ATTENTION!! Four TDOE May Content Institutes Have Been Added to the Spring 2009 Schedule!! See Below for Details.

Professional Development Programs for Teachers
[Thursdays 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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Live Webcasting - Please check schedule below for program times.

 

{MTKT0809SP-02} Looking Up and Thinking about the Moon: A Teacher’s Guide [Billy Hix, Professor, Motlow State Community College, Marshall Space Flight Center/NASA; and Terry Sue Fanning, Curriculum and Technology Director, Moore County Schools] Billy and Terry Sue explore "what is up" as Billy tries to build a moon rocket and use a map to plot a course to the moon. They review past journeys to the moon and visit Bob Armstrong at Marshall Space Flight Center to learn about the new Ares rocket that will take us back to the moon. Back in the studio, they explore map reading and other issues regarding the moon and a return journey. [Teachers, grades 3-6; Thursday, January 29, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SP-04} Getting to Know the New Tennessee Mathematics Standards for Grades 7-12 [Dr. Jeremy Winters, Department of Elementary and Special Education, MTSU; Cindy Cliche, Homer Pittard Campus School, Rutherford County Schools; and Tammy Jones, Independent Math Consultant] This program reviews the new Tennessee mathematics standards that will take effect in 2009-2010, focusing on the standards for grades 7-12. The session will begin with a general overview of the changes and why the changes were made. Next, the audience will be engaged in activities that will illustrate the differences between the new and old standards. [Mathematics teachers, grades 7-12; Thursday, February 5, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SPEC-SPO1} Differentiated Instruction: Tiers Without Tears [2009 Fox Reading Conference for Professional Development] Dr. Susan L. Hall, Founder and President of 95 Percent Group Inc., will present an in-depth discussion of differentiated instruction. Program topics will include the benefits of universal screening, progress monitoring and skill grouping; collection and use of data to form tiers and groups; and models for implementing differentiated instruction. Resources for planning and implementing differentiated instruction will be provided. [Teachers and administrators, grades K-12; Saturday, February 7, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CST, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SP-06}Do it Your Way: Manage to Excel [Dr. Phillip Waldrop, Associate Dean for Teacher Education, MTSU] Research indicates that classroom management is one of the most frequently mentioned problems by both beginning and experienced teachers. This session is directed toward beginning teachers, wherever you find yourself. Participants will gain specific strategies for improving the flow of classrooms so that students can be successful in learning and behavior problems can be minimized. [Beginning teachers, grades K-12 Thursday, February 12, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SP-08}Exploring NASA's Educational Resources on the NASA.gov Website [Jocasta Green and Denise Miller, NASA eEducation Web Team and former classroom teachers] Join eEducation team members from NASA, and learn about opportunities and resources designed especially for the education community. Learn how to build a collection of free science, technology, engineering and mathematics resources. These include NASA Kids' Club interactive games, classroom activities and lesson plans, information about the space shuttle and NASA's new spaceships, downloadable video clips and other resources available from NASA's Website. [Teachers, grades K-12; , February 19, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT_0708_FA14} What Do You Know about Energy? [Jennifer Barrie, Youth Initiative Director, Kilowatt Ours] Jennifer Barrie will share clips of the acclaimed documentary film Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America, which shows that the solutions to problems like global warming are simple, fun and bring great benefits to students, teachers and their communities. She will share activities from the companion curriculum that connect to the National Science Content Standards for grades 5-12, including reading an electric meter and an electric bill, conducting home and school energy assessments, reducing electricity consumption and calculating the resulting energy and emissions savings.[Teachers in grades K-12; Thursday, February 26, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SPEC-SPO2}Physical Activity, The Outdoor Classroom and Recess [Dr. Kathy Burriss, Department of Elementary and Special Education, MTSU; Dr. Don Belcher, Department of Health and Human Performance, MTSU; and Cheri Lindsley, TECTA, Center of Excellence for Research and Policy, TSU] This session presents the rationale and strategies to ensure children’s quality outdoor play and physical activity. The outdoors provide unique learning opportunities not possible in traditional indoor settings. In order to maximize children’s learning, session content describes inexpensive design features for the outdoor classroom. [Classroom teachers and administrators in grades K-9, day care providers, parents and community leaders; Saturday, February 28, 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CST, 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SP-12} Dual Credit Opportunities for High School Agricultural Students [Dr. Cliff Rickets and Ms. Alanna L. Neely, School of Agribusiness and Agriscience, MTSU] MTSU is the first four-year University in the state to be included in the Perkins IV Reserve Fund Grant that allows high school students to take a Career Technical Education class for high school and college credit simultaneously. High School Agriculture students taking Greenhouse Management will receive dual credit for ABAS 1101 Introduction to Ornamental Horticultural Science. We will explore how this new dual credit program works and discuss its promising outlook. [Agricultural education teachers and administrators; Thursday, March 5, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SP-14}Teaching with American Folk Music: Library of Congress Song Recordings as Primary Sources in the Classroom [Mark A. Jackson, Assistant Professor, English Department and Dr. Stacey Graham, Research Professor, Center for Historic Preservation; MTSU] This session highlights the folk music recordings available through the Library of Congress website, and ways to use these songs as primary sources for teaching history, literature, music, culture and folklore. Lesson ideas and tips for finding recordings on the Library of Congress website will be provided. [Teachers and librarians, grades K-12; Thursday, March 19, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]
*NOTE: PRERECORDED, NO FIELD TRIPS OR CALL-IN QUESTIONS

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{MTKT0809SP-16} Discovering the Story of the Civil War in Tennessee: What Can We Learn in our Home State? [Gwynn Thayer and Kathy Lauder, Archivists; Tennessee State Library and Archives] This program will explore several episodes of Civil War history that took place in our local area. Teachers will hear Civil War historians analyze the war in Tennessee; we will also discuss a number of valuable primary sources that can shed light on specific events of the war and its effect on our area. A highlight of the program will be a "virtual field trip" to important Civil War sites in Middle Tennessee. [History and social studies teachers, grades K-12, particularly teachers covering Era 5; Thursday, April 2, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SP-17} Out of the Stacks: Bringing an Archived Story to Life [Carolyn Powell, Public History Graduate Student, MTSU and Chad McGee, AP and Standard US History Teacher, Warren County High School] Discover the wealth of information buried in archival collections through a video documentary on the life of 4th District Congressman Joseph Landon Evins of Middle Tennessee (1910-1984). Learn how this video can spark classroom discussion on political life and encourage students to uncover the stories hidden in primary sources from archival collections. [US history teachers, grades 5 and 11 and government teachers; Thursday, April 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{MTKT0809SP-18} Designing Respectable Work For ALL Students: If Teaching is Like Writing a Song for Students to Sing, What is your Song? [Dr. Zaf Khan, Department of Elementary and Special Education, MTSU] Designing work that has real world applications can be a difficult task. The core business of educating students is for teachers to become architects of learning for meaningful student engagement. Participants will learn to use specific principles to design meaningful work and create capacity for learning effectively. This presentation will focus on using learning design principles to transform classrooms. [Teachers, administrators and teacher assistants, grades K-12; Thursday, April 16, 3:30-4:30 p.m. CST, 4:30-5:30 p.m. EST]

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{TDOE_READ_51109} K-12 Reading Institute [Tennessee Department of Education] Tennessee's number one data driven priority is reading. Good reading skills are the foundation for the overall academic success of students. This session will provide the latest reading information that is based in scientific research. Presenters will help educators consider the effectiveness of their comprehensive reading program. Using the reading standards, we will cover important topics for reading instruction for grades K-12, including the essential components of reading, intervention, assessment, and differentiated instruction. Reading in the content areas will also be addressed. Strategies and techniques using the state reading standards will be provided. Particular attention will be given to how we can help struggling readers with corrective and remedial reading strategies. Additionally, we will address the needs of ELL students and special education students so that all students can learn to read. [K-12 teachers and administrators, particularly teachers and administrators at target and high-priority schools and districts; Monday, May 11, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CST, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST with a break for lunch]

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{TDOE_LANG_51209} K-12 Language Arts Institute [Tennessee Department of Education] This session will focus on understanding and implementing the new K-12 language arts standards. During this session, the presenters will provide a uniform and specific vision of what students need to know and the skills they will need to acquire by grade level. We will discuss the progression of learning through the eight standards areas (Language, Communication, Writing, Research, Logic, Informational Text, Media, and Literature) from grades kindergarten through 12. Also provided will be strategies and techniques to help teachers develop specific skill areas. Additionally, we will consider how teachers can encourage students to use language arts skills in their other core curricula areas (e.g., social studies, science, math, etc.) to help students achieve overall success. [K-12 teachers and administrators, particularly teachers and administrators at target and high-priority schools and districts; Tuesday, May 12, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CST, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST with a break for lunch]

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{TDOE_MATH_51309} 5-9 Mathematics Institute [Tennessee Department of Education] Algebra Readiness Key Practices and Concepts: This session is designed for middle grades (5-9) mathematics teachers. Emphasis on core content for algebra readiness will be presented with discussion on best practice techniques for teaching. The role and importance of the process standards will be explored with respect to content integration, differentiated instruction, and student performance. Techniques for the use of formative assessment will be demonstrated and discussed to support data driven instructional practice. [5-9 teachers and administrators, particularly teachers and administrators at target and high-priority schools and districts; Wednesday, May 13, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CST, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST with a break for lunch]

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{TDOE_SCIENCE_51409} K-12 Science Institute [Tennessee Department of Education] Research-Based Strategies to Increase Content Knowledge Understanding Through Inquiry and the Tools of Technology and Engineering: Dr. Judy Willis is trained as a Neurologist, has an M.Ed., and currently teaches seventh grade science. Her presentation will employ research -based practices that serve to increase content knowledge understanding when implemented appropriately in K-12 classrooms. Dr. Willis will demonstrate these instructional approaches through the revised Tennessee science content and embedded standards. This interactive workshop will provide participants with a greater depth of understanding about how these specific strategies to teach content are processed by the brain to ensure learning occurs at a higher cognitive level and is better retained by the learner. Dr. Willis will also address differentiated instruction during this session. [K-12 teachers and administrators, particularly teachers and administrators at target and high-priority schools and districts; Thursday, May 14, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CST, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST with a break for lunch]

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