Professional Development
Professional Development
OCLRE provides a variety of professional development opportunities throughout the year including program specific trainings, conferences, workshops on civic education, and authentic instruction methods across curricula! Updates about our offerings can be found on this page, or on our individual program pages.
Looking for a more customized PD experience for your PD day? OCLRE can provide customized PD sessions at your location on topics of your choosing as a benefit of membership, or as a service to districts and curriculum partners. Past offerings have included how to discuss controversy in the classroom, creating C3 inquiry lesson plans, literacy and the law, and more! OCLRE members can book a custom PD session for free provided that at least five teachers will be present for the training. Nonmembers can book custom PD for a $150 honorarium. Pricing is flexible, so please If you are interested in creating a PD session, contact Ryan Suskey at rsuskey@oclre.org.
Mock Trial Conference
2024 Mock Trial Conference
On September 24th & 25th*, OCLRE welcomed teachers & advisors to the 5th Annual Mock Trial Conference at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus. The activities included sessions surrounding both High School & Middle School Mock Trial, the presentation of the Eiler Award and the premiere of the 2025 Ohio Mock Trial Case Capsule video. Thank you to all those that attended the conference, and a special thanks to the Supreme Court for hosting us!
Missed the Conference? You still have the option to sign up for recordings-only which will give you access to videos of the Day 1 sessions on Wednesday, October 9.
*September 25th (Day 2) was for the introductory track only
2024 Conference Agenda
2024 Mock Trial Conference - Day 1
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 | The Supreme Court of Ohio
Intro Track | Time | Deep Dive Track | Time |
Check-In | 8:00 - 8:30 am | ||
Welcome and Introductions (Breakfast Provided) | 8:30 - 9:00 am | ||
What is Mock Trial: Overview of Program & Materials
|
9:00 - 9:45 am |
Using Exhibits Effectively |
9:00 - 10:00 am |
Competition and Showcase Logistics
|
9:45 - 10:30 am |
“View From the Other Side” |
10:00 - 11:00 am |
Mock Trial Scope and Sequence
|
10:30 - 11:00 am |
“Outside the Case File” (Invention of Fact, Extrapolation, Outside Research, Outside Legal Research) |
11:00 - 11:30 am |
Video Clips (Last year’s case – Opening, Direct/Cross, objections, exhibit, closing)
|
11:00 am - 12:30 pm | Experienced Advisor Panel | 11:30 am - 12:30 pm |
Lunch and Award Presentation | 12:30 - 1:45 pm | ||
Middle School Session
|
1:45 - 3:00 pm |
High School Case Topic, Rule Changes, and Case Release Session |
1:45 - 3:00 pm |
3:00 - 4:00 pm Roundtable Discussions |
|||
Dismiss/End of Day | 4:00 pm |
2024 Mock Trial Conference - Day 2
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | The Supreme Court of Ohio
Introduction to Mock Trial | |
Check-In and Breakfast | 8:30 - 9:00 am |
Reading and Questions | 9:00 - 9:30 am |
Reading Witness Statements and Writing Questions | 10:00 - 11:00 am |
Opening and Closing Arguments - How to Prepare | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm |
Evidence: What is it? (with examples) | 12:00 - 12:30 pm |
Working Lunch (Meal Provided) - Read Mini Mock Trial Case | 12:30 - 1:15 pm |
Trial Preparation | 1:15 - 2:00 pm |
Explanation and Set-Up for Trial (Differences between mini trial and HSMT/MSMT) | 2:00 - 2:15 pm |
Mini Mock Trial and Debrief | 2:15 - 3:00 pm |
Dismiss/End of Day | 3:00 pm |
Mock Trial Conference Cost
Conference Topics: | One Day: | Two Days*: |
Introduction to Mock Trial: | $50.00 | $75.00 |
Deep Dive into Mock Trial: | $50.00 | N/A |
Recordings-only (Day 1 Intro + Deep Dive): | Available on October 9, 2024 for $25.00 |
*Day 2 is only available to Introduction to Mock Trial Attendees who also attended Day 1.
If you are interested in learning more about Ohio High School Mock Trial, please contact Jenna Lewis at jlewis@oclre.org.
Ohio Government in Action
Ohio Government in Action is a two-day interactive program that provides educators with effective teaching tools and a renewed enthusiasm they can take back to the classroom.
Go behind the scenes of our government in Ohio’s state capital where educators will interact with the movers and shakers in the executive, judicial and legislative branches!
See the Ohio Constitution come to life
This annual workshop gives teachers an insider’s view of state government via the following:
- Meet with Supreme Court justices, state legislators, and citizen groups
- Tour the award-winning Supreme Court Visitor Education Center and the Ohio Statehouse
- Observe legislative and courtroom simulations
- And more!
Practical classroom application
After you experience first-hand how individuals and groups work together to make, interpret and enforce the Ohio Constitution, head back to the classroom with ready-to-use lesson plans, classroom activities and resources.
Conference Schedule
Sessions each day will generally run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will focus on the three branches of state government. Conference agendas are subject to change and will be updated as government schedules are made publicly available.
Conference Pricing
Member Rate: | Non-Member Rate: | |
1 Day: | $80.00 | $160.00 |
2 Days: | $130.00 | $260.00 |
Hotel Accommodations
DoubleTree Suites Downtown (located across the street from the Court)
Sheraton Columbus (0.2 mi)
Courtyard by Marriott (0.4 mi)
Testimonials
Teachers share their feedback about OGIA:
“High energy, exciting, and engaging! Valuable data and content for the classroom!”
“Inspiring and pragmatic -- ideas to implement immediately!”
“Speakers were engaging, subject matters were relevant, and sessions were interesting!”
“I networked, learned a great deal, and left with solid material I can use. Quite the trifecta!”
“[OGIA]definitely inspired some new teaching strategies and further knowledge in the content area.”
“I was totally impressed with the conference. I have raved about it all day with both my students and my colleagues.”
“…a great time and very rewarding professional development opportunity…”
For more information about OGIA contact Ryan Suskey, rsuskey@oclre.org, 614-485-3506.
We the People Institute
Teacher Grant Opportunity: Civics That Empowers All Students (CEAS)
Stay tuned for more information about the 2025 We the People Institute!
About CEAS
This project is funded by a Supporting Effective Educator Development Grant from the USDOE with the following goals:
- To increase undeserved grades 4-8 students' attainment of state civics standards, related literacy standards, and social and emotional learning competencies,
- to create inclusive and identity-safe learning environments for underserved students in grades 4-8,
- to support high-quality development for diverse teachers, and
- to study the effectiveness of the updated and enhanced We the People blended-learning professional development program at improving teacher and student outcomes.
Benefits
- Free professional development! A total of 52 hours of professional development in a learning community with mentors and other teachers from Ohio and neighboring states, including a 36-hour in-person summer institute and 16 hours of online academic-year follow up.
- Engaging pedagogy and academic content, centered on the highly effective We the People curriculum
- A network of support and resources for engaging diverse student populations in the history, principles, and current application of the U.S. Constitution
- Scholar guest speakers
- Access to a library of professional development videos with noted scholars and practitioners cued to the curriculum
- Free set of We the People textbooks and teacher's guide
- A stipend for completing program requirements
Program Requirements
For Ohio's participation in this grant, this program is for teachers in grades 7 or 8 who work with 30% or more underserved students, including:
- Students living in poverty (Title I Schools)
- Students of color
- Students with disabilities
- English learners
- Migrant students
- Students in foster care
- Students performing below grade level
- Other
*The Federal definition of high-need students includes qualifiers such as: students in poverty counted in the most recent census date; students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch; students in families receiving assistance under the State program funded under part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act; students eligible to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program
Commitments
- Participate in 52 hours of professional development
- 36-hour summer institute; 16 hours of in-service professional development
- A total of 40 hours of classroom instruction using the We the People curriculum
- Involve students in the simulated congressional hearing instructional activity
- Participate in a teacher pre- and post-test
- Administer student pre- and post-tests
Questions? Please contact Ryan Suskey (rsuskey@oclre.org) or call (614) 485-3506.
Constitution Camp
Constitution Camp aims to give Ohio teachers strategies for teaching important topics in history, law, and government. Constitution Camp also helps to introduce Ohio teachers to the We the People program and aims to address the question regarding the Ohio constitution as well as other content-driven and pedagogy/strategies-focused sessions surrounding important, relevant topics teachers (or their students) may wish to discuss in their classrooms, as they are applicable to their courses of study.
The primary topics that are to be highlighted in this year’s Constitution Camp are related to two compelling questions posed by the We the People state competition. The first question related to the Ohio constitution asks students to consider:
"Should education be a fundamental right recognized in the U.S. Constitution? What are the arguments for and against education being a fundamental right?"
The second question surrounds the separation of powers doctrine, the power of the Executive, and the balance of power between the president and Congress.
Constitution Camp Cost
Membership Status: | Cost (1 Day): |
Member: | $50.00 |
Non-Member: | $50.00 |
If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Suskey at rsuskey@oclre.org.