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Teacher Professional Development

2023 TEACHER-LEARNER DAYS

We have an impressive slate of workshops on offer during Teacher-Learner Days, which will be held on August 17, 21, 22, and 23. The location for all workshops will be announced later. Please use the form embedded below the schedule to register for the workshops of your choice.

 

Thursday, August 17 (Full Day)

RUN/LOCK/FIGHT  by Randy Radke & Run/Lock/Fight Team (8:30 - 3:30). ALL grades.

Monday, August 21 - Tuesday, August 22 (2 Full Days)

SAFETY CARE  by Jessica West-DeJarnatt, Mary Farber, and Leslie Richardson (8:30 - 3:30). ALL grades. Behavioral-based skills training for de-escalation and crisis management techniques for students with significant challenging behaviors.

Monday, August 21 (AM)

BASICS OF STANDARDS-BASED INSTRUCTION: WHY AND HOW WE USE IT  by Jenny Combs (8:30 - 11:30). ALL grades. The Why of SBI, Two Major Problems, 100 Point Scale Trap, Unpacking standards, Proficiency Scales (P-Scales), P-scale format, Year Long Context (YLC), Prioritization of Standards for the Purposes of Reporting.

USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM FOR SBI  by Matt Wenger  (8:30 - 11:30). Grades 5-8. This workshop will focus on how to use the tools available in Google Classroom in a way that applies to the middle school's change to SBI. This will include assigning and scoring 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 assessments, as well as how to use GC rubrics.

BUILDING A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE CLASSROOM  by Courtnay Ozanne (8:30 - 10:00). ALL grades. Behavioral-based skills training for de-escalation and crisis management techniques for students with significant challenging behaviors.

ENGLISH LEARNERS 101 - TEACHING ACADEMIC LANGUAGE FOR EVERYONE  by Sarah Miller Nehring and Mishawn Unrein  (10:30 - 11:30). ALL Grades. We will cover basic teaching strategies and communication tools for reaching ELs and their families. We will also cover tips on being more culturally aware in the classroom.

INTRO TO INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING  by Tom Lechner and Tobias Holleman (10:30 - 11:30). ALL Grades. An Introduction to facilitating Inquiry-Based Learning (with an emphasis on Project-Based Learning). Ideally, participants would take part in the working session held on Tuesday, August 22 to produce a project(s) for the 2023-24 school year.

Monday, August 21 (PM)

DATA-DRIVEN TEACHING: PROGRESS MONITORING, SMALL GROUPS, DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION  by Sam Bissell and Melissa Walker (12:30 - 3:30). Grades K-4. Using data/Fastbridge to progress monitor, group students, and differentiate by targeted skills.

USING INFINITE CAMPUS FOR SBI  by Matt Wenger (12:30 - 3:30). Grades 5-8. This session will be geared towards new teachers to the middle school, as well as current teachers that want an in-person overview and/or refresher on how to use Infinite Campus properly with the new SBI grading system. (Bring a Laptop)

NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP  by Denise Maczewski, Rachel White, and Brianna James (12:30 - 2:00). ALL Grades. Have you ever considered becoming National Board Certified? Do you know the perks of National Board Certification?  Find out what is required and how to get started.

CHATGPT AND 30 AI TOOLS FOR THE CLASSROOM  by Tom Lechner (12:30 - 2:00). ALL Grades. Wondering what’s all the fuss about ChatGPT and AI in education? This session will provide information on tools to make your life as a teacher a little easier.

ORGANIZING GOOGLE CLASSROOM  by Joy Bennett (2:00 - 3:30). Grades 5-12. An organized Google Classroom helps with teacher sanity and student organization. Learn how to provide a daily checklist, a weekly organization that works with GC's Table of Contents, and tips for helping your sub with what you've posted.

Tuesday, August 22 (AM)

YOUR FIRST 10 DAYS  by Sam Bissell and Melissa Walker (8:30 - 11:30). Grades K-4. Classroom management, expectations, planning, jumpstarting the year (targets first-year teachers).

ENVISION: RESOURCE INTRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION  by Alyssa Feddes (8:30 - 11:30). Grades 5-8. In this class, we will take time to explore and discuss the plethora of resources within the new ENVISIONS curriculum. We can discuss how this resource will match our YLC and adjust as needed.

BEHAVIOR BASICS: TOOLS & STRATEGIES - ELEMENTARY  by Liz Deshner (8:30 - 11:30). Grades K-6.Foundations for behavioral management at the Elementary or early Middle School level. Will cover some basic background on behavior and its function as well as real-time strategies, suggestions, resources, and connections for ongoing support.

INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING – PBL DESIGN SESSION  by Tom Lechner and Tobias Holleman (8:30 - 11:30). ALL Grades. Hands-on work designing Problem-Based Learning (PBL) experiences for use in your classroom during the 2023-24 school year. Lead your students’ inquiry process with a robust tool kit of resources and techniques.

TIER 1 SUPPORTS FOR ATTENTION DEFICITS AND DYSREGULATION IN THE CLASSROOM  by Alisha Grady and Rebecca Bassi (8:30 - 10:00). Grades K-4. The purpose of this workshop is to provide education and information including strategies and ideas to support students with attention deficits and dysregulation in an education setting.

INCLUSION FOR ALL!  by Casey Samollow and Niki McCormick (10:00 - 11:30). Grades K-8. Discussion of the range of disabilities some of our students' experience, how best to support them in the classroom for academics, and how to be an advocate for each student.

IEFA: DIVING DEEPER INTO THE ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDINGS AND EXPLORING AVAILABLE RESOURCES  by Mike Jetty (Montana OPI) (10:00 - 11:30). ALL Grades. Ideas, Resources and Strategies for Implementing Indian Education for All in your classroom.

Tuesday, August 22 (PM)

BEHAVIOR BASICS: TOOLS & STRATEGIES - SECONDARY  by Liz Deshner (12:30 - 3:30). Grades 7-12. Providing foundations for behavioral management at the Secondary level. Will cover some basic background on behavior and its function as well as real-time strategies, suggestions, resources, and connections for ongoing support.

APPRENTICESHIPS  by MT Department of Industry (12:30 - 2:00). Grades 9-12. Give information on industry apprenticeships throughout Montana and how to support our students.

FLYLEAF DEEP(ER) DIVE  by Sam Bissell (2:00 - 3:30). Grades K-2. A walkthrough of program components, demo of instructional strategies, and how to pair this with core resources.

BRIDGES OVERVIEW  by Melissa Walker (2:00 - 3:30). Grades K-4. We will do a walkthrough of the program components/materials.

Wednesday, August 23

BUILDING A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE CLASSROOM  by Courtnay Ozanne (8:30 - 10:00). ALL grades. Behavioral-based skills training for de-escalation and crisis management techniques for students with significant challenging behaviors.

ORGANIZING GOOGLE CLASSROOM  by Joy Bennett (10:00 - 11:30). Grades 5-8. An organized Google Classroom helps with teacher sanity and student organization. Learn how to provide a daily checklist, a weekly organization that works with GC's Table of Contents, and tips for helping your sub with what you've posted.

BEHAVIOR BASICS: TOOLS & STRATEGIES - ELEMENTARY  by Liz Deshner (12:30 - 2:00). Grades K-6. Foundations for behavioral management at the Elementary or early Middle School level. Will cover some basic background on behavior and its function as well as real-time strategies, suggestions, resources, and connections for ongoing support.

ENGLISH LEARNERS 101 - TEACHING ACADEMIC LANGUAGE FOR EVERYONE  by Sarah Miller Nehring and Mishawn Unrein  (2:00 - 3:30). ALL Grades. We will cover basic teaching strategies and communication tools for reaching ELs and their families. We will also cover tips on being more culturally aware in the classroom.