Participants will practice essay writing skills through the analogy of creating tattoos. They'll use critical analysis via live observation, modern research skills via smartphone, and first person interviews to draft, revise, and finalize a tattoo on me. They'll progress from low stakes (pen and paper) to medium stakes (dry erase markers and my arms) to high stakes (permanent markers and my arms). The larger takeaway for educators is how to craft engaging lessons for uninvested students.

Please note there will be an encore of this session at 3:00pm on Wednesday, March 6 in Room 2 of the Austin Convention Center.

SXSW EDU 2019 - Using Tattoos to Teach the Essay Writing Process

Passionate speaking and compassionate listening are learned skills. Harkness circles provide students the space to hone these skills by encouraging them to be active learners. Students are then empowered to interact respectfully with one another in a positive environment, while learning note-taking, presenting personal opinions, and challenging ideas. By using tech tools such as CNN10, Screencastify, and Flipgrid, students are able to take these skills with confidence beyond classroom walls.

SXSW EDU 2019 - Harkness Circles: Active Learning with Technology

Join David Hogg, co-founder of March For Our Lives, in conversation with Dan Rather as they discuss what our country and politics can look like when we let young people lead and dedicate ourselves to fostering that power in youth voice, advocacy, and leadership.

SXSW EDU 2019 - Young People Win: Rethinking Advocacy in a New Era

How does the human brain learn throughout life? In this talk, author and psychologist Maria Konnikova combines insights from her psychological research into human learning with her personal experience during the transition from novice to winning professional poker player to explore how the mind takes in and processes new information, and how we can optimize the process for maximum success.

SXSW EDU 2019 - How the Mind Learns: Insights from Psychology & Poker

The SXSW EDU Conference & Festival cultivates and empowers a community of engaged stakeholders to advance teaching and learning.

Join us at the 2018 SXSW EDU Conference & Festival, March 5-8, in Austin, Texas!