The Learning Classroom: Lessons for Life
This program describes what conditions are needed for knowledge and skills learned in one context to be retrieved and applied to a novel situation, and how different teaching strategies can increase the possibilities for transfer. The program features a fourth-grade teacher and a seventh and eighth-grade teacher, with expert commentary from Lee S. Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The Learning Classroom: Expectations for Success
Teachers can enhance their students’ motivation by encouraging them to be thoughtfully and critically engaged in the learning process, by supporting their drive for mastery and understanding, and by helping them become self-confident. This program takes a second look at classrooms seen in previous workshops from The Learning Classroom in order to show how motivational techniques work in concert with other learning theories. Stanford University School of Education Dean Deborah Stipek adds her insight to this program.
The Learning Classroom: Pulling It All Together
This program discusses how schools can organize for powerful learning through a coherent, connected approach to teaching and learning that is reinforced and supported by structural features. This session features the staff and students of two schools: a public school in Michigan serving grades three through eight and a first-year charter school in California. Host Linda Darling-Hammond provides expert commentary.
Grey Matters: Teaching the Way the Brain Learns
The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model creates a framework that combines neuroscience research and best practices. The aim is to give teachers practical strategies that result in helping students connect to content in meaningful ways to achieve deeper learning and can be applied in any subject area. This course is an introduction to the model in action, seen through the eyes of students, educators, and Dr. Mariale Hardiman, author of The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model for 21st-Century Schools.
The Writing Revolution
Although educators know the importance of being able to write well, many teachers admittedly feel ill-prepared to effectively teach this skill to their students. In this brief overview, participants will hear from Dr. Dina Zoleo and Dr. Toni-Ann Vroom, as they present an introduction to the Hochman Method, created by Judith Hochman, founder of The Writing Revolution (TWR).
The Hochman Method consists of a series of explicitly taught, evidence-based strategies that can be used across grade levels and subject areas to help students produce clear, unified, and structured writing. While this overview does not teach the components of the Hochman Method, it does address the importance of having a solid plan for teaching the skill of writing. The Writing Revolution recommends that educators intending to implement the Hochman Method enroll in and complete an introductory course to learn the method in its entirety.
After viewing this introductory overview, those who are interested in participating in a full TWR training should visit the Arkansas & TWR page linked at the bottom of this course under "Instructional Resources." There, educators can find more information about enrolling in a TWR course.
Literacy Design Collaborative: Developing Literacy with LDC in Arkansas Schools
The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) offers educators an instructional design system for infusing literacy instruction across content areas while also engaging students in rigorous exploration of subject content. Teachers in Gentry High School adopted the LDC Framework in attempt to improve their instructional practice and student achievement. This course features four high school teachers who implemented LDC in their classroom; each sharing the challenges and achievements with building and utilizing LDC modules with their students.
This course was taped on location at Gentry High School in Gentry, Arkansas from May 18-22, 2014.
Dyslexia Intervention: The Science of Implementation
Barbara Wilson, author and co-founder of Wilson Language Training, has worked with individuals with dyslexia for many years and has learned a great deal about the implementation of successful dyslexia programs. In this course, Ms. Wilson shares what she has learned about implementation science as it pertains to dyslexia and school reform, including the conditions that lead to full and effective use of evidence-based dyslexia programs. Ms. Wilson also discusses Arkansas dyslexia law and the challenges administrators and teachers are likely to face as new dyslexia programs are implemented.
This course was recorded at the 2016 Teaching and Learning Conference hosted by Guy Fenter Co-op at the Fort Smith Convention Center on October 6, 2016. It pertains to the implementation of Acts 1294 of 2013 and 1268 of 2015 and the importance of ensuring teachers receive adequate professional awareness training on the characteristics of dyslexia and the importance of providing evidence-based interventions.
Improv in the Classroom: Using Improvisation to Teach Skills and Boost Learning
"Games" are sometimes looked down upon by teachers who overlook the intrinsic value of play in the educational process. Katherine McKnight, Ph.D. shares several creative ways to get students moving and thinking in the classroom. She introduces a brief history of and justification for play in the classroom before calling on several groups of volunteers to help her energetically demonstrate improvisation activities and discuss their application across content areas.
This course was recorded at the Teaching and Learning Conference at the Fort Smith Convention Center on October 6, 2016.
Spotlights on Success: Recognizing True School Achievement
In this course, Dr. Gary Ritter, Director of The Office for Education Policy (OEP) and Misty Newcomb, Director of Outreach of the OEP at the University of Arkansas, highlight five high-performing Arkansas elementary schools. An overview of the growth at these schools is provided and panelists from the five schools observed discuss characteristics of their school's leadership and facility. The culture of each of these schools is discussed and evidence about the role of leadership in closing the achievement gap is given. This presentation was originally a part of the University of Central Arkansas Summer Leadership Institute, which took place in June of 2011.
Five Levers for Learning: Prioritizing Efforts for Powerful Results
In this course, Dr. Tony Frontier focuses on five levers that can unlock the potential for lasting improvement in teaching and learning. He presents a comprehensive framework for analyzing and supporting school improvement initiatives for positive impact.
For an in-depth study of this work you will need access to the book: Five Levers to Improve Learning: How to Prioritize for Powerful Results in Your School.
This course, presented by Dr. Tony Frontier of Cardinal Stritch University, was recorded at the AASCD annual conference at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas on June 9, 2014.