Summer Institute for Authentic Learning and Leadership

Teenagers interview people all the time—patients in healthcare pathways, local industry partners in CTE, experts for research projects, even peers and families. But very few have ever been explicitly taught how to ask professional‑quality questions.

This interactive workshop, based on the forthcoming book From Quiet to Curious: A Teacher’s Guide to Building Question-Asking Skills in Grades 6–12 (Corbin & Reeves), gives educators a complete, ready-to-use framework for teaching question‑asking as a core academic and career skill. Participants will experience the book’s three-tier scaffolded model for professional interviewing:

Tier 1 – Foundation Questions & Active Listening: Building rapport, psychological safety, and basic “getting the story” questions.

Tier 2 – Focused Questions & Strategic Frameworks: Using simple, domain-specific frameworks (e.g., patient assessment, supplier evaluation) to probe systematically instead of randomly.

Tier 3 – Confirmatory Questions & Decision-Making: Verifying requirements, surfacing red flags, and making clear “go / no‑go” recommendations based on evidence.

Rather than sit-and-get theory, educators will practice the framework in role plays drawn from healthcare and manufacturing case studies, adapt it to their own disciplines, and leave with concrete tools: sample question banks, student-facing frameworks, a 90‑minute lesson plan, and an 8‑week implementation outline. We will also explore rubrics and micro‑assessments that make “asking good questions” visible, gradable, and growth‑oriented for diverse learners.

Whether you teach biology, welding, AP computer science, or 9th-grade English, you’ll leave with a practical structure for turning quiet, hesitant questioners into curious, confident interviewers who can navigate authentic professional conversations.

SESSION REPEATED JULY 15, 2:30 pm to 3:25 pm, Room W1102

Teenagers interview people all the time—patients in healthcare pathways, local industry partners in CTE, experts for research projects, even peers and families. But very few have ever been explicitly taught how to ask professional‑quality questions.

This interactive workshop, based on the forthcoming book From Quiet to Curious: A Teacher’s Guide to Building Question-Asking Skills in Grades 6–12 (Corbin & Reeves), gives educators a complete, ready-to-use framework for teaching question‑asking as a core academic and career skill. Participants will experience the book’s three-tier scaffolded model for professional interviewing:

Tier 1 – Foundation Questions & Active Listening: Building rapport, psychological safety, and basic “getting the story” questions.

Tier 2 – Focused Questions & Strategic Frameworks: Using simple, domain-specific frameworks (e.g., patient assessment, supplier evaluation) to probe systematically instead of randomly.

Tier 3 – Confirmatory Questions & Decision-Making: Verifying requirements, surfacing red flags, and making clear “go / no‑go” recommendations based on evidence.

Rather than sit-and-get theory, educators will practice the framework in role plays drawn from healthcare and manufacturing case studies, adapt it to their own disciplines, and leave with concrete tools: sample question banks, student-facing frameworks, a 90‑minute lesson plan, and an 8‑week implementation outline. We will also explore rubrics and micro‑assessments that make “asking good questions” visible, gradable, and growth‑oriented for diverse learners.

Whether you teach biology, welding, AP computer science, or 9th-grade English, you’ll leave with a practical structure for turning quiet, hesitant questioners into curious, confident interviewers who can navigate authentic professional conversations.

SESSION REPEATED JULY 15, 1:25 pm to 2:20 pm, Room W1102

Join a second and third grade teacher as they reflect on their journey of using a structured literacy curriculum in their classrooms for the first time. Hear various ways that they have enriched their students’ experience by adding in creativity challenges, service-learning projects, and other authentic reading and writing experiences. Learn how the structured curriculum and the enrichment meets gifted students’ needs. Spend time reflecting on your own practice and collaborate with others to decide where you can integrate these kinds of experiences into your structured literacy curriculum, and share ideas with others.

This session qualifies for Gifted PD hours.