Improve transmedia-curriculum professional development with classroom observation, Q&A-only webinars, and later scheduling¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Teachers in the evaluation offered concrete suggestions for improving the professional development accompanying the TEC Summer Learning Program. The report states: "Teachers suggested that the professional development training could be improved in a variety of ways, including: allow teachers to see the curriculum being implemented in an actual classroom, dedicate the webinars to questions and answers only (i.e. have teachers review the materials ahead of time), and schedule webinars later in the day for teachers on the west coast." These suggestions came from teacher exit surveys and interviews about which aspects of the model, including professional development, needed refinement.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• professional development webinars and curriculum materials precede implementation

Constraints¶

• suggestions reflect the summer-school OST context and west-coast teacher scheduling needs reported in this study

Target Learners¶

• early elementary teachers (grades 1-2) implementing transmedia curricula in summer programs

Target Learning Goals¶

• fidelity of implementation of transmedia literacy and mathematics curriculum

Related Strategies¶

• Tec Summer Learning Program Curriculum
• Use cross-sector collaborative tasks (classroom observation, operations alignment, curriculum development) as vehicles for educator professional development
• Layered implementation support: initial on-site training plus follow-up modeling, observations, coaching, and monthly virtual sessions
• Brief initial training with extensive follow-up coaching and on-site facilitation for whole-school program implementation
• Implement Reading Edge with two days of initial teacher training plus monthly in-class coaching and peer support structures
• Layered implementation support for teachers adopting a new science curriculum: preservice training, follow-up training, and a science coach
• Multi-format professional learning for curriculum implementation (on-site, virtual, blended, coaching)
• Support curriculum implementation with initial multi-day training plus ongoing onsite consultation during the school year

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• McCarthy, B., Michel, L., Tiu, M., Atienza, S., Rice, J., Nakamoto, J., & Tafoya, A. (2011). Evaluation of The Electric Company Summer Learning Program. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED533408