NM PED 2026 Literacy and Humanities Summer Conference

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are intended to strengthen instruction and improve student outcomes, yet many schools experience them as routine meetings rather than meaningful professional learning. In this session, you will explore how to transform PLCs into authentic spaces for reflection, collaboration, and instructional growth through the use of Critical Friends Group protocols.

You will learn how structured dialogue, inquiry-based protocols, and a culture of trust can move your meetings beyond updates and logistics toward deep professional learning focused on teaching and student success. The session highlights practical strategies for facilitating productive conversations, analyzing instructional practice, and creating PLC structures that are truly worth your time. Through examples and interactive discussion, you will leave with the tools to implement Critical Friends approaches in your own school, fostering a collaborative environment where educators challenge, support, and learn from one another to drive lasting instructional improvement.

It is time to lift your students’ speaking and listening skills to new heights. In this high-energy, hands-on session, you will focus on strengthening oral language development through dynamic, student-centered discourse strategies that get every learner talking, thinking, and engaging. You will not just hear about these strategies; you will experience them in action and feel their impact firsthand.

From structured partner talk to collaborative group discussions and whole-class dialogue, you will walk away with practical, ready-to-use tools that can be implemented immediately. With examples tailored for both elementary and secondary classrooms, you will leave equipped and inspired to help your students truly soar. You will gain the confidence to facilitate rich academic conversations that build background knowledge, sharpen critical thinking, and ensure every student has a voice in the learning process.

This session offers a professional development opportunity that puts more than a “creative twist” on restorative circles. Participants will learn the basics of restorative practices integrated with arts and mindfulness to create heartfelt, student-centered connections within the classroom community.

Because relationships are at the center of all restorative practices, this experiential workshop models safe, inclusive, and creative strategies for both staff and students. This highly interactive session is full of opportunities to learn, practice, and reflect, providing educators with actionable tools to foster a more connected and supportive learning environment.

Phonics Power Hour is an engaging and interactive session designed to strengthen students’ foundational reading skills through explicit, systematic phonics instruction. This presentation highlights how targeted practice with letter–sound relationships, blending, segmenting, and word building helps young learners become confident, fluent readers.

Participants will dive into the mechanics of word recognition, exploring how high-frequency practice and multisensory routines move students from sounding out individual letters to automatic word recognition. The session provides educators with a clear framework for delivering fast-paced, high-impact phonics lessons that maximize student engagement and retention. Attendees will leave with a suite of practical tools and instructional routines that can be implemented immediately to ensure every student masters the code necessary for reading success.