Seen on The Ellen Show and NBC Nightly News, educator, speaker, and author Michael Bonner has taken to more than 100 education conferences, school district meetings and leadership development stages across the U.S. & Canada to share his “lessons learned” from teaching in a Title I school with children that experience high levels of trauma and adverse situations. His candid, enthusiastic seminars challenge listeners to create diverse, inclusive education plans “where students can see themselves within the lessons and assessments” as a means to increase student success rates. He empowers his audiences to build genuine relationships with their students because “you can’t demand a withdrawal from someone you have never invested in.”
Administrators and educators alike leave Mr. Bonner’s presence ready to make an impact that affects eternity. Mr. Bonner is consistently seen as a visionary leader who strives to create a positive mindset among all of his students. His students come to class each day with diverse backgrounds, strengths, needs, and challenges. Therefore, he identifies strategies to ensure their growth socially, emotionally, academically, and psychologically. Due to his educational approach, students leave more hopeful, challenged, inspired, and forever a part of Bonnerville.
Today, Mr. Bonner lives in Atlanta, Ga. where he is beginning a new educational journey as a fourth and sixth grade English teacher at the famed Ron Clark Academy. You can learn more about Michael Bonner at michaellbonner.com and follow him on Instagram at @michaelbonner_
Michael Bonner will present The keynote session at GaETC.
Keynote – Intrepid (A Technology Focused Keynote)
Magical things begin to happen when educators take the time to step out of the dark and utilize technology to enhance student learning. The first time Michael Bonner decided to take a chance on enhancing his students’ learning, he ended up on the Ellen Degeneres show. This lead to a lifetime experience that exposed his students to how big the world truly is. Since that moment, Michael has begun implementing applications, robots, and other sources of technology in his classroom. Unique computer programs have helped transform his pedagogy so students can become thought leaders and entrepreneurs.
In this keynote, educators will:
- Be able to walk away with free applications that will enhance the level of learning within their classroom.
- Understand the larger scope of Digital citizenship and students can actively choose to be leaders.
- See through examples and stories how connecting with students through technology ultimately provides them the opportunity to develop analytical/critical thinking skills.
Other sessions presented by Michael Bonner at GaETC:
Be Better
Right now, our society is going through the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We can’t afford to place our students in an unfortunate position by using outdated teaching methods. In this breakout session, Mr.Bonner will provide tips to help increase the social-emotional environment for students, vital literacy research that will foster a love for reading, and technology applications that will assist students in becoming producers rather than consumers.
Creating an Engaging 21st Century Classroom
Educators who value the importance of becoming a better teacher are always looking for innovative and engaging ways to brighten up their classroom. In this breakout session teachers will get a chance to visually and physically step into Michael’s classroom! He will break down his “why” behind the methods he uses and share with educators different tactics he has found to be effective within his classroom. From relationship tactics to innovative applications, this breakout session address educating the whole child so all students can succeed!
In this session teachers will:
- Gather information on the mental/emotional aspects of the education profession and how to combat teacher burnout.
- Learn the different components of Whole Brain Teaching. Teachers will then learn how to implement this teaching technique into the classroom to create high levels of learning.
- Review the latest research in Guided Reading and also suggest a highly effective guided reading rotation.
- Learn about the newest technological tools that can enhance student learning.