Earlier this month Laura Korch, Art instructor, and Ryan Bernstein, Ed Tech and Communications adjunct, attended The 22nd Annual Teaching Professor Conference in Washington D.C. The event, billed as a “conference for every educator”, took place June 6th – 8th at the Washington Hilton. Read Laura and Ryan’s reflections on the conference below and check out the images of Swoop in the Nation’s Capital.

What was the name of the conference/PD opportunity you attended?

The Teaching Professor Conference 2025

When and where did the event take place?

June 6th – 8th, Washington Hilton, Washington D.C.

Please share details from a memorable keynote speaker, conference session, or something else notable from the event:

Laura: The panel by Karen Gross and her topic of Pandemic Positives: Lessons that Can Improve Mental Wellness and Student Success was especially helpful in navigating communication and interactions with our students. Post pandemic 70% of kids, and 90% of adults have experienced trauma, While behavior is the language of trauma, play is a great response to that trauma. 

Ryan: One session I found particularly useful was titled “Equipping Minds for a Digital Revolution: Literacy in an AI and Metaverse Era” and presented by Dr. JJ Wallace, Associate Professor and Program Director at Transylvania University. Her talk provided some useful tools and approaches for discussing AI with students. The opening keynote presentation titled “Teaching Critical Thinking: Why You Should, Why It’s Hard, How You Can” presented by Dr. Michelle D. Miller, a Professor of Psychological Sciences at Northern Arizona University was also interesting. Her talk helped me to think through barriers faculty who teach and assess critical thinking face and it helped me develop ideas for discussing critical thinking pedagogy with faculty. 

How likely are you to recommend this opportunity to a colleague? 

Laura: Likely

Ryan: Very Likely

Do you have any big takeaways that you’ll be applying to your pedagogy in the near future?

Laura: Yes, I plan to lead my ceramics and 3D Design classes in 15-minute playful sculpting small scale excises throughout the semester. 

Ryan: This fall, I plan to incorporate several ideas from Dr. Wallace’s talk on AI. Specifically, I plan to retool my AI syllabus policy, but I also plan on creating AI expectations/guidelines for each individual assignment. I’m going to use the traffic light analogy (red light, yellow light, green light) with different assignments so students know when AI is absolutely not allowed, when some AI use might be appropriate, and when they’re free to play with AI as they see fit. 

Is there anything else you’d like CIE or your colleagues at NMC to know about this experience? 

Laura: I would recommend it.

Ryan: Most definitely. Washington D.C. is a great place for a conference! In our downtime Laura and I walked the entire National Mall and had a lot of fun taking pictures with Swoop at the White House and different monuments. Additionally, we caught a few minutes of the National Pride Parade, which was certainly a joyous event.