What happens when teachers OWN their learning?

Concurrent Session 1

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

For professional learning to be meaningful and relevant, it must constantly be reshaped to meet the needs of every teacher. Planning, organizing, and facilitating professional learning days that meet the needs of every teacher can be accomplished by utilizing C.H.O.I.C.E. and offering blended learning opportunities to teachers.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Samuel Mormando, Garnet Valley School District

Samuel Mormando is the Director of Technology, Innovation, and Online Learning for the Garnet Valley School District in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, Garnet Valley has become recognized as a model for authentic and purposeful innovation focused on student achievement and student experiences. He is known for his practical presentations, workshops, and webinars focusing on systemic change that centers around leadership, infrastructure, professional development, curriculum and instruction, and balances cost-effective and cost-saving strategies with best educational practices.

Tags

OLC Accelerate 2017 Professional Development and Support Approaches Blended Certification Collaboration Engagement Faculty development Instructors Online course development Pedagogy Professional development Project management Staff development Support Training

Extended Abstract

Teachers constantly juggle a number of different national, state, and district initiatives in today’s fast-paced and complex educational environment. Organizing professional development days that meet the varying needs of every teacher has become increasingly difficult as the pace of change far exceeds the number of days allowed for PD. To that end, Garnet Valley has adopted the acronym C.H.O.I.C.E. to meet the needs of every teacher in terms of professional learning.

In keeping with our goals of offering and utilizing C.H.O.I.C.E. (Constant Progress, Honoring Professionals, Ongoing, Individualized, Collaborative, and Energizing) sessions, our district divides the professional learning calendar into three distinct models: Technology Boot Camp, Assigned Professional Development Days, and CHOICE Professional Development Days all utilizing both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities for teachers.