John Antonetti: An Entertaining Presenter with Strategies for Engaging the Whole Child

All over the country these days teachers are being asked to attend inservices intended to prepare us for the upcoming shift to Common Core. Yesterday I enjoyed a quality presentation about this very them presented by educator John Antonetti. Throughout the entire day, this witty and entertaining speaker kept me on the edge of my seat. In The Learning Cube: Engaging the Whole Child, Every Child, we learned strategies for engaging our learners with sound, research-based instructional strategies firmly rooted in the Common Core Standards. For those of us who are struggling to understand, but eager to successfully meet, the challenges that Common Core presents, this presentation was a godsend.

John Antonetti was a first-class choice for a presenter. Not only is he amusing and engaging, he offers impressive credentials as well. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Master’s in Gifted Education, and a second Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. Previously, he was the director of K-12 curriculum in the Sheridan School District in Arkansas. He has also served as the supervisor of gifted programs in the eighteen districts of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative. For the past eight years, he has been a workshop presenter, developer, and trainer for processes such as classroom walk-throughs, assessment and instructional analysis, coaching, research-based best practices, and systemic writing programs. John is also the author of the book Writing as a Measure and Model of Thinking, and the co-author with Dr. Jim Garver of Focus on Learning: A Process for Personal and Collaborative Reflection.

I found it amazing that this gifted educator has taught at all grade levels, kindergarten through high school. This gives him a unique perspective on reaching students at all grade levels. But he also appears to have an innate ability to reach students at all ability levels as well. Anyone who has an opportunity to attend an inservice with John should jump at the opportunity.