Next Monday, October 9 is a division-wide professional learning day. The following is a sampling of the many learning opportunities being offered on that day. To view and sign up for courses, please log into the PLMS website.
This week’s highlighted courses:
Teaching and Reaching Students Experiencing Poverty
Guest presenter Paul Gorski—educator, author and founder of EdChange—will provide an interactive presentation that will dispel commonly held myths about poverty while uncovering institutional behaviors that create inequities for students who are experiencing economic poverty. Please plan to attend both sessions. #14265
Canvas: Using Pages Like a Pro
How can a Canvas course be organized using pages to help students efficiently and clearly access course materials? How can a Canvas page be created to meet the accessibility needs of all students? What are the educational advantages to building your Canvas course like a mini-website?
This course will show teachers how to build a Canvas course that is organized using the pages tool. We’ll discuss ways to build your Canvas course like a website, organizational best practices when using pages and other tips and tricks. The course will include time at the end to apply the course objectives directly to your Canvas course. Please arrive prepared with a course on which you would like to work. #15178
Discovery Education Streaming for Secondary Science and Social Studies
How can teachers use available ACPS resources to develop and differentiate science and social studies lessons? Join us to learn how to access the Discovery Education Streaming resources and how to use them with the student Chromebooks. These resources support standards-aligned lesson planning, differentiation and assessment. Additionally, teachers will investigate how to customize and implement hands-on, centers-based teaching and explore how to maximizing student engagement using Discovery Education Resources. Please bring a charged laptop or Chromebook. #15166
Secondary Literacy for Struggling Readers
How is the literacy continuum different at the secondary level for all students including ELs and students with disabilities? How can we identify struggling readers and support them along the literacy continuum at the secondary level? English Language Arts (ELA) and EL co-taught teachers will gain an understanding of the literacy continuum at the secondary level, including current research and theory, decoding, morphology, fluency, and comprehension. Teachers will be empowered with the knowledge and tools needed to identify and support struggling readers in ELA, EL and specialized instruction classrooms. #15158
Uncovering Student Misconceptions in Science Using Formative Assessments
How can science teachers personalize the learning and use data from formative assessments to guide instruction? In the secondary science classroom, uncovering student misconceptions is an essential step to customizing the learning of a diverse student body. In this blended learning session, teachers will learn how to use science-focused formative assessments to inform instruction and planning and address gap areas from the spring 2017 SOL exams. This interactive session will be presented from the perspective of the learner and the teacher. Teachers will also have the opportunity to create and share their own quick formative assessments. It will use science concepts in grades 6-8 and 9-12 as examples. Participants will learn how student data can be collected and analyzed using Google Apps for Education. Teachers will also have the opportunity to access curriculum support materials related to this session in Canvas. Please bring a charged laptop or Chromebook. #15162
Gizmos for Secondary Science and Math
How can teachers use technology to engage and support standards-aligned, hands-on laboratories for a diverse population of learners? Gizmos is a math and science online resource available for grades 4-12. Gizmos uses an inquiry-based approach to learning that has been validated by extensive research as a highly effective way to build conceptual understanding. In this session, an experienced trainer from Explore Learning will be sharing ideas for new and experienced Gizmo users. Participants will learn how to create customized and differentiated lessons using Gizmos. These lessons will allow students to engage in grade-level aligned science concepts with appropriate scaffolding that addresses their students’ varying proficiency levels. Please bring a charged laptop or Chromebook. #15163
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