Covington Street IE Johnson Laurel Hill North Laurinburg Pate Gardner SAA Shaw South Scotland Wagram Washington Park
Dr. Barbara Howard
Scotland County School District is dedicated to the continuous improvement and learning of our educators in order to serve our students. To promote professional learning, teachers and building level administrators engage in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs). Each PLT meets for 60 – 90 minutes per week in a structured setting designed to allow team members to engage in these basic activities:
1. examine and analyze a wide range of student data; |
2. set specific team goals to address areas of concern; |
3. study relevant resources to gain skills in those areas; |
4. plan strategies and lessons together; |
5. apply these lessons in their own settings; |
6. analyze the outcomes of the lessons in order to refine or adjust; and |
7. examine resulting student data to determine next steps. |
Involvement in a Professional Learning Team brings teachers out of isolation into a collaborative support system.
For more information concerning Professional Learning Teams, please visit these websites:
http://www.nwrel.org/qualityteaching/PLT/index.asp http://www.serve.org/EdQuality/ProfLearnCom/
Helpful websites for teachers:
| Maximizing Time | This article (pdf) explores the research behind effective use of time and student achievement. Pacing a lesson requires skill and knowledge of both material and students. |
| At Risk Students | Students may be at risk of failing for a variety of reasons – many unrelated to student behavior or lack of motivation. This site offers insight into what teachers can do to increase the success of any student who is performing below potential. |
| A Positive Classroom Climate: | What can teachers do to make their classrooms more inviting and more conducive to learning? This site provides research-based tips and practical advice. |
| Classroom Climate: Looking at the research | This site offers guidance on developing a classroom climate to address the needs of students. |
| Maximizing Time | This article (pdf) explores the research behind effective use of time and student achievement. Pacing a lesson requires skill and knowledge of both material and students. |
| Looking beyond discipline | This site offers insight into the whys of disruptive student behavior – and what to do about it! |
| Assessing student interest and participation | This site offers tips on how to incorporate a more objective measurement of involvement that informs both you and your students. Based on the work by Rick Stiggins, the author provides step by step methods. |
| Finding Time for Professional Development | School initiatives often require new skills and knowledge. This site explores a variety of ways that work to help teachers incorporate their professional development into their work. It includes links to study groups, action research, and discussions by Linda Darling-Hammond and others. |
| Tapping into Teacher Professional Development | The Teacher Tap is a free, professional development resource that helps educators address common technology integration questions by providing practical, online resources and activities. |
| Continuous Professional Development (CPD) | This site offers resources and ideas to help novice and veteran teachers maintain that cutting edge. |
| Teacher Courses in Math and Statistics | Need a short course in teaching upper level math or stats? Visit this site to find out how to enroll and receive credit through the University of Illinois. |
| The National Staff Development Council | This is one of the leading sites for effective, high quality professional development of educators. It offers a variety of publications, resources, and conference news. Be sure to bookmark this site! You will want to keep in touch! |
Summer opportunities for professional development:
The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching invites teachers to these extraordinary professional development seminars: Visit NCCAT
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. ?John Cotton Dana
The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) provides a collegial and engaging environment for teachers'a place to learn, think, debate, and explore. The Center's seminars are relevant to all subjects taught in North Carolina's classrooms. Please invite the teachers in your school system to join us for one of the professional development seminars listed below at no expense to them or their school. NCCAT covers all program costs, including seminar expenses, meals, lodging, travel, and pay for the substitute teacher. Please take a moment to forward this message to your colleagues and encourage them to apply for an NCCAT seminar today by calling Teacher Services at 800-922-0482 or visiting www.nccat.org.
NCCAT Professional Development Seminars: January?May
Harlem Renaissance (Jan. 28-Feb. 1: Cullowhee)
Teaching Every Child: Inclusive Classrooms (Jan. 28-Feb. 1: Cullowhee)
Multicultural Mosaic: Music, Art, and Poetry (Feb. 4-8: Ocracoke)
Painting with Fire: The Science and History of Raku (Feb. 4-8: Cullowhee)
Sea Level Rise: The Impact of Climate Change on the Outer Banks (Feb. 11-15: Ocracoke)
Starry, Starry Night (Feb. 18-22: Cullowhee)
Visual Journal: Where the Image Meets the Word (Feb. 18-22: Cullowhee)
Left Behind: Children in Poverty (Feb. 25-29: Cullowhee)
Music, Media, and Violence (Feb. 25-29: Cullowhee)
Portraits of Faith: Spiritual Traditions of North Carolina (March 9-13: Cullowhee)
NC Writers: Discovering a Sense of Place, a Sense of Home (March 16-20: Cullowhee)
Experience Louvre Atlanta (March 24-28: Cullowhee and Atlanta)
Oral History: The Art of Storytelling (April 7-11: Cullowhee)
The Power of Words (April 7-11: Cullowhee)
New Neighbors: Latinos in North Carolina (April 14-18: Cullowhee)
Write from Your Roots (April 14-18: Cullowhee)
Young, Black, and Male in America (April 21-25: Cullowhee)
Teaching Writing through Children's Literature (April 28-May 2: Cullowhee)
The Back of Beyond: Portals to Our Mountain Past (April 28-May 2: Cullowhee)
From Juke Joint to Choir Loft: The Legacy of African American Music (May 12-16: Cullowhee)
The Art and Science of Boat Building (May 12-16: Ocracoke)
Who can attend? Teachers, Librarians/Media Specialists, School Counselors, School Psychologists, School Social Workers, and School Nurses who have been employed full-time in North Carolina public schools for at least three years and have not attended an NCCAT seminar within the past three years.
For more information, call Teacher Services at 800-922-0482 or visit www.nccat.org
To view a PDF, visit http://www.nccat.org/News_Items/Archives/2008/SD_08_sprg.pdf
To complete an application, visit:
http://www.nccat.org/docs/Application.pdf