Category Archives: Events

Events

2022 Open House: Thurs., 17 February, at 6:00 p.m.

This event is for CMS teachers, as well as faculty from UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University to learn more about the 2022 CTI Seminars. Each of the nine 2022 Seminar Leaders will be present short presentations on the eight seminars offered. A Q&A session will follow the presentations. Check back here to register for the 2022 CTI Open House.

Events

2021 Teachers as Scholars: Racial Equity in the Curriculum, Thursday, 20 May

On Thursday, 20 May 2021, thirteen CTI Fellows presented their curriculum units on topics related to racial equity developed in past CTI seminars. Along with these thirteen teachers, Dr. Terza Lima-Neves, political scientist at Johnson C. Smith University, and 2020 Seminar Leader for the CTI Seminar, “Black Girl Magic (Mis)Understood: Representations and Perceptions of Black Women and Girls in the Education System” shared her insights into the transformative experience of leading a CTI Seminar. More than 80 area educators joined the virtual event to hear more about what teachers learned in these seminars, and how they adapted racial equity research into classroom lessons. Read more about the event and find links to the Fellows’ curricula here.

“Black Girl Magic (Mis)Understood” Seminar Fellows and Seminar Leader Terza Lima-Neves meet virtually in October 2020.

Events

2021 CTI Info and Help Session for Seminar Applicants, Thurs., 25 Feb., 4:30 p.m.

Come on out! Thursday, 25 February 2021, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. – the 2021 Teacher Steering Committee and 2021 Seminar Coordinators will host an Info and Help Session for Seminar Applicants on Zoom. All those interested in the 2021 CTI Seminars should plan to attend, including teachers, professors, community members, and education leaders.

Please email CTI Director Dr. Scott Gartlan at scott.gartlan@uncc.edu if you are interested in attending this session. He will send you a Zoom link to the meeting.

Check out the 2021 Seminar Leaders and 2021 Seminar Coordinators (CMS teachers) working together to create an once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity for PK-12th grade teachers.

Events

CTI Hosts “Just Mercy” Movie Screening & Follow-Up Conversation for CMS Teachers

As part of our commitment to racial equity and social justice, CTI co-hosted a screening of Just Mercy, the new film based on the powerful memoir by Equal Justice Initiative Founder Bryan Stevenson, starring Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson and Jamie Foxx. Former CTI Fellow Larry Bosc organized the event for 60 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers at the Cinemark Bistro on Jan. 10, the movie’s opening date in Charlotte.

CTI plans to host a follow-up conversation about the film, as well as the book and the Equal Justice Initiative’s work, on Saturday, Feb. 8. Contact CTI Director Scott Gartlan at scott.gartlan@uncc.edu for more information.

Read more about CTI’s educational programs related to the Equal Justice Initiative:

Current Events Events

CTI Presents 2019 Evening for Educators Oct. 8 at Discovery Place Education Studio

CTI Fellows and teacher researchers will share new curricula they created for their students at CTI’s 2019 Evening for Educators event on Tuesday, October 8, 6:00-8:00 p.m., at Discovery Place Education Studio. Teachers and the general public are invited to learn about engaging new teaching ideas created by CMS teachers in their CTI seminars and summer research experiences — and to find out about new CTI seminars for CMS teachers in 2020!

Experience a night of fun and innovative curricula for grades preK-12 in math, science, social studies, the arts and more. Refreshments will be served. Hosted by CTI and Discovery Place Education Studio, it’s all free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Discovery Place Education Studio is located at 300 N. Poplar St. in uptown Charlotte. REGISTER HERE.

Events

Teachers Illuminate the Art and Chemistry of Light at the Bechtler Museum on May 21

CTI invited the community to explore the many aspects of light through the lenses of art, science and education at The Art and Chemistry of Light, a Teachers as Scholars event on Tuesday, May 21, at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. The program featured presentations and discussions with local educators who studied the topic together in a 2018 CTI seminar (The Art and Chemistry of Light), including UNC Charlotte Chemistry Scholar Tom Schmedake and 11 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers.

The event began with a reception at 5:30 p.m. showcasing new teaching ideas educators developed during their CTI seminar led by Dr. Schmedake. The main program started at 6:30 p.m., featuring mini-presentations by Schmedake and five teachers on a range of topics, followed by a panel discussion. 

Schmedake discussed the art and chemistry of light in the context of his own research and the experience of leading a recent seminar with teachers. The Fellows’ mini-presentations examined: the role of light energy in an elementary art class; the cyanotype printing process in high school photography; energy and society in middle school science; the application of light in high school forensic science; and hands-on light demonstrations for high school students with intellectual disabilities. 

During the reception other seminar teachers shared poster presentations on the application of light energy in high school chemistry; the color visualizations of linear functions in middle school math; principles of light energy in middle school science; the visible light spectrum in high school science; and light, color and Dr. Seuss in a first grade classroom.

Beth Kerr shares her perspective with CMS Chief Academic Officer Brian Kingsley

VIEW CTI FELLOWS’ POSTER PRESENTATIONS HERE:

The Art & Chemistry of Light — Tom Schmedake
The Brightside of Energy Consumption — Michelle Faggert
My Many Colored Days — Elizabeth Kerr
Natural Light, Artificial Light, and Pollution — Zach Sanford
Do You See What I See? The Use of Light in Forensic Science — Jackie Smith
Seeing Art-Making in a New Light: Cyanotype Printing — Diane Strickland
Lights, Color, Action — Teresa Strohl
Chemistry Across the Spectrum — Josh Trujillo
Personifying Light: The Life and Times of Roy G. Biv — Erika Williams

SEE PHOTOS HERE.

Reception guests also viewed the museum’s Nomadic Murals: Tapestries of the Modern Era exhibition showcasing a diverse collection of modern art tapestries from the mid-20th century. 

This event was part of CTI’s Teachers As Scholars educational series for the public that highlights collaborative work by professors and teachers in CTI seminars. This project was made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

About the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art 
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art opened in Charlotte on January 1, 2010. The majority of the museum’s holdings originated with Hans and Bessie Bechtler, Swiss collectors based in Zurich, who mainly collected European modern art created during the mid-20th century. Their son, Andreas Bechtler, donated the majority of his collection to the city of Charlotte and to house it the City hired renowned Swiss architect Mario Botta to design the museum. The building and the Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture, L ‘Oiseau de Feu sur l’Arche (The Firebird), which stands in front of it, have already become icons for the region. The collection holds over 1,500 works by Alberto and Diego Giacometti, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Jean Tinguely, Le Corbusier, Pablo Picasso, Alfred Manessier, Gustave Singier, Pierre Soulages, Max Ernst, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol (who executed the family portraits), Meret Oppenheim, Tom Wesselmann, Kenneth Noland, Victor Vasarely, Hans Hartung, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Mark Tobey, Sam Francis, Paul Klee, Georges Rouault, Fernand Léger, Nicolas de Staël, Eduardo Chillida, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, and others. 

Events

Exploring American Sacred Values – A CTI Teachers As Scholars Event: Feb. 21 at the Gantt Center

CTI hosted Exploring American Sacred Values, a special event for the public providing a window into penetrating learning in a CTI seminar for teachers, on Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture, as part of CTI’s Teachers As Scholars series.

The event was based on the 2018 CTI seminar of the same name, led by Kendall Mobley, religion professor at Johnson C. Smith University, with 10 CTI Seminar Fellows (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers). Mobley and the teachers participated in the February event as program speakers and exhibit presenters.

Mobley provided a retrospective of the seminar, focusing on American civil religion as “religion repurposed to infuse the present political order and with sacred significance and authority” and how it shapes current national traditions, symbols and beliefs. Four Fellows also spoke about curricula they developed in the seminar, examining CMS values related to America’s founding fathers, pay-for-play in college sports, forced conformity in early Native American schools, and media influence on social values and the American dream:

  • Recognizing the Wilson Way Values in the American Revolution, Pia Townes, 8th Grade Social Studies, Wilson STEM Academy
  • At What Cost? Native American Children and Boarding Schools of the 19th and 20th Centuries, Tracy Kennedy, 4th/5th Grades, E.E. Waddell Language Academy
  • Harmony at the Key: Conversations on the Court, Deborah Brown, English, Zebulon Vance High School
  • Intersection of African-Americans, Civil Religion and Media Influence, Franchone Bey, English and Film, West Charlotte High School

The presentations were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Angie Chandler, senior manager of program and educational initiatives for the Gantt Center.

All 10 Seminar Fellows also shared curriculum exhibits related to American values that the teachers targeted to address with students. Topics included: how Charlotte’s Excelsior Club nurtured community; segregation, civil rights and legislation; voting as a civic duty; oppression of women; acculturation of English language learners; and what it means to be an American.

“Exploring American Sacred Values” is part of CTI’s “Teachers as Scholars” educational series for the public that highlights collaborative work by professors and teachers in CTI seminars. This Feb. 21 event was supported by a grant from UNC Charlotte’s Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund and Johnson C. Smith University.

CMS classroom teachers can apply to participate in the upcoming 2020 CTI seminars; March 8 is the deadline for applications.

January 2018 WBTV interview with Kendal Mobley

Current Events Events

Open House for Teachers (1.31.19) – REGISTER TODAY

This event is for all interested teachers (preK-12) who teach fulltime in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Meet the 2019 CTI Seminar Leaders (UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University faculty) and learn about this year’s eight great CTI seminars and how to apply. A meet & greet with Seminar Leaders follows the presentations and includes opportunities for questions and discussion. CTI Seminar Leaders value your feedback about what you would like to learn this year and what you hope to bring back to your students. CTI is truly collaborative teacher education!

REGISTER HERE!

Events

Teachers Invited to Educator Preview Day at Gantt Center Oct. 4

CTI will co-host Educator Preview Day on Thursday, Oct. 4, at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture. Educators at all grade levels from throughout the region are invited to attend free of charge from 5 to 8 p.m., for guided tours of the galleries and opportunities to learn about new seminars, workshops and curricular tools available through CTI and the Gantt Center. Current Gantt Center exhibitions include: Welcome to BrookhillQuestion Bridge: Black Males, and Hank Willis Thomas: What We Ask is Simple.

CMS teachers will have the unusual opportunity to sit in on a CTI seminar in progress (Exploring American Sacred Values led by Dr. Kendall Mobley, religion professor at Johnson C. Smith University) and also learn about upcoming CTI seminars for 2019.

Light refreshments will be provided. Teachers interested in attending Educator Preview Day should RSVP to angie@ganttcenter.org

CTI is  pleased to partner with the Gantt Center for this preview program. One evening + Two great organizations with One important goal =  ENGAGING EDUCATORS to impact their students. Join us!

Also read about Evening for Educators on Oct. 9 at Discovery Place Education Studio

Events News

CTI Presents Evening for Educators Oct. 9 at Discovery Place Education Studio

CTI Fellows and teacher researchers will share new curricula they created for their students at CTI’s Evening for Educators event on Tuesday, October 9, 6:00-8:00 p.m., at Discovery Place Education Studio. Teachers and the general public are invited to learn about engaging new teaching ideas created by CMS teachers in their CTI seminars and summer research experiences — and to find out about new CTI seminars for CMS teachers in 2019!

Experience a night of fun and innovative curricula for grades preK-12 in math, science, social studies, the arts and more. Refreshments will be served. Hosted by CTI and Discovery Place Education Studio, it’s all free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Discovery Place Education Studio is located at 300 N. Poplar St. in uptown Charlotte. Register and get more info here.

CTI News Current Events Events

Sept. 6 CTI Reception Features Teacher Researchers

2018 CTI Summer Research Experience for Teachers Reception & Poster Session

  • Thursday, Sept. 6, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

  • New Science Building, Johnson C. Smith University

CTI will showcase CMS teachers’ work on university research projects at a special event on Thursday, Sept. 6, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Johnson C. Smith University’s New Science Building. This 2018 Summer Research Experience for Teachers Reception & Poster Session is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to learn about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers’ summer research in the sciences and humanities with professors at JCSU, UNC Charlotte and Queens University of Charlotte.

Seventeen CMS teachers worked in eight different laboratories and research settings led by university professors. During the Sept. 6 reception, the SRET teachers, professors and graduate assistants will share poster presentations and discuss their unique collaborations and how this research experience translates to their classrooms and their students. Refreshments will be served.

University research faculty leading these collaborative summer research projects included:

  • UNC Charlotte — Dr. Susan Trammell, physics and optical science; David Wilson, computer science; and Janaka Lewis and Alan Rauch, English.
  • JCSU — Dr. Todd Coolbaugh and Dr. Tracy Fox-Brown, chemistry.
  • Queens University — Dr. Aaron Socha, chemistry; and Dr. Scott Weir, biology.

Details about all eight research experiences — spanning areas from cancer detection prototypes, biofuels, toxicology and nanomaterials to digital design, Black girlhood in literature, and Victorians and the natural world – are featured at 2018 SRET.

Current Events Events

CTI Open House, 2/22/18, UNC Charlotte Center City

CMS Teachers, join us for our 2018 Teacher Open House on Thursday, February 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at UNC Charlotte Center City.  It’s a special opportunity to meet the 2018 professors leading seminars, learn more about seminar topics and ask questions of experienced CTI Fellows.

REGISTER for the CTI TEACHER OPEN HOUSE.

Here’s why:

  • Enrich your content knowledge in subjects you teach
  • Collaborate with professors from Johnson C. Smith University and UNC Charlotte and CMS teachers from all grade levels and subject areas
  • Create new curriculum you design to meet your own students’ needs
  • Grow professionally, intellectually, personally
  • Experience meaningful PD to advance your teacher portfolio
  • Develop your leadership role in CMS
  • Publish your work on the CTI website
  • Enjoy hearty dinners before seminar meetings
  • Earn a $1,500 stipend and 3 CEU credits
  • Get inspired and inspire others!

REGISTER for the CTI TEACHER OPEN HOUSE.

Current Events Events

CTI Presents Evening for Educators Tuesday, October 17, 2017

CTI Fellows will share new curricula they created for their students at CTI’s Evening for Educators event on Tuesday, October 17, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Discovery Place Education Studio. Teachers and the general public are invited to learn about engaging new teaching ideas created by CMS teachers in their CTI seminars. Experience a night of fun and innovative curricula for grades preK-12 in math, science, social studies, the arts and more. Refreshments will be served. Hosted by CTI and Discovery Place Education Studio, it’s all free and open to the public. Register to attend HERE.

Events Features

2017 CTI Science Research Showcase

SRET Showcase & Reception: Thursday, Sept. 7, 5:00-5:50 p.m.                  Halton Reading Room in Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte

CTI will host the Science Research Experience for Teachers (SRET) Showcase and Reception on Thursday, Sept. 7, 5:00-5:50 p.m. at the Halton Reading Room at UNC Charlotte’s Atkins Library. This event is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to learn about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers’ work with professors in research laboratories at UNC Charlotte and Davidson College this summer.

Fourteen CMS teachers collaborated with professors and graduate assistants, as part of CTI’s 2017 SRET during June and July. These CTI Fellows worked in four different laboratories led by university and college professors: Dr. Susan Trammell, physics and optical science, UNCC; Marcus Jones, chemistry, UNCC; Dr. Tom Schmedake, chemistry, UNCC; and Dr. Erland Stevens, chemistry, Davidson College.

During the Sept. 7 reception, the SRET teacher fellows, professors and graduate assistants will provide poster presentations and discuss their unique collaborations and how this research experience translates to their classrooms and their students. Pizza and soft drinks will be served. Parking details here.

For an overview of each research team and their research topics, see SRET.

 

 

Events

CTI Hosted Equal Justice Workshop for CMS Teachers


CTI and the Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice hosted a curriculum planning workshop for CMS teachers on Aug. 15 at Queens University of Charlotte, presented by the Equal Justice Initiative (Montgomery, AL). Committed to changing the narrative about race in America, EJI produces groundbreaking reports, discussion guides, teacher education workshops, lesson plans and other educational materials, as well as short films that explore our nation’s history of racial injustice. EJI recently launched a national effort to create new spaces, markers, and memorials that address the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, which shapes many issues today.

Long-time and greatly admired East Mecklenburg High School teacher Larry Bosc, now retired, coordinated the workshop. Larry is a former CTI Fellow who participated in CTI’s African American Literature of the Civil Rights Movement at Davidson College in 2012. (See civil rights-related curriculum units from that seminar HERE.) Following the day-long workshop with the EJI and his CMS teaching colleagues, Larry provided this report on the day:

Given recent events in Charlottesville, last Tuesday’s seminar delivered by EJI staff Kiara Boone and Jonathan Kubakundimana couldn’t have been more appropriate. Although EJI’s work in criminal justice reform has righted many wrongs, their focus in this seminar was on their stated message that “we cannot reach reconciliation without first acknowledging the truth about our past, and until we confront this history and its legacy, we will remain challenged by extremism and racial bias.” The event, sponsored by the Charlotte Teachers Institute and the Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice at Queens University, was attended by 27 CMS teachers. It began in the morning with presentations by Boone and Kubakundimana featuring their research into racial violence in American and their plans for a museum and memorial to victims of the over 4,000 lynchings in the South from 1877-1955. Additionally, they made available to all participants numerous pamphlets containing this information and exposed teachers to their curriculum guide available on their website. The afternoon session featured small group work as teachers processed the information given to them in the morning and began work on their lesson plans. Judging by teacher comments, the morning presentation had given them some great energy as they prepare to meet their students in the weeks to come.

CMS teacher Kheiston Tilford had this to say about the workshop: One of the best PD’s I’ve ever been to. I left feeling honored to tell my history, empowered and compelled to do more research and ask more questions about my family history and resources….Great resources to help us facilitate discussion inside and outside of our classrooms! ??❤️? Thank you!