PLC First Semester Update
2018-2019
Purpose
The Professional Learning Committee (PLC) Newsletter is designed to inform personnel in the district of what teachers have attended related to professional development sessions. Each PLC member is responsible for having teachers who attended professional development complete a reflection form and then summarize for the district PLC committee. Each newsletter will feature a summary of what professional development has been attended in the district, photos of those professional development opportunities, as well as professional development tips.
Reading Lab
Blended Learning Mentors
Nathan Perry is sharing during an App Slam.
Reading Lab
Building Highlights
Teachers attended "Learning Without Tears." Teachers agreed that learning is both social, academic, and should be hands-on. ECSE students are learning how to be at school and how to be a friend. Learning Without Tears combines the social skills teachers already teach with the academic concepts necessary for students to be ready for kindergarten. All teachers felt that they could "steal" the lessons and resources provided by the PD and use it in their classroom immediately.
Elementary
Several teachers went to a reading lab hosted by Kelsey Amensen. Some highlights include teachers talk should be 10% or less than of the small group instruction time, and small group time should be short and can be beneficial for all students. Another group of teachers observed a reading lab in Laura Hendrix's kindergarten class where they learned about using interactive writing, student-centered conferences, and small groups. An additional group of teachers attended a reading lab hosted by Melanie McCord called "Writing About Reading." Teachers learned that reading is key and writing should allow for 10% of the time. Journal entries do not have to be daily, but entries should be authentic and analytical. Teachers are still wondering how often notebooks should be collected and viewed.
Sni-a-Bar teachers attended a Leader in Me Community Coaching day and learned that all events within the building can be leadership events if students are involved in the right way. Another take away from the training was that modeling for teachers is just as critical as modeling for students. Another group of Sni-a-Bar teachers had the opportunity to observe other teachers do Number Talks in their classrooms. There was a focus on "teaching moves" and the teacher tracking the moves they try each week. Another focus was on increasing the use of academic vocabulary (row, column, groups, etc.). One thing they are still pondering is whether they need to address incorrect responses with each student.
Middle School and High School
Three teachers from each secondary building attended Blended Learning professional development and continued to deepen their knowledge of blended learning models, which include station rotation, flipped learning, and whole group rotation. They are pondering how to best share this information with their buildings and to get students to take ownership when participating in the models.
Professional Development Tip
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