One of the priorities that emerged from Council meetings in January-May 2016 was to use parent-raised monies to increase the budget for professional development for our teachers, staff, and administration. In addition, we are launching the Longview Fund to further bolster this important component that we feel has the ability to transform teaching and learning. Below are many of the courses and trainings we have attended and subsequently have shared with our colleagues. We are grateful for your support and are inspired to continue to modeling lifelong and self directed learning for our students.
16-17 Professional Development
Name | Title of Course | Content | Date | Organization | How do you intend to use it at Horizons? | HK-8 funded? |
Peter Lauren Lynn Rachel | Creating Cultures of Thinking:Learning to Leverage the 8 Forces that Shape the Culture of Groups, Classrooms, and Schools | School Culture/Diversity | 9-12/16 | Harvard University Graduate School of Education | Why and how can schools become places where thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted? How do environments bring out the best in people, take learning to the next level, allow for great discoveries, and propel both the individual and the group forward into a lifetime of learning? | HK8 |
All Faculty | Curriculum Alignment | School Culture/Diversity | 6/16 | Horizons K-8 | The full faculty came together to continue our work on aligning our curriculum K-8. | HK8 |
Lynn Christy Karen |
Colorado Council International Reading Conference | Literacy | 2/16 | Colorado Council International Reading Conference | Workshops to help us further meet needs of students and their reading and writing needs. | HK8 |
Rachel | SMART 1 | Social Emotional Learning | 1-4/16 | SMART via BVSD | The program involves experiential activities in mindfulness including:meditation,emotional awareness, and movement. | |
Rachel | Creating Engaged Classrooms | Social Emotional Learning | 1/16 | Passageworks | Practices and principles that foster students’ social, emotional, and academic development and also support teachers to develop and sustain an intentional teaching practice. | HK8 |
Jaclyn Gretchen |
BoysTown Well Managed Schools | School Culture/Diversity | 10/16 | BVSD–Boys Town | Implementing school-wide approach that fosters respectful and caring staff-student interactions by fundamentally changing the way schools address discipline and student behavior | BVSD |
Gretchen | Dyslexia Hack | Special Education | 11/16 | SpEd teacher with dyslexia | Presentations on brain research and changing the way we understand and embrace dyslexia | BVSD |
Stacey Lauren |
International Society for Technology in Education Conference | Technology | 6/16 | ISTE | Harnessing the power of technology to advance learning and teaching to support student learning. | BVSD |
Stacey | STEM Forum and Expo | Technology | 7/16 | National Science Teachers Association | Brought together educators who are interested in successful implementation of STEM education into our schools and communities. | HK8 |
Jim Lauren |
NCTM Algebra Conference | Math | 7/16 | National Council of Teachers of Mathematics | Focused on problem based learning of mathematics, deep discussions between students, students presenting their thinking and listening to the understanding of others. | HK8 |
Lis Shannon |
Courage to Risk Conference | Special Education | 1/17 | Courage to Risk Conference | Presented and attended workshops on education for students with diverse learning needs | HK8 |
Emmy | English Language Development and Acquisition | Literacy | 14-16 | CU-Denver | Courses dedicated to providing teachers with tools and resources to work with non-native English speakers, increase cultural awareness and practice, academic language, and conversation. | DPS |
Kate | Sparking STEM | Technology | 2/16 | Growing Scientists | Promoted hands-on science education. Use of the 5 E’s (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, Evaluate) | Adams 12 |
John Lauren Julie |
Consensus/Shared Decision Making | 3/16 | Finding New Ground/Bob Chadwick/BVSD | Exposure to new models of shared decision making for Horizons K-8 | BVSD | |
John | K-8 Administrator Cadre | School Culture/Diversity | 14-16 | Colorado BOCES | Support with K-8 configuration, scheduling, discipline, unified improvement plan, and the uniqueness of the K-8 model. | HK8 |
Natalie Shannon Jen Leanne Pam Beth |
Orton Gillingham | Literacy | 8/16 | Orton Gillingham | Phonics-based approach to reading, writing and spelling using visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic teaching techniques | HK8 |
Lynn Christy |
CCIRA | Literacy | 2/17 | Colorado Council of Independent Readers Association | Focused on reading and writing strategies. | HK8 |
Beth | Math – Differentiation & Innovation in K-12 Mathematics | Math | 9/16- 5/17 | BVSD | More ideas for how to differentiate in both directions for math instruction. | BVSD |
Wendy | Teaching in the Digital Age | Technology | 10/16 | BVSD | 21 Century learning and how to use it to engage your students in a blended classroom. | BVSD |
Nichole Stacey Lauren |
Google Apps for Education | Technology | 11/16 | G-Suite | For use in our classrooms and planning. Stacey presented the different uses of Google Apps to the entire staff. | |
Katie | National Conference for the Teaching of English Annual Convention | Literacy | 11/16 | National Conference for the Teaching of English | As a presenter, I taught ELA teachers about the Engaged Humanities using our project weeks as an example of how students can apply ELA and SS skills to enact empathy. As an attendee, I learned relevant trends and processes in writing instruction and reading comprehension. | HK8 sub |
Katie | CLAS Conference | Literacy | 10/16 | Colorado Language Arts Society | As a presenter, I taught ELA teachers about the Engaged Humanities using our project weeks as an example of how students can apply ELA and SS skills to enact empathy. As an attendee, I learned relevant trends and processes in writing instruction and reading comprehension. | |
Katie | Jostens 5280 Summer Workshop | yearbook | 6/16 | Jostens | How to use new yearbook building resources and became familiar with connecting CCSS standards to journalism instruction. | HK8 |
Katie | Art & Instruction: Interactive Strategies for Engaging with Art | Literacy | 4/16 | The Museum of Modern Art | I learned new techniques for incorporating the visual arts into literacy instruction. | No cost |
Katie | Hyperdocs Bootcamp | Technology | 10/16 | EdTechTeam | I learned the pedagogy behind creating hyperdocs. This allows me to differentiate learning and build opportunity for students to be digital creators and collaborators in a self-paced, self-directed online learning forum. | HK8 |
Karen | Reading in the Rockies: Dyslexia Conference | Literacy | 10/16 | Reading in the Rockies International Dyslexia Association | Workshops provided a deeper understanding in identifying warning signs of dyslexia in oral language, reading and writing. In addition I learned several resources to access for teachers and families and classroom accommodations for students with dyslexia. | yes |
Christy | Teachers of Color and Allies Summit | School Culture/Diversity | 10/15 | CU Boulder | Conference brings new ideas about how to support students as individuals while acknowledging how their membership in groups, cultures, families impact their experiences and understanding. | HK8 |
Christy | Teachers of Color and Allies Summit | School Culture/Diversity | 10/11/16 | CU Boulder | Looking at what students are “invisible” in my classroom/group. Strategies to look at participation rates for all students. Equity work conversations with BVSD teachers. | HK8 |