Teaching and Learning CoLab 2024

Hello! I am the CDE Music Content Specialist for the Standards and Instructional Support team. I am also the full-time Coordinator for Music Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. I am very interested in music pedagogy and its relationship with effective music learning. I love to talk about teaching music, what it means to be a music teacher, and building relationships with students. I am excited to share some ideas with you!

Tim Blesse, has 31 years of experience as a classroom science educator in both private and public schools, teaching students from grades 3-12. He also has had 25 summers of experience working as an interpretive naturalist and hiking guide in Rocky Mountain National Park, working for the YMCA of the Rockies. The majority of this time has been spent teaching middle and high school students. Between 1988 and 1991 he taught high school sciences at St. Joseph's Senior Secondary School in Kyankwanzi Uganda.

Since 2014, when he joined the Teacher Programs staff of the Denver Museum of Nature and Scien... Read more

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about Library of Congress primary sources or granting opportunities.

After teaching at a charter school for 3 years, Andrew Gitner was extremely insecure when he first got the job at Golden. He was convinced he would be fired at any minute for any reason because, you know, charter drama. This insecurity pushed him to learn a ton of skills, pedagogies, and possibilities for teaching with technology, serve as an instructional leader in his building, and do a variety of other things.

I am the Visual Arts Content Consultant for CDE in the Standards and Instructional Support office as well as the Director of the School of Art and Design at the University of Northern Colorado and am so happy to be with you today discussing CDE's researched Best, First Instruction of the Colorado Academic Standards. I am a licensed teacher and principal with now (my how time flies!) well over 20 years of experience ranging all grade levels. However, it is the middle school art room and its occasionally baffling inhabitants that I seem to continually gravitate toward. In addition to classroom and... Read more

I just completed my first year as the secondary principal in Rangely, a rural northwest Colorado community near the Utah-Colo border.  As a 25+ year veteran educator, my position in this new district has reinvigorated my passion for public education and being a building administrator.   I love my job!

Come learn more about the Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics (CCTM) and the Colorado Math Leaders (CML), our state's two primary organizations focused on the learning, teaching, and leading of PK-12 mathematics.

Robotics and AI will have an incredible impact over the coming decade, and students that understand these technologies will be significantly advantaged across all industries.

I'm passionate about brining robotics education to ALL students, regardless of their age, gender, or level of academic ability.

Mallorie Klemm, Blended Learning Education Senior Consultant

ELC covers a variety of PD training for teachers in financial literacy and economics topics, as well as student programs like the Stock Market Experience and Invest In Girls. Visit our table for more details about summer and fall classes and programs!

Michelle Malvey is a Behavioral Health Training Specialist in the Heath Education Unit at CDE.  She is a former principal, district MTSS Coordinator, school psychologist and teacher with a passion for making sure everyone in the school environment gets what they need on a daily basis.

I am a passionate environmental educator who is eager to expand my connections. I currently teach natural resource management at Futures Lab in Poudre School District. 

Communications

The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education supports the many types of educators who teach concepts we all need to understand: how natural systems work, what we must do to interact responsibly with the environment, and how we can protect natural resources for future generations. Visit us to learn more about the Colorado Environmental Education Plan adopted by the State Board of Education and the Careers in Natural Resources Initiative.

Greg Nusz, PhD is the Program Evaluation and Data Manager for the School Quality and Supports Division at CDE. His work focuses on using program evaluation strategies to inform continuous improvement of state-, district-, and school-level supports, with a particular concentration on implementation fidelity. Prior to joining CDE, Greg has worked in education in district support, school leadership, and as a high school math and science teacher. Greg holds a PhD in Biomedical engineering from Duke University, and bachelors degrees in mathematics and physics from North Carolina State University.

Rebekah joined the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) in 2013. She is an English Language Development (ELD) Specialist and the Title IX State Coordinator. Her work focuses on supporting schools and districts in developing and implementing Language Instruction Education Programs and in fulfilling their obligations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. During her time at CDE, she has also worked in the Migrant Education Program. Prior to coming to CDE, she taught at the elementary, middle school, and university levels, in 3 Colorado districts, 3 countries and 2 states. Her experience... Read more

Tamera Sakotas serves as a Teacher Programs Consultant at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) where she provides training and support for educators in three areas:  Best Practices in Science Education, Mind and Brain Education and Nature and Environmental Literacy.

Tamera holds a BFA from the University of Florida at the New World School of the Arts and a master’s degree in International Education from the New York University.  She is a passionate and driven educator with an interest in elevating youth's curiosity, creativity and intrinsic motivation through the development of unique learning experiences. Tamera is committed to providing equitable opportunities for youth living in inequitable environments.   When not geeking out on out-of-the-box teaching strategies with colleagues, Tamera can be found in nature, with her brilliant and sassy kiddo, or

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Dr. Christina Adeboye Sullivan is a native of Iowa, a long-time educator in Minnesota, and now a proud resident of Colorado. She served as a principal and district administrator for 20 years, prioritizing equitable and effective instruction for each student. She earned her PhD in 2011 focusing on tiered decision making across content areas and literacy skill development. Social emotional learning, restorative practices, and cultural responsiveness have also been central to her work. She currently serves as a Program Coordinator for the Federal Programs and Supports Unit at CDE.

Born and raised in North Denver, Antonio is a servant leader who has taught in, learned from, opened up, transformed, and regenerated schools throughout the city and country over the past twenty-six years.  As a throughline for all these professional experiences, Antonio has dedicated his entire career to working for social change and transformation within public education through humanizing mental models and systems, culturally responsive expectations, and transformative leadership.  As Director of Innovative Classroom Technology in Aurora Public Schools, he leverages his experience as an educator... Read more

We share free lessons and materials to connect kids to local leaders, local government and local issues. Our stuff is teacher written and teacher tested. Develop effective citizens by engaging them with issues and leaders right outside their backdoor.