Beginning this past Friday, some of our teachers spent half a day with their grade-level counterparts from across our district to engage in job-embedded professional development. What is job-embedded PD? It is teacher training that occurs within the context of the teacher workday, and connected directly to district and school improvement initiatives.
For half of the day, once a month, the teachers of a selected grade level meet with Gail Bourn, our Academic Coordinator of Teaching and Learning -- Elementary. While with Mrs. Bourn and fellow grade level classroom teachers and interventionists, our teachers work to refine their understanding of new district curriculum standards (Mathematics, Reading, or Writing 'Non-Negotiables'), best instructional practices and techniques, and common assessment practices that will bring all of our schools to a high level of performance, and assure educational equity for all of our Laconia Elementary Students.
The topic of this collaborative professional study for the month of September was refining mathematics instruction techniques (we had the benefit of a visit from our district math consultant, Professor Mahesh Sharma, during our second week of school to support this learning). For October, our teachers will focus on learning and implementing our district's new Reading Non-Negotiables (developed this past summerby teachers and administrators during a professional learning institute right here in Laconia!).
Our job-embedded professional development program is just one aspect of our educational system here in Laconia that is head and shoulders above the rest. It demonstrates a strong commitment to teaching and learning, and our ongoing quest for individual and organizational improvement. As has been said before, for teachers at Woodland Heights, the learning never stops!
