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Call for Session Proposals
“Telling Our Story: Social Studies Education”
2025 Illinois Council for the Social Studies Spring Conference
Eastern Illinois University, Charleston Illinois
Thursday, April 10, 2025
“Telling Our Story: Social Studies Education”
2025 Illinois Council for the Social Studies Spring Conference
Eastern Illinois University, Charleston Illinois
Thursday, April 10, 2025
The Illinois Council for the Social Studies and Department of History at Eastern Illinois University invite session proposals for the ICSS Spring 2025 Conference, held on the campus of Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois, on THURSDAY, April 10, 2025. Please note the “day change” of the conference to a Thursday, which is different from past ICSS practice.
In social, technological, and political climates where a spectrum of stories complement, run parallel, or conflict, it is important for students and citizens to systematically explore, learn, and tell their stories. Through history, geography, economics, and civics, we learn to tell our stories by asking essential questions, identifying, and exploring a wide array of sources, critically analyzing those sources, and communicating our findings. The focus of the 2025 ICSS Spring Conference is the exploration of how students use inquiry, how they identify and analyze sources of information, and how they communicate their stories. Though ICSS happily accepts proposals beyond the conference theme, we specifically invite session proposals that address the following subthemes:
Three subthemes of specific focus:
1) Telling our story by asking good questions
2) Telling our story by analyzing sources of information
3) Telling our story through effective collaboration, communication, and consensus
The ICSS Spring Conference engages practicing PK-12 social studies teachers, preservice teachers, university faculty, social studies researchers, and concerned citizens. Participants will explore in a variety of topics and sessions that are pertinent to social studies students and teachers in the field across grade levels and social studies content areas.
We encourage proposals connecting to this year’s conference theme: “Telling Our Story: Social Studies Education” or the three subthemes of focus. Encouraging activities that explore practical experiences for classroom teachers, presenters are invited to bring to the conference innovative teaching methods, successful lesson plans, useful resources, or other sessions that will be of interest to the social studies community. ICSS particularly welcomes sessions that challenge teachers to explore new pedagogies or lines of thinking and sessions that highlight historically marginalized voices or perspectives. ICSS encourages proposals that include co-presenters or group presenters. Sessions are scheduled for 50 minutes. Proposals from first-time session presenters and co-presentations are encouraged. Please limit session proposals to not-for-profit individuals or groups.
Shown here are past session topics that have been successful in the past. You are welcome to address the following topics but you may certainly propose a topic beyond what is listed:
Standards-based grading in Social Studies
Primary source analysis techniques
Creating and maintaining culturally responsive classrooms
Deep questioning techniques
Building positive relationships with colleagues and parents in an era of politically charged curriculum
Building equitable classroom libraries
Engaging in difficult conversations
Exploration of Illinois Social Studies Standards
Technology integration in the Social Studies Classroom
“What I learned in my first years of teaching”
When preparing a proposal, please consider the following:
*Multiple proposal submissions are allowed and will require multiple survey submissions (one fully completed survey per proposal). Due to the potential that the number of submissions may exceed the space limitations at the conference venue, ICSS may have to limit individuals to a single presentation. ICSS apologizes if this is the case.
*Sessions are approximately 50 minutes in length.
*Technology and Wi-Fi are available in each room.
Session proposals should contain the following information:
Session proposals must contain the following information:
1. Presenter(s):
2. Affiliation(s):
3. Primary Contact Email:
4. Secondary Contact Email:
5. Presenter(s) biographies (30 words max):
6. Presenter qualification. Prior to professional development activities, at least one presenter of the session must confirm they meet at least TWO of the three following criteria.
a. Hold an advanced degree in subject matter;
b. Have at least 3-5 years field-experience/real-life experience in subject matter;
c. Have presented on subject matter through prior professional development outside of ICSS.
7. Session title (12 words max)
8. Session abstract (40 words max):
9. Intended audience:
PreK-12 (general audience)
Early Childhood
Elementary
Middle Level
Secondary/High School
Special Education
10. Objective(s) of Session:
11. Description of Session: (400 words max)
12. How the session might connect to the conference theme or subtheme: (100 words max)
13. Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Outcome(s) for the Professional Development
14. Describe how your session impacts educator and students growth in regards to one or more of the following:
a. Content knowledge or skills, or both:
b. Educator and student social and emotional growth;
c. Alignment to district or school improvement plans
Presenters will be notified of the acceptance status of their proposals by Monday, February 3, 2025. Presenters are expected to register for the conference.
**Proposal submission deadline is Sunday, January 26, 2025, 11:59pm**
If you need more time to complete a submission or have questions regarding the conference, please contact Theresa Coomer, ICSS Conference Program Director, at [email protected]
Please click on the following link to submit your proposal:
https://forms.gle/hKiAVdgPoSz52jvA8
In social, technological, and political climates where a spectrum of stories complement, run parallel, or conflict, it is important for students and citizens to systematically explore, learn, and tell their stories. Through history, geography, economics, and civics, we learn to tell our stories by asking essential questions, identifying, and exploring a wide array of sources, critically analyzing those sources, and communicating our findings. The focus of the 2025 ICSS Spring Conference is the exploration of how students use inquiry, how they identify and analyze sources of information, and how they communicate their stories. Though ICSS happily accepts proposals beyond the conference theme, we specifically invite session proposals that address the following subthemes:
Three subthemes of specific focus:
1) Telling our story by asking good questions
2) Telling our story by analyzing sources of information
3) Telling our story through effective collaboration, communication, and consensus
The ICSS Spring Conference engages practicing PK-12 social studies teachers, preservice teachers, university faculty, social studies researchers, and concerned citizens. Participants will explore in a variety of topics and sessions that are pertinent to social studies students and teachers in the field across grade levels and social studies content areas.
We encourage proposals connecting to this year’s conference theme: “Telling Our Story: Social Studies Education” or the three subthemes of focus. Encouraging activities that explore practical experiences for classroom teachers, presenters are invited to bring to the conference innovative teaching methods, successful lesson plans, useful resources, or other sessions that will be of interest to the social studies community. ICSS particularly welcomes sessions that challenge teachers to explore new pedagogies or lines of thinking and sessions that highlight historically marginalized voices or perspectives. ICSS encourages proposals that include co-presenters or group presenters. Sessions are scheduled for 50 minutes. Proposals from first-time session presenters and co-presentations are encouraged. Please limit session proposals to not-for-profit individuals or groups.
Shown here are past session topics that have been successful in the past. You are welcome to address the following topics but you may certainly propose a topic beyond what is listed:
Standards-based grading in Social Studies
Primary source analysis techniques
Creating and maintaining culturally responsive classrooms
Deep questioning techniques
Building positive relationships with colleagues and parents in an era of politically charged curriculum
Building equitable classroom libraries
Engaging in difficult conversations
Exploration of Illinois Social Studies Standards
Technology integration in the Social Studies Classroom
“What I learned in my first years of teaching”
When preparing a proposal, please consider the following:
*Multiple proposal submissions are allowed and will require multiple survey submissions (one fully completed survey per proposal). Due to the potential that the number of submissions may exceed the space limitations at the conference venue, ICSS may have to limit individuals to a single presentation. ICSS apologizes if this is the case.
*Sessions are approximately 50 minutes in length.
*Technology and Wi-Fi are available in each room.
Session proposals should contain the following information:
Session proposals must contain the following information:
1. Presenter(s):
2. Affiliation(s):
3. Primary Contact Email:
4. Secondary Contact Email:
5. Presenter(s) biographies (30 words max):
6. Presenter qualification. Prior to professional development activities, at least one presenter of the session must confirm they meet at least TWO of the three following criteria.
a. Hold an advanced degree in subject matter;
b. Have at least 3-5 years field-experience/real-life experience in subject matter;
c. Have presented on subject matter through prior professional development outside of ICSS.
7. Session title (12 words max)
8. Session abstract (40 words max):
9. Intended audience:
PreK-12 (general audience)
Early Childhood
Elementary
Middle Level
Secondary/High School
Special Education
10. Objective(s) of Session:
11. Description of Session: (400 words max)
12. How the session might connect to the conference theme or subtheme: (100 words max)
13. Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Outcome(s) for the Professional Development
14. Describe how your session impacts educator and students growth in regards to one or more of the following:
a. Content knowledge or skills, or both:
b. Educator and student social and emotional growth;
c. Alignment to district or school improvement plans
Presenters will be notified of the acceptance status of their proposals by Monday, February 3, 2025. Presenters are expected to register for the conference.
**Proposal submission deadline is Sunday, January 26, 2025, 11:59pm**
If you need more time to complete a submission or have questions regarding the conference, please contact Theresa Coomer, ICSS Conference Program Director, at [email protected]
Please click on the following link to submit your proposal:
https://forms.gle/hKiAVdgPoSz52jvA8