Friday, March 10 is Professional Development Day at ACPS. A wide array of opportunities for employees to enhance their knowledge and grow professionally are available through ACPS. Now through March 10 we will be focusing on programs that are offered on Professional Development Day. Take a look at this week’s highlights and sign up for a program today on the PLMS website.
Coding in the K-3 Classroom with Dash and Dot
How can I use coding and robotics to strengthen engagement and student learning in my classroom? This course is for grant recipients provided with a Coding in the K-3 Classroom Kit to support a rich learning environment, allowing students to experience rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning opportunities. Participants in this course will receive professional learning for coding in the classroom and utilizing Dash and Dot robots with students in the elementary grades. #14756
Perspectives – Presented by Sara Wicht for Teaching Tolerance
How can my lesson plans help facilitate inclusive learning? Perspectives is a comprehensive, literacy-based K-12 curriculum that provides students the opportunity to engage deeply with meaningful texts, allowing them to read, discuss, write about and critique ideas from four unique anti-bias perspectives: identity, diversity, justice and action. The Perspectives anthology provides students with windows into others’ realities as well as mirrors that reflect their experiences and underscore the interconnections of our personal, familial and community identities. #14709
During this highly interactive learning opportunity participants will:
- Describe the goals of anti-bias education and apply them to your practice
- Explore the Perspectives central text anthology and practice diverse text selection
- Explore literacy-based instructional strategies and assessment tasks and explain their alignment with the standards and critical literacy
- Integrate Perspectives for a Diverse America into your own authentic planning and practice
Behavior Strategies for Working with Students with Autism for Special Ed Paraprofessionals
How can paraprofessionals implement the latest research about supporting students with Autism in special and general education environments? Participants will review current research about best practices and engage in role-play to practice implementing new strategies. The focus of the session will be providing paraprofessionals with strategies specific to supporting students with Autism. #14790
Creating a Community of Collaboration by Sharing Exemplar Lesson Planning Resources
ACPS EL teachers, classroom teachers and EL Instructional Specialists will work together to review, modify, and submit exemplar lesson plans to a district-wide shared website for ACPS teacher use. The experience and expertise of participants is the core of this session. As a result, all attendees are asked to bring at least one example of an exemplar lesson plan (one of their own or one from a colleague) to share. #14782
Books as Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Doors
How can ACPS educators learn about how and why to connect their students with culturally relevant books? If you love learning about the latest in high quality children’s literature, this session is for you! We know that students who choose to read are good readers. We believe that teachers who know great culturally-relevant books can best help connect our students with books they will want to read. Participants will join national consultant Amelia Van Name Larsen to learn the best of the best in using culturally relevant books, then proceed to select free books. By the end of the session, teachers will be able to share how they might connect a reluctant reader with a specific culturally-relevant book. #14810
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