We’re educating our students to thrive in a world of continuous and accelerating change. How can we best prepare them? The 88th NCSS Annual Conference in Houston will provide multiple ideas and avenues for social studies professionals to help our students “Embrace the Future” as we explore the following themes.

New Directions in the Disciplines

History, economics, political science, geography, archaeology, anthropology, sociology, psychology-our social studies disciplines provide essential and powerful perspectives and tools of inquiry. What are some of the new directions in these social studies disciplines we should explore? How can we engage our students more effectively in discipline-based inquiry?

Thinking Skills

In a time of such continual change, we must hold fast to what will always endure-the need for sound, disciplined thinking. How can we help our students develop their thinking capabilities and reasoning abilities? How can we ensure that they learn to examine issues and ideas carefully, broadly, fairly, and in depth?

Diverse Learners

Educators today are dealing with increasingly diverse student and parent communities. How can we work most effectively with linguistically and culturally diverse learners, students in poverty, special needs students, and students in alternative educational settings?

Effective Instructional Strategies

NCSS defines powerful social studies teaching as “meaningful, integrative, value based, challenging, and active.” How can we design instruction and assessments that promote critical thinking and deep understanding of complex topics? What strategies can we use to help our students be actively engaged in their own learning?

Language and Literacy

Essential 21st century skills include communication, information and media literacy. How do we teach students to access, understand, evaluate, and create effective oral, written, and multimedia messages within the disciplines of social studies? How can we help them to become better writers and readers?

Civic Life

Participating effectively in civic life requires staying informed as well as understanding our past and our present in terms of our governmental, political, and economic processes. How can we help our students become more knowledgeable and effective citizens in the 21st century?

Technology

As digital natives, our students will be using digital technology to create, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and communicate information. How can we best teach them to use technology as a tool to enhance their learning and enrich their personal and professional lives?

Global Awareness

Our students will be living, communicating, working, and learning in an increasingly interdependent world. How can we best help them develop a deep knowledge and understanding of other nations, cultures, and people?

The Selection Process

All proposals will be reviewed blind (authorship unknown) by at least three proposal reviewers. The NCSS program planning committee in making the final selection swill use the rating assigned by the reviewers.

Selection Criteria

The proposal reviewers and NCSS program planning committee will be using the following criteria in reviewing proposals:

• Does the proposal relate to the themes of the conference?
• Do the title and abstract match the presentation description?
• Do the discipline and primary audience designations correlate with the abstract and presentation description?
• Are the objectives clearly stated?
• Is the content relevant to the intended audience?
• Do the presentation strategies include opportunities for audience interaction?
• Can the objectives be met and activities completed in the type of presentation selected (session/workshop/poster presentation/half-day or full-day clinic)?
• Has the person submitting the proposal submitted any other proposals?
• Is this a session that you would want to attend?

Become a Reviewer

If you are interested in becoming a proposal reviewer, please contact Diane Hart at dianehart@mac.com.

Presentation Types

You may request to make a presentation in any of the following formats. Last year the acceptance rate for sessions, workshops, and clinics was approximately 55 percent. The acceptance rate for poster session was close to 100 percent.

Sessions (1 hour)

Informal presentations that include opportunities for presenter-audience interaction and participant-participant interaction. Sessions will be held all day on Friday and Saturday.

Poster Presentation

An opportunity for presenters to illustrate an innovative lesson, activity, teaching strategy, or research result on a poster and to discuss their work with interested viewers. We particularly invite first-time presenters to take advantage of this opportunity to share their best work. Poster sessions will be held all day on Friday and Saturday.

Workshops (2 hours)

A more intensive format with presentations followed by interaction, practice of applications, and hands-on experiences. Workshops will be held on Sunday morning.

Pre-Conference Clinics

A ticketed in-depth 3-to-6-hour presentation that allows for more extensive immersion in specific topics. Clinics will be held on the Thursday preceding the main conference program.

If you are interested in conducting a pre-conference clinic, please complete the separate proposal form. All costs associated with a clinic (on-site or off-site) must be included in a clinic budget to be submitted to NCSS once the conference program committee has selected the proposal. Clinic chairs will not be reimbursed for any costs associated with the clinic (AV, materials, transportation) that are not included in the clinic budget submitted once the clinic is accepted. The clinic ticket amount for attendees must cover all costs of putting on the clinic.
NB: Clinics with less then 10 registrants will be cancelled as of October 15, 2008

Limits on Proposal Submissions

Because the number of program slots is limited, presenters may not submit more than 2 proposals or include themselves as participants on more than 2 proposals.

Presenter Registration

All presenters are required to register for the conference by the advanced registration deadline.

Presentation Materials

Presenters are responsible for providing any materials they plan to use or distribute in their presentation.

Room Setup and Audiovisual Equipment

If you require ANY audiovisual presentation equipment, even something as basic as an overhead projector and screen, you MUST indicate this on your proposal form. Even if you plan to bring your own laptop computer and LCD projector, you must still choose the AV cart and screen option. Rooms WILL NOT have any audiovisual equipments, carts to set your equipment on, or screen unless the presenter has requested them on this form.

• A. No equipment  no charge
• B. Screen , AV Cart and Sound Patch  $20
• C. Overhead Projector, Cart and Screen  $25
• D. DVD/VHS Player, Sound Patch, Cart and Screen $145
• E. LCD Projector, Sound Patch, Cart, and Screen  $120
• F. Laptop Computer, LCD Projector, Sound Patch, Cart and Screen  $190


• Dedicated Internet Connection ($75)

If your proposal is accepted, we will confirm your audiovisual needs and you will be billed for the options you chose.

Commercial Solicitation

Commercial solicitation is prohibited at all conference presentations. NCSS has a strong commitment to high standards of scholarship and professional development. If you are representing a commercial interest, your presentation must be educational in nature, and not a forum to sell products. If the essential purpose of the proposal is to advertise or disseminate information about books, materials, or services for sale, it will not be accepted.

Notification

Acceptance/rejection notification will be sent via email to the primary presenters starting in early June. Primary presenters of accepted proposals must confirm the willingness of all presenters to participate in the session. Scheduling information will be sent to all participants during the summer. Please include the best address for contacting you during the summer.

Submit a Proposal

Deadline for proposals is February 15, 2008 extended through February 17

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