High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part One: Introduction, Background, and Adoption

What counts as high-quality instructional material? Why is it important for schools to adopt high-quality materials? Get the answers to these questions and more in the first of four courses dedicated to helping districts adopt and implement instructional resources that will lead to the academic gains they want to see in their student population. This course is designed to inform educators who are in the very beginning process of adopting or considering the adoption of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM).  

High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part Two: Initial Implementation

After the adoption of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), schools face the task of implementing it. Change can be difficult, so in this second course from the High-Quality Instructional Material series, hosts Christina Muñoz and Alyson Courtney sit down with leaders in education from the Arkansas Department of Education and other organizations throughout the nation to discuss the benefits of implementation and how district and school leaders can be a force in that change. Additionally, leaders from Jonesboro Public Schools share their experience of the implementation of HQIM in their schools.  

High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part Three: Ongoing Support for Teachers

How can schools keep high-quality instructional materials working well long after they’re adopted? This course dives into how teachers and leaders can get the ongoing support they need to use their materials effectively. You’ll hear from experts and Arkansas district teams on practical ways to align curriculum with professional learning, use data to guide instruction, collaborate across schools, and keep teaching strong year after year. The course will also cover how to tailor training to different teacher needs, build sustainable systems of support, and make sure students benefit from high-quality instruction in every classroom.

High-Quality Instructional Materials, Part Four: Ongoing Implementation Support for Leaders

In order for school districts to see the results they wish to achieve with their high-quality instructional materials, it is important that they faithfully implement the curriculum over a long period of time. In this fourth and final course from the High-Quality Instructional Materials series, hosts Christina Muñoz and Alyson Courtney sit down with leaders in education from the Arkansas Department of Education and other organizations throughout the nation to discuss how to best educate and support school leaders so that they can understand the purpose and structure of the district's curriculum, as well as provide teachers the kind of support that will lead to long-term implementation. In addition, viewers will hear from leaders at two Arkansas school districts as they share what their years-long implementation journey has been like and what lessons they have learned along the way. 

The Learning Classroom: How People Learn

This program introduces the main themes of the course. Teacher interviews and classroom footage illustrate why learning theory is at the core of good classroom instruction and demonstrate the broad spectrum of theoretical knowledge available for use in classroom practice.

The Learning Classroom: Learning As We Grow

This program examines the concept of readiness for learning and illustrates how developmental pathways - including physical, cognitive, and linguistic - all play a part in students’ learning. Featured are a first-grade teacher, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher, and a senior physics teacher, with expert commentary from University of California at Santa Cruz professor Roland Tharp and Yale University professor James P. Comer.

The Learning Classroom: Building on What We Know

This course covers how prior knowledge, expectations, context, and practice affect processing, using information, and making connections. Featured are a first-grade teacher, a ninth- and tenth-grade mathematics teacher, and a special education teacher, with expert commentary from Stanford University professor Roy Pea.

The Learning Classroom: Different Kinds of Smart

This course delves into Harvard University professor Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and describes how people have learning skills that differ in significant ways. Featured are teachers who share a class of five- through eight-year-olds, including several mainstreamed special needs students, and a ninth- and tenth-grade social studies teacher, with expert commentary from Howard Gardner.

The Learning Classroom: Feelings Count

This course introduces ways to create an emotionally safe classroom to foster learning and to deal effectively with emotions and conflicts. Featured are a fifth-grade teacher and an eighth-grade band teacher, with expert commentary from Daniel B. Goleman, author of the book, Emotional Intelligence, and Yale University Professor James P. Comer.

The Learning Classroom: The Classroom Mosaic

This program discusses how culturally responsive teaching enables students to create connections, access prior knowledge and experience, and develop competence. Featured are a sixth-grade teacher and two ninth-grade teachers, with expert commentary from University of Wisconsin professor Gloria Ladson-Billings and University of Arizona professor Luis Moll.