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SPEAKING

Seeking to galvanize, inspire and engage members of your organization? Hire MAVERICKLearning to provide keynote addresses, workshop sessions and expert panels for your school, district, university or organization. I can help support the transition to forward-thinking learning with students at the center.
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Asking the Right Questions

What Ted Lasso Teaches Us About Learning

Recent catastrophic and tragic events have provided all of us the opportunity to reimagine the potential of education + technology to empower all students. To provide all students an engaging, equitable and challenging learning environment, we must become experts at asking the right questions. By leveraging the power of inquiry, innovation and creativity, we can unleash every student’s potential.
The unexpectedly heartwarming show Ted Lasso subtly introduced millions to key principles of good teaching, social-emotional learning and team-building. Step onto the pitch and discover new ways to connect with students, model respect and score a few point-ers from the wisdom of Ted Lasso! 

Co-presented with Delaine Johnson
Artwork by JP Larios
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Connecting Student Hearts & Minds
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​​The Greatest Lesson I Never Taught

Current events force us to examine the social and emotional learning (SEL) aspects of professional relationships across educational settings. How can we support learning by addressing the affective element of interactions between students, parenting adults and educators? In this session, you will learn how to champion the whole student through technology-based connections. We will explore approaches to encouraging empathy, relationship-building and discover kindness initiatives that you can take back to your campus or district.

​Participants will engage in collaborative activities and brainstorming practical ‘use-it-Monday’ applications and more. Each strategy will employ affordable and accessible apps, resources or websites appropriate for participants.

Co-presented with Delaine Johnson
If you’re doing all the work, who’s doing all the learning? We’ve discovered that the best lessons are those we don’t actually teach, but in which students research and present their own ideas. Jump in and discover the power of harnessing student creativity, design thinking and student agency through collaboration.

It is our job as teachers to ensure we are encouraging student agency and inquiry. This session will provide attendees with tools, resources and strategies to create a welcoming and engaging learning environment to ‘stay in the question’ by exploring design-thinking approaches. Ultimately, attendees will be challenged to rethink the far-too-common practice of “inviting students to compete for yesterday’s knowledge,” as described by Francois Taddei, Co-Founder & Director, CRI-Paris at the 2019 #LearningPlanet Assembly.

Co-presented with Delaine Johnson

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MAVERICK LEADERSHIP

RECLAIM THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE

INTERROBANG: Enthusiastic Curiosity in Your Classroom

Education professionals are, more often than not, completely dedicated to student learning, and strive daily to connect with each student to help them achieve. Often, these motivated individuals get driven into a ‘bunker’ mentality by forces beyond their control, and take refuge in making the learning environment the best for those students within their scope of influence.
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Occasionally, educators break out of these confines and stretch their entrepreneurial muscles through innovative public-private partnerships, contests, outreach and other efforts. Inspire the entrepreneur in all educators – using successful examples to give them tools and techniques to move even the most reticent educational institutions forward for the benefit of all kids.
Those of us interested in changing education used to warn fellow innovators to stay away from the teacher’s lounge. Sadly, when I share this observation, nearly everyone agrees with me. Now, however – I’m am issuing a challenge: We must reclaim this space. We can no longer afford to cede this important ground, where so much potential for collaboration exists, to the naysayers. Let’s build a place that it is additive, embracing the improvisational precept of “Yes, and…” where educators can be creative, inspire each other and collaborate.
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Let’s transform the teacher’s lounge – let it become a place in which new ideas are celebrated, refined and launched.
Using punctuation as an extended metaphor, this session asks: "What if we combined the excitement of the exclamation point with the infinite curiosity of the question mark?" The answer lies is a little-used form punctuation known as the 'Interrobang.' This symbol '‽' represents all that classrooms should be in the 21st Century, as it combines all of the enthusiasm found within learning with the wonder and creative possibilities available using modern tools and resources. Educators should strive to inspire this 'Enthusiastic Curiosity' into every lesson. The Interrobang provides the perfect symbol for this joyful rebellion. 

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Who Wants to Be an EduInnovator?

Is that your final answer? Mike Lawrence and Ann Kozma join forces to  answer questions focused on student engagement, learning and creativity in the style of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”. Explore creative district and statewide implementations of student-focused programs and mindsets. Walk out with practical approaches! Keynote and session versions available. 

Co-presented with Ann Kozma

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SAVE THE WORLD: 
Educate the
​Superheroes of the Future

Education draws passionate & talented individuals to its ranks. Which is essential, as every student possesses unique talents, challenges, insights and a natural curiosity for the world around them. To create the best future for our world, we need teachers to connect with the whole child, nurturing their inquisitiveness, ingenuity and passion. Discover your own super powers and look beyond the confines of traditional education to stretch your entrepreneurial muscles through innovative public-private partnerships, challenges, outreach and innovative efforts. Help every student uncover their own strengths, unearth their ‘learning kryptonite,’ and discern how to power their own lifelong learning. 

This session will inspire the maverick in all educators by giving them resources, tools and techniques to educate the superheroes that we serve. Attendees will walk away with immediately applicable ways to transform student learning with the best possible opportunities for success, and better yet, strategies for continuing their own learning at the conference and beyond!

Learn More
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VIsit to the US Department of Education during the Ed Tech Advocacy Event in May 2022. Also pictured: Julia Blizzard.
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Mike Lawrence at far left at the 2018 .EDU Congreso Conference in Monterrey, Mexico with fellow keynotes and featured speakers.
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Mike Lawrence on stage at the 2017 UNESCO Mobile Learning Week in Paris, France with fellow speakers (L to R): Rowland Baker, Hannah R. Gerber, John Ittelson, Otto Benavides and Oliver Breidenbach.

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  • Home
    • About Mike
  • Speaking
    • Presentations
  • Contact