Outline

     News

     Calendar

     Portfolios

     Assessment

     Performance

     Communication

     Lounge

Overview:   The job market in which today's students will spend the majority of their lives will differ significantly from that which was experienced by the current generation. Not only must teacher preparation change, but significant curriculum changes are also necessary to ensure America's economic viability and success in the next generation. "The way we organize schools and provide instruction is essentially the same as it was when our Founding Fathers went to school….We still educate our students based on an agricultural timetable, in an industrial setting, yet tell students they live in a digital age.” ~ Rod Paige U.S. Secretary of Education

This 27 hour professional development solution uses a blended approach to e-learning. Although all content is available online, three modules have been designed to be conducted in a scheduled local school district setting. This allows participants to share their work and discuss major  concepts together as a cohort.  The Outline identifies which modules can be completed independently and which ones should be conducted "live" with face-to-face interaction. The live modules are to be conducted by a local district teacher or administrator that is referred to throughout the modules as the learning Mentor. Some groups may provide their own leadership instead of having a designated Mentor. In this scenario, all members would meet for Module 1 and individuals would sign up to serve as Mentors facilitating one or more of the remaining 2 live face-to-face modules. Mentor notes are available for each live session and members choosing to serve as a Mentor should familiarize themselves with the Mentor notes before the scheduled session. All modules have been designed to help educators develop the insights, knowledge, and skills they need to become effective classroom and school leaders, better able to increase student learning. 

The overarching goal of this solution is to chart a path that will equip and prepare educators to align current curriculum and assessment with future job requirements, transitioning learning...      From: an Industrial Age model of teaching and learning      To: a Knowledge Age model of lifelong learning

The degree of quality in the instruction delivered to our diverse student population will directly impact both, America's future as a world leader in the Knowledge Age, and individual students' ability to create successful and fulfilling lives.

To better serve their diverse student groups, today's classroom teachers  need an understanding of the process of teaching and learning in the Knowledge Age. In this module learners will experience four distinct characteristics of Knowledge Age teachers. In each stage, teachers will encounter learning events that equip them to formulate answers to the following essential questions:

 1. Teacher as a Learning Guide

• What is Curriculum Mapping, and how does it improve teacher planning?

• How does the Backward Design Process improve teaching and learning? 

• How can educators guide students to both know and to truly understand?

2. Teacher as an Assessor & Evaluator

• What insights can be gained by viewing assessments from the learner's perspective? 

• What are the most effective ways to measure students' understanding?
• What is involved in developing a high-quality, comprehensive assessment plan? 

3. Teacher as a Counselor and Diagnostician

• How can educators effectively differentiate instruction for students based on their ability, temperament, interests, learning styles, and ways of thinking? 

4. Teacher as a Learning Environmentalist

• What role does technology play in Knowledge Age teaching and learning?

• How is the definition of what it means to "know something" changing, and what do those changes imply for educators?

Projects and activities in each module are aligned with the National Staff Development Council (NSCD) Standards for Staff Development. Staff development that improves the learning of all students:

I. Learning Communities - Organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district. 
II. Leadership - Requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement. 
III. Resources - Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration.
IV. Data-Driven - Uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement. 
V. Evaluation - Uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact. 
VI. Research-Based - Prepares educators to apply research to decision making. 
VII. Design - Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.
VIII. Learning - Applies knowledge about human learning and change.
IX. Collaboration - Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.
X. Equity - Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement.
XI. Quality Teaching - Deepens educators’ content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately. 
XII. Family Involvement - Provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately. 

If interested, download a PDF file that contains the 12 standards and the rationale for each of them.

Teachers will produce relevant products that can be used in the classroom. All products and performance tasks will be scored using either rubrics or checklists.

Performance Task (Standard)	Assigned	Due	Evaluation	Points
Create an Instructional Unit including Enduring Understanding, Essential Questions, 6 Facets of Understanding, Standards, and Motivational Introduction	Module 1	Module 9	Checklist	15
Curriculum Mapping Response	Module 1	Module 1	Checklist	5
Data Analysis on Standardized Testing	Module 2	Module 2	Holistic Rubric	5
Create a Needs Analysis for the Instructional Unit	Module 3	Module 3	Analytic Rubrics	10
Create Grading Rubrics (Analytic & Holistic)	Module 2	Module 6	Checklist	10
Grade Book Analysis for a Six-Week Period	Module 4	Module 4	Holistic Rubric	5
Develop a Plan for Student Portfolios	Module 4	Module 4	Holistic Rubric	5
Plan for Incorporating Emotional Intelligence	Module 5	Module 5	Holistic Rubric	5
Plan for Differentiating Instruction by Levels	Module 6	Module 7	Checklist	10
Plan for using Images and Simulation	Module 7	Module 7	Checklist	10
Multiple Intelligences Entry Points for Learners	Module 8	Module 8	Checklist	20
Group Member Presentations (I-VII)	Module 10	Module 10	Holistic Rubric	12
Total				100

	Dr. Chip Pike Quality Learning One Post Oak Tower Suite 500 Houston, TX 77056-3807 cpike@qualitylearning.net
	David Malone Quality Learning One Post Oak Tower Suite 500 Houston, TX 77056-3807 dmalone@qualitylearning.net

"One of the greatest challenges facing educators today is the need to customize instruction to meet the individual needs of each student. It is an undertaking that requires new knowledge and teaching skills. The content in this learning path has been designed to equip and prepare educators to meet the needs of learners in the Knowledge Age. Our country holds a place of world leadership because of the emphasis we have placed as a nation on education. The future demands that we concentrate our efforts on providing the highest quality of education for every child. In that regard, we hope you find this professional development experience both challenging and rewarding." 
~ Dr. Chip Pike

Student feedback is critical to the continuous improvement of Quality Learning courses. Learners are given an opportunity to provide electronic feedback to briefly rate the usefulness of each learning event in each module. The feedback learners provide enables the curriculum designers to revise and refine the content in an effort to achieve the highest quality learning resource.

© Quality Learning 2003