Professional development reform: 8 steps to make it happen SmartBlogs Every year, school districts around the country waste a tremendous amount of time and money on ineffective professional development. The traditional model of “sit and get,” where a one-size-fits-all approach is utilized, yields abhorrent results. Ask teachers from typical school districts in America their thoughts on traditional in-service time, and the feedback won’t be pretty. How can school districts reform their professional development? Clearly define and articulate the vision. To be successful, professional development must be a core value of all stakeholders and an ongoing, outcome-based process, where the accountability for growth is high. Tom Murray serves as the director of technology and cybereducation for the Quakertown Community School District in Bucks County, Pa. Related Posts
Learning Master As Twitter has made its impression on every sphere of life and professionals from every sphere of life are Tweeting on it. Field of education and especially, teachers, are one of the largest community using it intensively. Below are some famous tools which teacher can use for their benefit while on Twitter: TweetDeck This is on one of the most popular Twitter applications that can be used by anyone irrespective of their profession and area of working. However, for teachers it plays significant role to remain connected with students for communication and teaching purposes. It helps one to be connected across Twitter, Facebook and other utilities. TweetBackup As teacher when you are delivering something important to your students as in form of tweets and at the same time students being sometimes careless may not lose instructions provided by you, can have backup of your Tweets at TweetBackup that provide great utility in time of emergency.
PLA:Professional Learning Communities All Fairfax County Public Schools operate as professional learning communities that employ best practices to raise the bar for all students and close the achievement gap. Definition In a professional learning community (PLC): Educators are committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. FCPS Shared Vision PLC Project Scope & Resourcing Definition - Update FCPS PLC Goals and Priorities PLC Fundamentals A document which captures FCPS' shared vision of a professional learning community FCPS PLC Vocabulary A document which ensures that all FCPS leaders have a shared understanding of critical terms FCPS Collaborative Teams at Work (video)
Finding Ways for All Kids to Flourish Thomas R. Guskey Dr. Thomas R. Guskey is an expert in evaluation design, analysis, and educational reform. He is a professor at the University of Kentucky, as well as an education consultant who has worked with educators in all 50 states, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Dr. Dr. From our products featuring Dr. Consider carefully the most important purposes of grading. Reimagining School:When Teachers Run the School Today, it has become nearly impossible for a single individual to properly administer and lead a school. School leaders must assume responsibilities in an ever-wider range of areas: instruction, school culture, management, strategic development, micropolitics, human resources, and external development (Portin, 2004). Any one principal will have difficulty successfully managing all these areas on his or her own. One alternative approach to school governance has great potential for success—the democratic and distributed leadership model. Beyond Distributed Leadership The democratic and distributed leadership model is similar in some ways to the distributed leadership model, which involves distributing responsibility on all administrative levels, working through teams, and engendering collective responsibility (Ritchie & Woods, 2007). does not necessarily imply that the entire faculty controls decisions related to the school. Two Defining Characteristics Democratic and Full Participation
Why Kids Need Schools to Change Big Ideas Flickr: Elizabeth Albert The current structure of the school day is obsolete, most would agree. Created during the Industrial Age, the assembly line system we have in place now has little relevance to what we know kids actually need to thrive. Most of us know this, and yet making room for the huge shift in the system that’s necessary has been difficult, if not impossible because of fear of the unknown, says educator Madeline Levine, author of Teach Your Children Well. “People don’t like change, especially in times of great uncertainty,” she said. “I’m astounded at the glacial pace of change in education.” During this time of economic uncertainty, especially, Levine said parents want to make sure their kids won’t fall into the ranks of the unemployed and disenfranchised young people who return home because they’re unable to find jobs. Yet therein lies the paradox. “I’m astounded at the glacial pace of change in education,” she said. PROJECT BASED LEARNING.
The Learning Corner - Reflections on Education, Technology, Leadership, and Innovation 9 Characteristics Of 21st Century Learning The label of “21st Century learning” is vague, and is an idea that we here at TeachThought like to take a swing at as often as possible, including: –weighing the magic of technology with its incredible cost and complexity –underscoring the potential for well thought-out instructional design –considering the considerable potential of social media platforms against its apparent divergence from academic learning Some educators seek out the ideal of a 21st century learning environment constantly, while others prefer that we lose the phrase altogether, insisting that learning hasn’t changed, and good learning looks the same whether it’s the 12th or 21st century. At TeachThought, we tend towards the tech-infused model, but do spend time exploring the limits and challenges of technology, the impact of rapid technology change, and carefully considering important questions before diving in head-first. The size of the circles on the map are intended to convey priority. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Welcome to the Atlas Education Centre | Atlas Education Centre The Atlas Education Centre opened its doors in 2005 and became the first educational and training facility devoted entirely to curriculum development and the sharing of best practices. Participants come from all over the globe come to collaborate, network and exchange ideas on the curriculum process. At Rubicon, we are committed to being the world-wide leader in Curriculum Mapping and provide our clients with the best possible training and professional development support. The Atlas Education Centre was designed and developed by teachers for:TeachersCurriculum DirectorsAcademic DeansInstructional SpecialistsAdministrators Located in the World Trade Center in beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon, the Atlas Education Centre incorporates the latest in instructional technology, while providing an international forum and a platform for professional exchange. What makes the experience unique: