Neil Nathan builds capacity and improves instruction in high functioning and high needs schools across the country by training both teachers and teacher leaders, consulting principals, and designing and facilitating stimulating professional development.
Neil graced the cover of American Teacher Magazine for his stewardship of an Annenberg grant funded arts education program that married interdisciplinary Humanities planning with team teaching and teaching artists from such esteemed arts organizations as New York City Opera, Guggenheim Museum, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Neil was Lead Mentor of Region 9 in New York City and designed and facilitated professional development for 40 master teachers/mentors while he mentored first year teaches in 15 varied schools. He was extensively trained by the nationally renowned experts at the University of California Santa Cruz's New Teacher Induction program and presented at their National Conference on the topic of Mentoring Resistant Teachers.
Neil taught Global History, Economics, English, and Arts Appreciation for ten years in New York City before becoming a staff developer.
Description:
Engaging Social Studies Strategies That Work - Social Studies classrooms offer both teachers and students opportunities for engaging in inquiry and hands-on activities that bring the facts to life. When we view the Social Studies curriculum as a chance to make sense of history and the world around us – not simply as bits of disconnected information – we encourage students to become historians: asking questions, noticing patterns across time and cultures, analyzing primary documents, seeking out multiple perspectives, and making connections to their own life and times. This workshop will offer strategies for developing Social Studies activities that will both challenge students and make the facts "stick" through engaging lessons that infuse informal literacy strategies, Bloom's Taxonomy questioning strategies, and Multiple Intelligences strategies. We will learn how to integrate primary documents so that students are responsible for interpretation and determining significance, and how to create projects that are both high-interest and require students to demonstrate their knowledge. Participants in this workshop will receive concrete support in this work in the form of graphic organizers, samples of lessons and curriculum, strategies for formative and summative assessment, as well as opportunities for collaboration.
Engaging Geography Strategies That Work - The National Geography Standards reflect a need for students to know and understand how human structures and activities have developed in particular ways in particular places. This workshop examines the ways people interact with the natural environment economically, socially, culturally, and politically in their spatial contexts. Teachers will be exposed to and develop a variety of engaging activities through the lens of the Five Themes of Geography. They will also explore the use of formative assessments to gain awareness of student understanding and adapt instruction.
