October 9, 2017, is a Division-Wide Professional Learning Day. In addition to our many scheduled workshops, this year we have an exciting innovation for all K-5 teachers: Literacy in a Blended World held at William Ramsay Elementary School. This all-day institute will offer over 60 options in every content and program area, each of which will focus on a key aspect of students’ literacy development in key academic subjects.
Educators’ Lab School Ideas Drive
The School Ideas Drive is a community-building event that enables educators to learn about and connect with local organizations that offer exciting new opportunities for teachers and students. The D.C. metro area is home to a multitude of organizations and individuals striving to improve teaching and learning. How might we work together to connect our classrooms and communities so that students have access to an array of resources and ideas that take learning to the next level?
Join us we work together to brainstorm ways to engage students in the learning process by connecting our classrooms to the outside world. Using aspects of design thinking and various collaboration techniques we will uncover how we make synergies with local organizations that inspire real world application and improve teaching and learning.
For more information, and to register, click here.
Talent Development Advisory Council
The Office of Talent Development is seeking interested teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals to form an Advisory Council. This group will help to evaluate, design, and communicate professional development efforts across the division. Please use this link to fill out a form and indicate you interest and experience. The form will be active from September 25th through October 9th.
2018-2019 NBCT Cohort
The new NBCT cohort will be collecting applications for the 2018-2019 NBCT cohort from August 28, 2017 until 5pm September 11, 2017. There will be a committee who reviews the application pool and a decision will be reached by September 18, 2017. This cohort will be made of 15 ACPS teachers who will make a commitment to stay with ACPS for the next 5 years.
NBCT Cohort Leader Search
Office of Talent Development in search of NBCT 2017-2019 Cohort Leader
If you are interested in leading about 20 teachers who are interested in applying for National Board Certification over a two year span, please consider applying for this leadership opportunity. The pay will be $3500 per semester to lead the cohort with the total being $7000 for the school year.
All applications are due by 4:30 Friday, August 18. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Debra Lane at debra.lane@acps.k12.va.us or 703-619-8313.
Link to application:
Aspiring Superintendents Program
The Aspiring Superintendents Program is a full course credit opportunity designed specifically for school administrators who aspire to become a school district superintendent. The program is a partnership among the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS), the Virginia Tech School of Education and the Virginia Tech Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement (COTA).
Each of the three seminars will focus on exploring and developing the skills, knowledge and commitment needed to succeed as a superintendent. Program faculty will provide multiple perspectives on effective leadership. Emphasis will be placed on the value of coaching and mentoring as an important link between academic and practical preparation for the job.
Institute Fellows will gain increased awareness about the importance of building and nurturing relationships and effective communication with school board members, elected and appointed officials, parents, the media, and the community at large. Institute Fellows will expand and refine their existing leadership skills, acquire new skills, and learn about the search and interview process, conducting contract negotiations, and entry planning. Session facilitators will present strategies designed to cultivate balance in managing their professional and personal lives.
Institute Fellows will engage in readings, small group discussions; voice of experience conversations with seated, recently appointed, and retired superintendents; simulations; mock interviews; and analyses of case studies. Each institute fellow will identify and interact with a mentor/coach and keep a reflective journal. Final products will include an entry plan for the first 90 days on the job as a superintendent and a reflective synopsis that identifies new awareness of the superintendent’s role and the application of what has been learned.
Graduate course credit and a certificate will be awarded by the School of Education at Virginia Tech for successful completion of the program.
Completion of a School Leaders Institute program will increase leadership capacity and enhance the ability to use reflection as a powerful leadership skill. Each institute fellow submits an evaluation of seminar discussions, activities, and lectures and completes and submits a reflective journal synopsis based on their total program experience.
To learn more: http://www.cpe.vt.edu/sli/asp/
Featured Videos
Our featured videos are the Classrooms in Focus- Collaborative Learning pair from our own ACPS elementary and secondary classrooms. The first is from the exciting 4th grade classroom of Ms. Rachel Bhatia from Patrick Henry Elementary. The video features instruction during math and focuses on the structures necessary for effective collaborative learning in the elementary classroom. The second video is from TC Williams High School’s International Academy. The dynamic teachings of Mr. Ben Hammond are unpacked and his secondary collaborative teaching practices are showcased and discussed. As always the videos are paired with the necessary tools and templates to put the practices seen in the video into your classroom.
The ABCs of Twitter for Educators
Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics
Learning Forward Virginia Project Based Learning
Learning Forward Virginia (LFVA ) is excited to bring Project Based Learning to Virginia. Project Based Learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students learn about a subject by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, challenge, or problem .
PBL cares about our mission to educate all by integrating knowing and doing. Students work to uncover understandings of content as opposed to serving as bystanders while the teacher covers curriculum through lectures, worksheets, and disconnected tasks.
Educators will register for one of the following three-day workshops:
LEARN: PBL 101
This workshop provides participants with the skills and knowledge needed to design assess and manage a rigorous, relevant, and standards-based project.
ENHANCE: PBL 201
This a deep dive focused on advanced practices in PBL implementation including topics Building Culture, Assessing Student Learning, and Creating Effective Team Roles.
COACH: Coaching Academy
A dynamic workshop that engages instructional coaches in best practices for providing sustained support for teachers to enable high quality PBL design and instruction.
LEAD: Leadership Academy
The academy engages leaders in exploring best practices in leading a school or district in the effective, sustainable implementation of Project Based Learning.
REGISTER HERE .
Cost:
Early Bird (before July 15): $650.00
Regular (after July 15): $700.00
*Registration fee includes your selected session, meals during the conference, and materials needed during the session
Sponsored by Learning Forward Virginia , Buck Institute , and Chesterfield County Public Schools
For updates go to http://www.learningforwardvirgina.org
Follow us on Twitter @lf_virginia #LFVApbl
ImpactLab Teacher Fellowship
Dear Educator,
Teachers like you have the best ideas in education. What if you also had support to help bring these ideas to life at your school?
Now you do.
The ImpactLab Teacher Fellowship helps change-making teachers turn an idea into a sustainable and replicable “solution” in a supportive, small-group format.
The application for the 2017-18 Fellowship is now open . We have limited space and will accept teachers on a rolling basis, so if you’re interested don’t wait!
Ready?
GO !
Should you have questions or need additional information, please contact me or any member of our LFVA Board. Contact information is also listed on the LFVA web site. ( www.learningforwardvirginia.org )