Teacher Learning Information

Teacher Learning offers a variety of topics seen by many educators as basic requirements for successfully meeting the learning needs of today's increasingly diverse classrooms. The practical applications offered in every E-Learning Community can be adapted by teachers to most major academic content areas since they are typically based on learning processes rather than content. Our staff will be happy to review each program with you, including a program syllabus, to ensure that your E-Learning Community will match your particular needs. As an administrator, I want to know how effective our staff development programs are in accomplishing their goals. How does this program give me the information I need? Staff developers often feel that they are unequipped to answer this question with anything more than a response like ‘our teachers felt good about it.' E-Learning Communities include many options for program evaluation, depending on each site's needs. Rubric-based assessments allow teachers to evaluate their current level of knowledge and use, offering site leaders and teachers an opportunity for professional dialogue and discussion. Online discussions can be archived to provide further evidence of growth. For sites committed to in-depth evaluation, teacher portfolios are highly recommended. Site leaders receive specific training and coaching from our faculty on how to develop these tools. How much work is this for the site leader? As with any site-based staff development initiative, the role of the site leader is critical to its success. Therefore, making site leaders successful is the focus of much of the program format. We have tried to minimize site leaders' workload, knowing that this program is only part of their responsibilities. Site leaders can expect to spend two hours or so per week working on aspects of the program. Because course content has been developed, organized and paced in weekly segments, site leaders don't have to become content experts in order to facilitate an E-Learning Community. Unlike traditional workshop formats where people may miss a session, the online component ensures that all teachers receive a consistent level of instruction that they can access on their own schedules. Site leaders' primary responsibilities are: keeping the program on schedule, facilitating group meetings, and following up with their colleagues. In each unit, site leaders receive step-by-step guidance on how to conduct the program. What are the characteristics of an effective site leader? Site leaders should be chosen for their leadership skills, experience, and level of trust with teachers. They may be principals, staff developers or teachers. All can be effective if an atmosphere of trust and professional collegiality is established. Principals play a critical role in the success of the program, even if they are not the actual site leader. By supporting a safe environment where teachers are encouraged to take risks, assume leadership roles, and open themselves to coaching, principals can expect to see lasting changes. In this kind of environment, principal site leaders have integrated course material into their evaluation processes. As they work with teachers, principals discuss course content and implementations, working together to fine tune classroom applications. Other site leaders have found it useful to include the discussions of the content into existing meetings planned in the building, providing a rich source of professional conversation. Site leaders with extensive backgrounds in the content have even found that teachers are interested in learning more and have been able to use their own expertise in extending the learning of their teachers. An effective site leader should possess many of the following characteristics:Have credibility with the staff they are assigned to lead. Have a vision for the overall goals and objectives of the program. Be able to use a ‘coaching' style of leadership employing the skills of listening, paraphrasing and suggesting in working with adult learners. Exhibit the ability to work with learners in ways that meet their individual needs. Be able to connect learners who share common goals and missions. Be sensitive but not internalize participants' reactions to growth and change. Be able to deal effectively with conflict and controversy. Be a people person while staying well organized and on top of multiple projects. Why become a site leader? Building leadership capacity within schools is an important outcome of the E-Learning Community experience, one that will benefit the school and participants alike. Site leaders with little prior experience leading teachers will feel a deeper sense of job satisfaction as they acquire and apply new skills. The collaborative nature of the program ensures that leaders and participants share experiences that help build professional and personal bonds that will last long after the program is completed. Administrators will have more success with future initiatives by being able to build on the knowledge, experience and cohesion that develop from a successful learning community experience. What is the time commitment for teachers? Course material has been carefully distilled and paced so that teachers should spend about an hour per week learning new material. Time may vary depending on a teacher's prior knowledge or interest. Teachers are encouraged to spend time meeting with colleagues and discussing course material. These sessions typically last about an hour. When a topic has been introduced and learned, teachers spend time applying it to their classrooms, actually implementing, measuring and adjusting their instruction. Within the program, teachers are gradually introduced to new concepts and encouraged to start with smaller scale implementations, and then move to larger efforts. The job-embedded nature of the program is a critical factor in achieving lasting results. How will this apply to teachers' day-to-day classrooms? E-Learning Communities are designed to ground teachers in the research basis of each topic area but really focus on its practical applications. Strategies and examples presented in our programs will directly impact their teacher by helping them make direct connections between course content and their students, allowing teachers to tailor applications to the needs of their classrooms. When do teachers do this? Most of the reading occurs outside of the classroom. Teachers may read course material at home, during their prep period, at site leader facilitated sessions, etc. Course readings are accessible online from any computer with an Internet browser and can also be downloaded in PDF format for even greater convenience. The implementation of new ideas occurs within classrooms during the school day. Are CEU and graduate credits available? E-Learning Communities are designed as half-year programs comprising, typically, an 8-10 week format that provides a minimum of 12 CEU's based on clock hour credit system tied to actual time online. Due to the amount of time teachers will spend implementing new strategies and meeting offline, we recommend that sites offer participants 24 or more CEU's. Actual CEU's are based on the criteria established by a site's certification agency. Optional graduate credit is available from Hamline University located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the University of California-Riverside. How are teachers compensated? In addition to CEU credits, teachers can be compensated in a variety of ways. Some sites have offered stipends, lane advancement credits, college credits and compensatory time for participation. Sites must consider what works for their unique situation. Our pricing structure is designed to be affordable for most schools, allowing maximum flexibility for the use of remaining funds. How much does an E-Learning Community cost? A building site license is only $2,950 per E-Learning Community. Thirty teachers may participate per site license. Volume discounts are available. What sources of funds can pay for this? Staff development budgets and grants are the primary source of funding. Many schools devote a significant portion of their staff development budget for substitute teachers and, because substitutes are not required for this program, schools can simply reallocate these funds to pay for the program. Other funding sources may include Title II or Special Education funds, as several programs helps classroom teachers work more effectively with students with special needs. Gifted and Talented funds are another possible source due to the fact that teachers skilled in modifying their instruction are more effective at challenging advanced students. Parent organizations and school foundations are additional sources of funding. Does this program require a lot of technology and bandwidth? Our philosophy is to use the appropriate amount of technology for delivering a quality learning experience. We have chosen to develop our E-Learning Communities using easily accessible and low bandwidth technologies so that a lack of technology or high speed connections aren't barriers to participants. Users can access their course from any computer with Internet access, a web browser and a 28.8K connection. How do I get my school started? First, review our list of E-Learning Communities and see which ones meet and complement your district and/or site's goals. Next, think about your site and its readiness for a sustained initiative. A building leadership council or team can provide guidance in this area. Think about potential site leaders and the participation of a core group of teachers whose leadership will help support the program. Look over the following Readiness Checklist and evaluate your district or site's readiness based on these criteria. If most of these elements are in place, your site will likely have success implementing an E-Learning Community.