July 28, 2016

Hackettstown, N.J. – Emily Cali, a student in Centenary’s Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program, will be presenting at the 2016 National Visual Learning Conference this summer in Washington, D.C.  Her presentation is titled “Q: How Do You Make Invisible Learning…Visible? A: Student-led Portfolio Conferences – Reflecting on Learning.” Cali is also a teacher at Mountain View School in Mount Olive.

Cali’s involvement with Visible Learning has put her in the presence of nationally known educational reformers, such as John Hattie, Michael Fullan, Pedro Noguera, Viviane Robinson and Simon Breakspear.  Her master’s thesis delved into the benefits of comment grading, a visible learning innovation she is introducing in Mount Olive.

Historically banal, arguable ineffective, but highly efficient, parent-teacher conferences are commonly used to communicate a student’s educational progress to parents.  Revealing “invisible” student growth and achievement is a product of visible learning initiatives.  Student-led portfolio conferences allow students to reflect on their own learning, share growth trends and be supported by their teacher.  Based on these reflections, students are able to set challenging goals and implement a strategy for achieving those goals.  Presenters in this session will share a revised implementation of a 30-year history of student-led portfolio conferences.  Presenters propose to provide a portfolio template for educators to incorporate with the paradigm shifts, pyramid flips and mind frame maximizers while building a program that allows parents and teachers to reflect on student learning.  The template will include extensive use of 21st century technology while meeting and exceeding the college and career starts that are often referenced, but infrequently addressed.

“Emily’s research is very innovative and I am pleased that one of our own will highlight her own work in a national platform,” says Dr. Timothy Frederiks, Assistant Professor of Education and Chair of the Education Department at Centenary University.

Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.

Centenary University’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County).  The Centenary School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in two locations: Parsippany and Edison, and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey.  The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad.