Do you have students who are struggling to meet the standards? This session takes a bold and honest look at why many of our students are not achieving at the levels they should be, and what to do about it. From dealing with discipline and "I don't get it!" to getting our most reluctant learners excitedly talking, teachers of all levels will leave with easy-to-implement tools and techniques that can be used the very next day, to get your underperforming students highly engaged and on the path to success!

Teaching is not just what we do. Teaching is what we are. This session presents six principles that remind us why we chose teaching, why we love teaching, and exactly what we can do to be the greatest teacher ever! From learning from our own failures to understanding out students' ethnicity, Alex shares stories, strategies and inspiration that can be immediately implemented to have a lasting effect on our students and our profession.

After 8 years of teaching, an award-winning teacher found himself with a class that left him frustrated, helpless, and wanting to quit. Instead he set out on a journey to turn his class around, and he now shares that journey with teachers around the country. Join 2009 Teacher of the Year Alex Kajitani for an engaging and brutally honest look at classroom management, including why some classes go awry, and what to do about it - on any given day. Whether you need a minor tune-up or a complete class overhaul, you will leave this session inspired to return to your classroom to be a GREAT teacher!

The workshop that made Alex famous! This session offers teachers the tools, courage and expertise to combat negative stereotypes of mathematicians as “nerdy” and “boring.” Before students can be motivated to achieve in math, they must first see its value in their own lives. Engaging, effective teaching speaks to students where they live. Making Math Cool! delivers easy-to-implement, hands-on strategies that turn even the most hardened student into one that says, “Hey, that’s pretty cool– and so is my teacher!”

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Let's be honest: we can't teach our students until we connect with them. Connecting on a superficial level is nice; but connecting with students and their ethnicity is transformative. In this session, Alex takes teachers through the most comfortable, non-threatening discussion about race and ethnicity that they have ever experienced. He enables them to focus on how to understand their own ethnicity, then their students' ethnicity, and use both to create and deliver powerful lessons that increas academic achievement.

Why are so many kids failing math? Most likely, they don’t know their times tables. This session takes a bold and honest look at why so many students do not know their multiplication facts, and what to do about it. Participants will leave this session with practical, easy-to-implement ideas on how teachers and after-school programs can help support their students in learning the times tables in fun and engaging ways, and get them on the path to math success.

Alex has recently partnered with the Teacher Learning Center to bring this exciting and engaging workshop to teachers everywhere! He shows teachers how to create a classroom culture where students LOVE math, and are driven to succeed. Click here for a sample brochure and agenda.

Alex has recently partnered with Triumph Learning to train teachers on the Common Core Math Standards.

Four to the Core

Four Principles to Understand the Common Core Math Standards So That Every Student Achieves

Join California Teacher of the Year, Alex Kajitani for an engaging and honest look at the Common Core Standards, and what it will take to implement them in a way that is real, effective and manageable for teachers. Alex weaves stories, strategies and inspiration in order to:

• Guide teachers through the major shifts that are required to implement the Common Core.
• Give practical, easy-to-implement ideas that can be used immediately.
• Produce confident, inspired teachers who produce results.

Teachers of all levels and subjects will leave with a solid understanding of the Common Core Standards, and inspired to create rigorous, cross-curricular material that promote learning with all students.

The Word Problem

Creating Effective Readers in Math Class

The Common Core Standards place a premium on reading in math class. Just as effective readers must read fluently and support claims, effective mathematicians must dissect information and make decisions. Join California Teacher of the Year, Alex Kajitani for a session that focuses on getting students reading in math so that they can solve real problems in a rigorous and conceptual way. Participants will leave with engaging, practical strategies that can be implemented immediately to put students on the path to success.

Math the Write Way

Creating Effective Writers in Math Class

Let’s be honest: Effective mathematics instruction goes far beyond simply completing math problems. The Common Core Standards require that students not only learn the math, but clearly and rigorously express their thinking through various forms of writing. In this session, California Teacher of the Year, Alex Kajitani gives participants effective, research-based writing strategies that can be immediately implemented to get students writing about math and producing results.