Nearly 600 educators and administrators from nine area school districts assembled at Barnum High School on January 18 for the third annual day of collaborative learning. Guided by workshop coordinator Nicole Ames, Kindergarten teacher and chairperson of staff development at Barnum, the event, “A Gathering of Great Minds 2010,” was planned and organized by teacher representatives from the districts of Barnum, Carlton, Cloquet, Cromwell, Esko, McGregor, Moose Lake, Willow River, and Wrenshall.

This year’s workshop opened with a presentation by keynote speaker and generational expert Jason Ryan Dorsey, The Gen Y Guy. The bestselling author of three books understands the frontlines of education and knows the difference educators can make in the lives of children. Dorsey teaches education leaders creative and inexpensive ways to bridge the four generations in the classroom and in the workplace.

“The keynote was a fabulous way to start the day,” said Ames.

Following Dorsey’s presentation, the workshop focus was two-fold: break-out sessions led by teachers and area professionals, and subject-alike grade-alike (SAGA) groups at which educators in similar fields across the nine districts shared ideas and experiences in the classroom. The 45-minute sessions covered over 60 topics, like grief experiences of the student, attentiveness in the classroom, interactive student response systems, higher order thinking skills, social networking, and financial education opportunities for the classrooms.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for the teachers to get together and share like interests and areas,” said Moose Lake superintendent Tim Caroline.

Willow River superintendent Lynette Maas chimed Caroline and gave credit to the teacher representatives who organized the event. “It’s a great example of sharing resources and collaboration,” she said.