Conference
June 2, 2026
INnovatED 2026
Doermer School of Business Building
INnovatED 2026:
A PFW Virtual Summit for Northeast Indiana Educators
INnovatED 2026 is a free, one-day summit designed to spark meaningful connections and inspire real-world innovation in classrooms across the region. This year's summit features keynote speakers Dr. Shannon Bischoff and Mary Encabo Bischoff, both UNESCO Chairs and faculty at Purdue University Fort Wayne, who will share how intentional relationships can strengthen resilience, deepen learning, and reconnect educators to their purpose.
Attendees will gain practical strategies to build meaningful connections and reenergize their work in the classroom and beyond, while also earning Professional Growth Plan (PGP) points. The summit will be held in person at the Doermer School of Business and virtually via Zoom, and you can select your preferred participation option when registering. INnovatED 2026 is your launchpad for connection-driven, forward-thinking education. Join us as we shape the future of teaching together.
Learn more about INnovatED 2026's keynote speakers and breakout sessions below. View the Summit Agenda by visiting apply.pfw.edu/register/InnovatED2026.
Keynote speakers — UNESCO CHAIRS
Dr. Shannon Bischoff
Dr. Shannon Bischoff is a UNESCO Chair, Purdue University Named Professor, and Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at PFW. He is also the President of the Endangered Language Fund and Assistant Editor of the Journal Indigenous Languages Rights and Realities. His research spans computational linguistics, linguistic anthropology, language rights, and human rights. He has secured over $2 million in funding, published widely with leading presses, and collaborates globally with Indigenous and non-dominant language communities, as well as, with governments, the United Nations, and the United Nations Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO).
Mary Encabo Bischoff
Mary Encabo Bischoff is a UNESCO Chair, Clinical Assistant Professor of Linguistics, and Director of the Teaching English as a New Language program at Purdue University Fort Wayne. At PFW, she not only teaches college students, but also works with local ELL teachers and international colleagues. She created and continues to direct the English Language Partners (ELP) Program, which has served over 2,000 individuals, including indigenous communities, from Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, the Philippines, Ecuador, India, Japan, and members of our local immigrant and refugee communities. She previously served on the board of Fort Wayne Sister Cities, which led to exchanges and partnerships with universities and high schools in Myanmar and Japan. She has advised Ministers of Education and been invited to speak at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the United Nations in New York City, and at the 2024 UN Global Education Meeting.
Read the PFW news release about their UNESCO Chair recognition. Learn about UNESCO Chairs on the UNESCO website.
AI, budget cuts, conflicts, and safety concerns, among other disruptors, often destabilize educators and school leaders and their passion for their craft. In the process, many lose sight of the mission of education: to provide quality education through quality teachers and ethical leadership. In this keynote presentation, we share our candid story as educators and how we stay committed to innovation and our mission in uncertain times. Further, we discuss how the power and purpose of intentional relationships led us to become UNESCO Chairs. Come with curiosity and leave with action steps that will reinvigorate you and how you work.
Breakout sessions
INnovatED 2026 will feature breakout sessions in both the morning and afternoon. Sessions marked with an asterisk (*) are offered in the morning and afternoon. Explore session details in the accordions below.
Morning Sessions
- Exploring Why We Teach Through Four Curriculum Traditions. Presented by Isabel Nunez.
- Innovating Math Instruction Through Building Thinking Classrooms*. Presented by Matthew Melville.
- Teaching for Impact: High Yield Strategies in High Trust Classrooms*. Presented by Brad Oliver.
- Where's the Writing? Bringing Authentic Writing into Alignment with the Science of Reading. Presented by Holly Hullinger.
afternoon Sessions
- Innovating Math Instruction Through Building Thinking Classrooms.* Presented by Hanan Alyami.
- If You Can't Beam 'Em - What I Learned (and used) from an ISTE Course on Lesson Planning. Presented by Matthew Perkins Coppola.
- Making Language Visible in Content Area Classes - Insights from WIDA. Presented by Jiangshan An.
- Teaching for Impact: High Yield Strategies in High Trust Classrooms.* Presented by Brad Oliver.
This session presents four philosophical perspectives on the purpose of education and their influence on the American curriculum. Participants will examine the role of each tradition in their own life curricula before taking a broader view by rank-ordering a list of educational priorities. Categorizing the ranked list will further enrich participants’ understanding of their own motivations for embarking on this vocation, and of their deepest aims for the students and society we serve.
This session examines Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) as a catalyst for transforming mathematics instruction. It highlights how BTC centers student thinking, collaboration, and problem solving while encouraging educators to critically adapt its practices within their own contexts. Participants will explore how to integrate BTC with other research-based approaches and make intentional instructional decisions that elevate student thinking and reshape classroom learning environments.
This session shares key insights from an ISTE ASCD course focused on the ethical use of AI in lesson planning. It highlights how these ideas were adapted and applied within an asynchronous Computers in Education course. Participants will examine what proved most effective in practice, what challenges remain, and how AI can be used thoughtfully to support instructional design.
This session explores how language instruction can be integrated into content area teaching using the WIDA framework. It examines how language features at the discourse, sentence, and word levels can be made explicit across disciplines. Participants will engage with a structured instructional sequence that connects language development to content learning and will leave with practical strategies and resources to support English language learners.
This session explores how impactful teaching emerges from the integration of high yield instructional strategies and a culture of care and trust. It highlights how practices such as clear learning targets, formative assessment, and feedback are strengthened in supportive learning environments. Participants will examine a practical framework for aligning instructional precision with relational capacity to increase engagement, deepen learning, and promote meaningful outcomes.
This session explores how authentic writing experiences can be aligned with the Science of Reading to strengthen literacy instruction. It focuses on practical strategies that integrate meaningful writing opportunities within structured literacy practices. Participants will examine how to support the development of foundational skills while fostering purpose driven writing that enhances student engagement and learning.