Ever walk away from a training feeling totally excited about what you’ve learned only to get back to the real world and say to yourself “Now what”? I’ve been there – I’ve attended PD sessions where the presenter has been really engaging, covered a lot of in depth material and even made links to how this could benefit me in my role but one crucial component was missing – the “how”.
Knowing how frustrating and utterly vexing this can be, CLI makes a concerted effort to focus a big part of our trainings around the “how”. In fact, over 95% of teachers who provided feedback on CLI seminars this school year reported that they had taken action steps to implement the practices covered since attending the training. Here are a few stories of how teachers are taking what they learn at CLI trainings and implementing them in their classrooms:
I have incorporated quick games as transitions, more sorts, and incorporated one minute practices in my group work. We word play in the bathroom line, on the way to the lunchroom, and when we are waiting to be picked up.
-Phonics and Phonological Awareness Seminar Attendee, Kindergarten
[Since the training, I have] created a guided reading binder with the following tabs: class list, student individual goals, reading level skills, prompt questions, reading groups/list, and a tab for each individual student.
-Guided Reading Seminar Attendee, 3rd Grade
I have implemented many of the lessons and strategies I learned. Instilling a community-based classroom with anchor charts for procedures, having the students contribute to those has made a noticeable difference.
-Creating and Managing the Literacy Environment Seminar Attendee, 2nd Grade
I have implemented the interactive processes of modeling thinking in writing and tiers of vocabulary to engage learning through scaffolding and enhance differentiation.
-Message Time Plus Seminar Attendee, 1st Grade
While we make sure teachers leave our trainings with actionable ways to incorporate these practices into their instruction, additional in-classroom support with CLI’s Professional Developers only enhances teacher’s learning.
The Professional Developer was able to model different activities that can be implemented effectively in the classrooms. [My CLI PD] also provided information of why it was important and how to implement these activities. The different activity ideas were very helpful in order to make planning easier.
-1st Grade Teacher who attended CLI’s Phonics and Phonological Awareness Seminar
My CLI coach has come in to my classroom and modeled guided reading for me, as well as set up an appointment so that I may observe another teacher at another school.
-2nd Grade Teacher who attended CLI’s Guided Reading Seminar
[My coach has been] helping to develop the classroom community by giving feedback on what is done and said in the classrooms. She has also given suggestions on making procedure anchor charts.
-Creating and Managing the Literacy Environment Attendee, 2nd Grade
Are you working on implementing any of these practices? What are some of the strategies you’re implementing? Feel free to share some ideas in the comment box below.
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