Professional Development Opportunities E-News from OCM BOCES Instructional Support
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October 2016






Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment:
Regional Sessions

The annual catalog of regional sessions available through OCM BOCES for 2016-17 is mostly complete and you can view on My Learning Plan. OCM BOCES component districts register for regional sessions at no additional cost.




Collaboratives

The intention of these groups is to communicate information, provide a forum for sharing and collaboration across districts all towards building capacity and working towards continuous improvement.  Audience is teachers, teacher leaders, administrators.  Collaboratives will focus on the practice or implementation of curriculum, instruction and assessment.



K-6 Literacy Collaborative - Dec 13
This Literacy Collaborative is an opportunity for K-6 teachers to come together and explore instructional practices and strategies for improving literacy outcomes for all students. Participants will be able to collaborate with and learn from each other, share ideas and best practices and plan for the application of new learning in a supportive environment. If you are a K-6 teacher looking to continuously improve literacy instruction for your students, please join us!



7-12 Literacy Collaborative - October 25 and Nov 15
Are you interested in engaging your students in deeper learning of your content area through literacy-based instruction? If you answered "yes" to this question, please join the 7-12 Literacy Collaborative. Participants will have the opportunity to explore, apply, and share literacy-based instructional strategies that work in any content area.



PreK-5 Mathematics Collaborative - November 7
This is an opportunity for elementary teachers in PreK - grade 5 to come together to learn, reflect, share successes, collaborate and plan for mathematics instruction within a supportive community. Participants will be able to work with others in their grade band to explore new strategies, share successful practices and refine existing lessons to meet Common Core Standards for Content and Practice. Participants will be connected via a Schoology site for continued communication throughout the school year.



6-8 Mathematics Collaborative - December 5
This is an opportunity for middle level teachers in grades 6 - 8 to come together to learn, reflect, share successes, collaborate and plan for mathematics instruction within a supportive community. Participants will be able to work with others in their grade band to explore new strategies, share successful practices and refine existing lessons to meet Common Core Standards for Content and Practice. Participants will be connected via a Schoology site for continued communication throughout the school year.



Social Studies Collaborative - November 30
These facilitated sessions are for K-12 teachers and administrators who participated in the Summer 2015 and Summer 2016 Social Studies Curriculum Work to continue the process of curriculum mapping, unit design and inquiry writing. Participants will collaborate to share information, ideas and instructional practices on the teaching and learning of social studies content and skills. Participants may sign up for a single session or for multiple sessions, as desired



Instructional Coaches Collaborative - Dec 1
This is an opportunity for Instructional Coaches to come together to learn, reflect, share successes, collaborate and plan within a supportive community. We will focus on developing and refining the knowledge, skills and mindsets necessary to have successful 1:1 coaching conversations and to lead effective teams.




Leadership

Leadership Groups

Leadership groups will meet less frequently than collaboratives with the focus on sharing, planning and collaborating.  The intention is to build capacity of systems.  Information is intended to be shared with other groups within your district.



Literacy Leadership - October 25
Literacy Leadership offers administrators and teacher leaders the tools they can use to plan for a culture of literacy. Planning for literacy with the intent to improve all students' literacy skills involves collaborative leadership and research-based literacy practices. Join Literacy Leadership to learn more about how to lead for literacy.



Math Leadership - November 14
Math Leadership group will meet three times during the year (please register for each session individually). The purpose of the group is to share information from SED , BOCES and from districts to the region and with each other, The desired outcome is to support each other as individuals, as well as, systems towards continuous improvement in the instruction of mathematics. Participants will have opportunity to collectively explore resources to build capacity. All information, materials, and protocols will be available for turn-key purposes.



Social Studies Leadership Network - November 17
This network of Social Studies leadership will meet to serve as a conduit for information, learning and discussion about the New York State K-12 Social Studies Framework, assessments, and best practices in Social Studies classrooms. Social Studies teacher leaders and administrators will work collaboratively to expand their own knowledge and expertise, and, in turn, provide leadership to their own schools and districts.




Classroom Culture

Shaping Mindsets - Nov 1 (AM) or  Nov 1 (PM)
During this introductory workshop, educators will explore research and resources to understand how shaping student mindsets can motivate them to work harder, be more persistent and achieve more. Research by Stanford's Carol Dweck and others have found that students who were told their brains can change had a "growth mindset" and were more likely to have successful outcomes than those who were not told. Discover how shaping student mindsets can help boost academic motivation, persistence and performance and raise student achievement.



Responsive Classroom® Advanced Course:
EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT RCAC
(Formerly known as RC2. ) Prerequisite RCC or RC1 - Dec 7 and 8
Effective Management Module (RCAC): Create a calm, orderly environment that promotes autonomy and enables students to focus on learning.

Topics in this 2-day (14-hour) module include: 

  • Positive teacher language 
  • Classroom Organization 
  • Role-play 
  • Strategies for building empathy and responding to misbehavior 
  • Problem-solving Conferences




Standards

Standards and Instruction

Social Studies Content
Support for Ninth Grade
Global Teachers
- November 2
What do teachers of 9th Grade Global History need to know about the content and the Social Studies Practices to help their students succeed? What has changed in the NYS Social Studies Framework for 9th Grade Global History and what has stayed the same? What kinds of thinking do students need to do? Dr. John Langdon, professor of history at Le Moyne College and member of the NYSED Content Advisory Panel, will help participants prioritize the Key Ideas in the 9th Grade Framework, and explore sources that are essential for students' understanding of the concepts and connections of Global History.



Standards Based Planning for the 21 Century:
Instruction for All
- November 9
An important goal of the workshop is for participants to become comfortable with and build skills at using the standards-based planning process. *What makes planning for teaching and learning in a standards-based environment different from planning for teaching and learning in a non-standards based environment? Why are these differences significant?

  • How can we Frame the Learning so that the what, why, and how of the learning are clear to learners?
  • What are the ways that we can engage our learners in active, meaningful learning?
  • How can we structure learning experiences so that instruction, learning, and assessment are integrated?
  • How do we ensure balance and appropriateness in the design, selection, and use of a wide range of classroom assessment tools?

This series infuses the work of reform in NYS with solid proven instructional and assessment practices. It includes the elements from ITIP.



Instructional Rounds:
A Collaborative Process to Improve Instruction
- November 30
In this workshop, we will explore the building blocks of Instructional Rounds with an emphasis on why we might engage in this form of professional development and how we will implement the practice into our professional learning. I often tell participants that Instructional Rounds is the most selfish form of professional development because it is all about improving our own practice. Come see how Instructional Rounds can be an incredible opportunity to support professional growth!



Total Participation Techniques: Active Engagement - Dec 13 AM
Looking to increase active and cognitive engagement for all of your students? Total Participation Techniques are a fun and easy-to-implement way to get responses from every student and increase motivation for learning. Research shows that for every 10 minutes of new information, students need at least 2 minutes for processing. Total Participation Techniques will get students talking, drawing, thinking and writing at high levels about the content of your class and will give you the information you need to know what they're learning before it's too late to repair misunderstandings.




Project Based Learning

PBL Gears

PBL 101 for Secondary
Educators
- Begins November 2
PBL 101 is a foundational four-day workshop inspired by the work of the Buck Institute for Education, New Tech Network, Edutopia and Expeditionary Learning. It provides attendees with the skills and knowledge needed to design, assess and manage a rigorous, relevant, and standards-based project. The workshop is a balanced blend of direct instruction, video analysis, hands-on work time, resource sharing, and peer collaboration and feedback. 



PBL 101 for K-12 Educators - December 7,8,13 and 14
PBL 101 is a foundational four-day workshop inspired by the work of the Buck Institute for Education, New Tech Network, Edutopia and Expeditionary Learning. It provides attendees with the skills and knowledge needed to design, assess and manage a rigorous, relevant, and standards-based project. The workshop is a balanced blend of direct instruction, video analysis, hands-on work time, resource sharing, and peer collaboration and feedback.



PBL 201 Mastering the Project Calendar:
Manage Activities
- December 21
PBL practitioners will learn how to develop a well-balanced project calendar to tame the messy middle of a project. During this interactive workshop, participants will develop a project calendar that reflects a balanced approach to student learning. The afternoon time will be collaborative work time for participants to use to update projects and calendars with a PBL coach in the room for support.



Shaping Mindsets - November 1
During this introductory workshop, educators will explore the research and resources on mindset to understand how shaping student mindsets can motivate them to work harder, be more persistent and achieve more. Research by Stanford's Dr. Carol Dweck and others have found that students who were told their brains can change had a "growth mindset" and were more likely to have successful outcomes. Discover how shaping student mindsets can help boost academic motivation, persistence and performance and raise student achievement.

Expected outcomes

  • Apply mindset research to change student attitudes, goals and achievement
  • Teach students about their brains and how this can help them be successful
  • Use strategies to increase student motivation, learning and performance
    Sign up on MLP for this half-day workshop on shaping mindsets.

MLP registration links

In case you missed some blogs by our team

Joanne Keim

Joanne Keim shares a coaching tool she recently used to center thinking and planning on alignment of standards, products and driving questions.


Denise Pawlewicz

Denise Pawlewicz offers specific questions to not only guide the formation of Professional Learning Communities but to also reflect on where your building is regarding a PLC  culture.


Jack McLoughlin

Jack McLoughlin explores what fluency means in mathematics.


Jenny Fanelli

Jenny Fanelli urges teachers of Social Studies to continue to plan and reflect on anticipated changes for Social Studies instruction and assessment.


Lynn Radicello

Lynn Radicello reviewed a text from the OCM BOCES digital book collection:  Turning High Poverty Schools into High Performing Schools by William H. Parrett and Kathleen M. Budge.  The central message is that there are specific actions that we can STOP and ones we can START to increase student engagement and learning and that demographics do not equal destiny.


Patrick Shaw

Patrick Shaw wrote a heartfelt blog regarding public discipline systems and the potential long-term impact.      





Through Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment component districts have the opportunity to send participants to regional offerings at no additional fees.  Other districts may also attend and fees apply. Regional offerings are developed based on district input and expressed interests.   Additional focus areas or alternative dates may be arranged especially for a district using included days or at regular daily rates.   CI&A facilitates support for instruction through coaching, regional sessions and direct in-district work.

  • In-District Days: Districts may contract for specialized work or projects by contacting Lynn Radicello at lradicel@ocmboces.org
  • Coaching:  OCM BOCES offers direct instructional coaching in the areas of literacy, Project Based Learning, math and general instructional coaching. Districts may arrange for coaching by contacting Lynn Radicello at lradicel@ocmboces.org


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© 2016 OCM BOCES Instructional Support. For more info, please contact Lynn Radicello