Three strands are offered at the conference for fourth- and fifth-grade teachers:

• Teaching for Understanding - the Curriculum Strand:  What do all students need to learn, know, and be able to do?  How do we in our building/grade level connect our teaching with the students' learning expectations identified in the Core?
• Assessment for Learning - the Assessment Strand:  How do we know that students have learned?  How do we use assessments to assess and diagnose our students' progress in learning?  How do we adjust our instruction based on the results of the formative assessments as we implement the Core?
• Teaching for Learner Differences - Instruction Strand:  How do we plan and deliver instruction so that we meet the needs of all learners in our classroom?  How do we respond if students struggle or don't learn and how do we respond when students have already learned?  

• Online with a credit card:  https://regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1317768 
• Mail a check/purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith, Room 123, Drake University School of Education, 3206 University, Des Moines, Iowa 50311
• Email including attached purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith at bridget.arrasmith@drake.edu
• FAX purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith at 515.271.2233. 

  

Learning Communities: Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and goal alignment.

  

Reflect on your district collaborative practices. Do your collaborative teams meet frequently to engage in collaborative professional learning to strengthen their collective practice with the goal of increasing student results? Do your collaborative teams have shared goals? Do the rest of the school and the system support that work by providing the necessary time and resources for those teams to accomplish those goals?

 

 

In a collaborative team, not only does individual learning occur, the sharing and support from others create a culture of continuous improvement. It builds the notion that "we are in this together!"

 

Collaborative teams look and sound different based on your school system. Some are grade level and some are departmentalized, while others are across schools. Some teams are "virtual" and meet on-line. You must develop your team how it will best serve the size and make-up of your district.

 

One thing that all Professional Learning Communities have in common is that they support the idea of professional learning as on-going to support continuous improvement. Schools with a culture built around continuous learning do not say "we are doing PLC's";  rather, they say "we are a Professional Learning Community."

 

The Learning Forward Standards for Professional Learning have the potential to assist your district whether you are just beginning collaborative teams or are already on the journey to becoming a Professional Learning Community. Check out the standards for Learning Communities at http://learningforward.org/standards/learning-communities#.UnkKliR2d7I   

 

Note:  Be sure to check out the webinars shared below on professional learning communities provided by AEA 267. 

In today's evolving education environment, it is crucial to ensure educators receive the support and professional learning necessary to address the Iowa Core.  Be sure to check out ASCD's Policy Points for Professional Development.  This resource shares avenues for funding for professional learning.

Contact your legislators to advocate for continued and increased support for professional learning.  You can also find them on this website.  Tell them your story of its impact on you as an educator and your students as learners.

Become an Educator Advocate, making sure Congress makes decisions with the crucial information you can provide.  They will welcome your input.

 

 

* A clear consistent framework fosters school-wide coherence and continuity.
* A month-by-month planning guide helps organize teaching across grade levels.
* The lessons in action video clips are ideal for group analysis.
* Dynamic Internet and consulting services support professional learning communities.

   

 

Click here to review EIR's efficacy studies, research base, and teacher evaluations

  Click here to read the review by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.

The holiday(s) season is upon us - and it's a good time to pause to reflect on the impact teachers have had on the students in your school.  Acknowledging your staff's contributions provides a healthy way to wrap up a semester and set the stage for the second semester.

Map Your Success

Purpose:  Enable a staff to visually see how much work has been accomplished during the first semester.  Make the activity public and reduce the opportunity for any staff member to assert that the work has not been recognized or appreciated.

Materials:  Role of chart paper, colored markers, stickers

Time:  1.5 - 2 hours

Directions:

1. Invite staff members to a special meeting.  Ask them to bring any materials with them that will help jog their memories of the work they have done or the impact they have had on their students so far this year.
2. Divide the staff into teams that make the most sense for your school/district.  This could be grade-level teams plus another team with teachers of the "specials" or it could be teams built around content areas.  Give each team a length of chart paper and colored markers.
3. Invite each team to create a timeline of their work/ accomplishments for the semester.  Ask them to divide their timeline into vertical sections, one for each month of the semester - August, September, October, November, December.  You might even want to add June and July to recognize summer workshops/classes/graduate work.  Ask them to include at least one accomplishment each month.  Encourage them to have fun - draw pictures, use stickers, add comments. (Time 30-45 minutes)
4. Ask each team to designate one reporter for the group.   
5. Do a gallery tour of the posters, allowing the reporter to share out accomplishments with each "tour group."  Encourage the tour group to add accomplishments they have recognized in this group, beyond what the original team put on the timeline.  You might even give the "tour groups" stickers to add to the accomplishments recognized on the chart paper.
6. After the tour, take time to thank all your teachers for the work they have accomplished and the impact they have had on the students this semester.  Applaud them for the work they have done.

It's a great time to end with treats in their honor!   

 

 

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