaching advice I heard is that everything you do as a teacher is for your students. No matter what pressure is put on you, you have to think about your students and what they truly need.
Alisha VanArsdale: The best teaching advice I heard while at the conference was to engage students’ interests and relate them to the class material, whether by the utilization of technology or the implementation of current events and culture into the curriculum. Relating class content to something more applicable to students’ lives outside of the classroom will promote and encourage a deeper connection to, and interaction with, the material.
Codi Quick: The best teaching advice I received was to remember the importance of going the extra mile for any student.
Bianca Sloan: As a pre-service teacher, the opportunity to hear from current teachers about their experiences was amazing. The best teaching advice I heard while at the conference was about how teachers need to always try to take student interests into consideration when planning curriculum.
Question 5: Would you like to attend the ICTE conference again? If so, what would you like to see the conference continue doing? What would you like to see it add/change?
Julie Schubert: I would love to attend the ICTE conference again. I think it may be useful to engage social media more as a whole at the conference. I'd also love to continue seeing keynote speakers geared toward a variety of specific English teaching topics.
Alisha VanArsdale: I would like to attend the ICTE conference again, and I would like to see the continuation of “The Future is Now” panels. Allowing preservice teachers to express their ideas in a less formal atmosphere that encourages active discussion is remarkably helpful in their preparation to become engaged and active educators. I would also like to see the conference add even more panels and opportunities for active discussion and collaboration.
Codi Quick: I would love to attend the ICTE conference again! I would like to see the conference continue to reach out to all kinds of teachers. I love how there were teachers of 30+ years and undergrads working together, because each can learn so much from each other. I also enjoyed the raffles and games, and I would like to more of these kinds of events to spice things up and lighten the mood.
Bianca Sloan: I hope to attend future ICTE conferences! The conference did a wonderful job of providing a broad range of topics in the sessions. I would also love to see more presentations or discussions on major problems that affect all teachers, such as combating large classroom sizes. Overall, the opportunity to both attend the conference and present at the Teachers of Tomorrow roundtable session was incredible, and I am extremely grateful.
Like my students, I was quite impressed by the inaugural conference of the rejuvenated ICTE. I echo my students’ reactions, and look forward to bringing more of my English Teaching students to future conferences. I also want to offer my thanks to Laura, Luke, and all of the other ICTE members and officers whose hard work and dedication helped provide such an excellent learning opportunity for students and teachers alike. It seems clear to me that the ICTE conference will continue to have an important role in preparing future teachers like Julie, Alisha, Codi, and Bianca to take their place in classrooms around Indiana.