2026 Fall Conference
The Power of Small: How Simple Shifts Can Bridge the Gap from Access to Achievement
Join ND PACT online as we explore instructional methods that empower students to meet the rigor of advanced courses.
The 2026 Fall Conference keynote speaker, James M. Lang, will share his work on Small Teaching: Lessons from the Science of Learning, emphasizing how small, easily implemented changes can have a significant impact on student learning and achievement. Session presenters each day will expand upon this idea, sharing their own actionable strategies to elevate outcomes without compromising the academic standards of AP and Dual Credit classes.
Schedule
Each day of this online conference, sessions run from 9:00am - 3:55pm Eastern Time, with a thirty-minute lunch from 12:55 - 1:25.
- Tuesday, October 27th
- English
- Wednesday, October 28th
- Math & Computer Science
- Thursday, October 29th
- Science
Session Agendas
English
| Session Topics for English - Tuesday, October 27, 2026 | |||
| Session Time | Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1 10:30 - 11:40 am | Presenter: Ryan Hale | Presenter: Aafke Garlock | Presenter: Nina Earlywine |
| Title: Teaching Complexity In Prose—Giving Students Some Entry Points | Title: Failing Fabulously: How Intentional Failure Can Empower Success in All Groups | Title: Yes! You Can Teach That! - Turning Your Passions Into AP Assignments | |
| Description: This session will help students move beyond summary and into deep analysis! Together we will examine practical strategies for teaching complexity in prose, offering clear entry points that help students engage with layered meanings, nuanced characterizations, and authorial choices. Teachers will discuss ways to guide students toward richer, more sophisticated literary interpretations | Description: Many schools and programs of higher learning are now committed to broadening access to curriculum and classes previously gate kept from underrepresented populations (low SES, racial groups, special education populations). Now, these populations are allowed into the room, but the teacher is challenged with providing learners with accelerated lessons, many for the first time. This presentation will demonstrate how encouraging fear-free failure allows all students to access the material, without watering down standards or reducing rigor in the room. | Description: This session will explore how teachers can take their personal passions, hobbies, interests, and areas of expertise and transform them into meaningful and engaging AP English learning experiences. Participants will leave with practical strategies and ideas to incorporate their seemingly "non-academic" interests into activities connected to AP English skills such as rhetorical analysis, argumentation, synthesis, research, and close reading. | |
| Chemistry | |||
| Computer Science | |||
| English Language / Composition / Rhetoric | |||
| English Literature | |||
| Environmental Science / Plant & Animal Biology | |||
| Physics 1 (Algebra-based) | |||
| Precalculus / College Algebra & Trigonometry | |||
| Statistics | |||
Math & Computer Science
Sessions Coming Soon!
Science
Sessions Coming Soon!
Registration Information
| Party | Cost of Registration |
|---|---|
|
FREE |
|
FREE |
|
$149 |
If you have a question regarding Fall Conference registration, please contact Karen Morris at kmorris@nd.edu or Nikki Chase at nchase3@nd.edu
Payments for non-program teacher reigstrations can by made by check, credit card, or purchase order. Payments are due by Monday, October 27th.
Cancellations after Friday, October 23rd will incur a $50 cancellation fee.
The payment or purchase order should be addressed to:
University of Notre Dame
Attn: ND PACT
107 Carole Sandner Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
A W-9 can be requested by contacting Nikki Chase at nchase3@nd.edu