Drawn to Learn: Visual Strategies for Student Success

Presented by Jeremy Olstyn


Watching films has given all of us a common visual language for telling stories.  In the classroom, making short video projects is an exciting tool for students and teachers, both for reinterpreting information and for creating something brand new.  Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn methods of preparation, as well as standard camera angles and framing. In small groups, teams will film a short, scripted scene inside the Museum.

Presented by University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum

Mazza Museum, the world’s first and largest collection of art from picture books, has created a traveling exhibit featuring art from picture books about the Underground Railroad.  This exhibit will be traveling on Ohio’s Underground Railroad in 2020, making stops along the way in communities and schools.  See the stunning original illustrations from world-class illustrators such as Jerry Pinkney, Don Tate, E.B. Lewis, and others as well as hearing about the stories of the brave souls who risked everything for freedom. 

Picture books harness the powerful combination of images and text, a tool that creates vivid experiences for the reader.  Not just for primary grades, picture books can be used as a unifier to give all learners a context and starting point.  In this presentation, we will explore ways to interpret the illustrations, talk about the text, and find practical uses for these books in your classroom.  Learn about extension activities created to connect the lessons from slavery and the Underground Railroad to students’ lives today. Be brave. Speak out. Help others. 

Presented by Michael Clink

This workshop will combine conversation, observation, and sketching exercises to lead participants on a fun and enriching exploration of the museum through drawing

Imagine reading and artistically representing the world of the book then creating a fictional world with your students where they use drama and story to make the world. From the book Wonder, they become PTA parents deciding if Auggie can enter their school or not. Experience how your classroom can change to be a courtroom deciding the outcome of a novel like The Sound Does Shine or The Hate U Give. This session shares how you can become a "story mediator and maker" and not produce a play, but instead create inquiry and visual dramatic action from the questions developed by the texts you are reading.This can work with fiction or non-fiction. Students can visually represent the work inside or outside the story world they create.

Presented by: The Money Museum (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland)

This workshop will highlight the Federal Reserve’s FREE economic and personal finance resources for teachers, which are aligned to state standards and available in classroom set quantities at no charge. Learn how the Cleveland Fed’s Education & Museum Outreach department incorporates publications, historic replicas, exhibits and interactive activities to create curriculum that draws visual learners to topics around Economic & U.S. History, the Federal Reserve, Money and Personal Finance.


Presented by Keith Remink and Angie Stokes

Explore the power of engaging students with creative and critical thinking opportunities by bringing the history of nuclear testing to life using a modern-style documentary. In this workshop, you will meet film director Keith Reimink and learn how he blended first-person accounts with animated storytelling to create a product for teaching while finding out how the film's curriculum can be integrated into your history, science, art, and language arts classes with middle and high school teacher Angie Stokes.

Presented by Wendi Pillars

Whether you're new to Visual Notes or a seasoned practitioner, this workshop will fire up your fingertips and your thinking powers! We will cover tools, techniques and tips, plus how to synthesize and structure your thoughts. You'll leave this hands-on practice session ready to implement similar ideas with your students. Bring your sketchbook and be ready to burst with inspiration to capture your world in a more memorable way!