Each of the presentations described below can be adapted to suit specific audiences (i.e. for school counselors, parents, librarians, etc.).

I have previously created and taught graduate level courses on each topic for students who teach everything from pre-school through technical college. For information on my Keynote Speaking click here.

Inservice Programs

• Infusing Humor into the Classroom
• Creative Strategies for Motivating Students to Read and Write
• Storytelling Techniques or How Dincerella
• Slopped Her Dripper
• Teaching in the Energized Classroom
• Sparking Students’ Creativity

  Infusing Humor into the Classroom

This presentation provides strategies for using humor to teach, motivate, and delight students. Participants will examine the logic of humor and a wide variety of techniques any educator can use to reduce stress, diffuse tension, build relationships and community, and motivate students. Attend this upbeat session and learn how to identify opportunities to create classroom humor and thereby to inspire students to learn.

Creative Strategies for Motivating Students
to Read and Write

This presentation explores dynamic motivational strategies. Drawing ideas from working with teachers as a professor for twenty years, from performing motivational assembly programs, and from teaching classes on creativity, I’ve assembled a fantastic collection of motivational techniques. Games, magic, juggling, storytelling, puppets, US presidents, kiwi fruit, the amazing bubble, and improvisational theater and but a few of the many sources of motivation presented.

Storytelling Techniques or How Dincerella Slopped Her Dripper

This presentation provides hands-on techniques for creating stories, telling stories, and teaching students to tell stories. Participants learn strategies for using their voices, facial expressions, bodies, and imaginations to effectively tell stories and incorporate stories into the curriculum. In addition, they explore improvisational storytelling and identifying sources of stories to tell.

Teaching in the Energized Classroom

This presentation offers techniques for educators to become more dynamic classroom leaders and for making students more energetic, effective learners. Participants analyze their own energy levels and ways to become more energetic, they examine their classrooms and identify opportunities for making their classrooms more vibrant learning environments, and they develop strategies for using energizing activities to motivate their students and to build cohesive classroom communities. We’ll experiment with “energies” produced through movement, speech, music, sports, theater, technology, surprises, ‘raising the stakes’, and creative teaching.

Sparking Students’ Creativity

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein

This presentation offers strategies for helping students and teachers to think creatively. The result will be to help students to solve problems flexibly, embrace intellectual challenges, work independently, trust their intuition, and develop confidence. We will explore traditional creative thinking strategies and ways to tap a “subconscious”, mostly unutilized source of creativity we each possess.

Recent Inservice Program and Workshop Presentations:

Flambeau School District
"Infusing Humor into the Classroom" (August, 2005)

St. Mary's School (West Bend)
"Energizing Students and Teachers" (August, 2005)

UW-Oshkosh Bilingual Education Family Institute
"Multicultural Storytelling" (July, 2005)

River Valley School District Inservice
"Infusing Humor into the Classroom" (April, 2005)

Wisconsin Educational Media Association Convention
"Storytelling Techniques for Librarians" (April, 2005)

Wisconsin Association for Middle Level Educators Convention
"Creative Techniques for Motivating Middle School Students" (April, 2005)

Southeast Minnesota Library System Inservice
"Storytelling Techniques for Librarians" (April, 2005)

UW-Oshkosh ESL Conference
"Multicultural Storytelling" (April, 2005)

Green County Child Care Conference
"Creative Strategies for Motivating Kids" (Feb., 2005)

Wisconsin Association of Financial Aid Administrators Conference
"The Power of Humor: Go for the Gold!" (Nov., 2004)

Keystone State Reading Convention (Champion, PA)
"Using Humor to Teach Reading" (Oct., 2004)

UW-Oshkosh Early Childhood Conference
"The Power of Storytelling or How to Dincerella Slopped Her Dripper"
"Pure Fun: Using Humor with Kids" (Oct., 2004)

Waukesha County Technical College Inservice
"The Power of Storytelling" (Oct., 2004)

Wausaukee School District Staff Inservice
"Incorporating Humor Across the School Curriculum" (Sept., 2004)

Hartford Avenue Elementary School (Milwaukee)
" Incorporating the Arts into Math and Science Instruction" (Oct., 2004)

Gateway Technical College (Racine, WI)
"Pure Fun: Using Humor with Kids" (Sept., 2004)

Wisconsin Association for Middle Level Education Convention
"Infusing Humor into the Middle School Classroom" (April, 2004)

"Incorporating Storytelling Across the School Curriculum"
Wisconsin Educational Media Association Convention
"Using Humor in the School Media Setting" (April, 2004)

Capital AEYC Conference Workshop (Harrisburg, PA)
"Creative Problem-Solving Techniques for Early Childhood Educators" (March, 2004)

Milwaukee Sign Language School Staff Inservice
'Incorporating the Arts into Science Instruction" (March, 2004)

Des Moines AEYC Conference Workshop
"Using Storytelling with Young Children" (Feb., 2004)

DuKane County School Librarians Conference Workshop (IL)
"Storytelling Techniques" (Feb., 2004)

Townsend Elementary School Staff Inservice (Milwaukee)
"Incorporating Storytelling Across the School Curriculum" (Jan., 2004)

Milwaukee Sign Language School Staff Inservice
"Incorporating the Performing Arts Across the School Curriculum" (Dec., 2003)

Sarah Scott Middle School (Milwaukee)
"Reading Instruction Across the Middle School Curriculum" (Oct., 2003)

Keynote Speaker Experience

I have presented conference and convention kick-off, luncheon, and closing keynote presentations including:

State Reading Conventions:
Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

State Counseling Association Conventions:
All Ohio Counselors Convention
Wisconsin Counseling Association Convention

State Teachers of English as a Second Language Conventions:
Ohio ESL Convention
Wisconsin ESL Convention

Early Childhood Conventions:
Capital Area Association for the Education of Young Children (PA)
Cedar Rapids "See How They Grow" Conference
Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children
Des Moines Association for the Education of Young Children
Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children
Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children
Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children
South Dakota Association for the Education of Young Children
Southwestern Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children
Social Service Agency Conventions:
Ohio Department of Youth Services
Illinois Department of Corrections
Wisconsin Committee to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
Wisconsin Developmental Disabilities 10th Anniversary Conference

General Educational Conventions:
Connecticut Library Association Convention
DuKane County, IL School Librarians Convention

Miscellaneous
Americorps Graduation Ceremony
Very Special Arts
Wisconsin Assisted Living Association

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