We are partnering with BetterLesson--a global leader in innovative learning practices and a partner to a number of TFA Regions and the Rural Schools Leadership Academy--to offer virtual workshops that will equip you to feel more confident about supporting your staff in remote/flexible learning.

We are excited to offer professional learning opportunities to build your capacity to support your teachers in remote learning. The prioritized audience for these sessions are any level of school leader ( deans, assistant principals, principals, teacher coaches, etc.). If sessions do not fill up and teachers are interested, we will move folks off the waitlist. We will be offering workshops at varying times in order to accommodate a wide range of schedules. Sessions will run between mid-November to mid-January from 2-4pm (EST) and/or 4-6pm (EST).

Below, we explain how you will engage with professional learning to support your team this year.

How will this work?

- Please select a session(s) to sign up for from a list of 8 different topics offered at 10 different times.
- Sign-ups are first come first serve with a priority for those in leadership positions. Each session will be capped at 20 people in order to promote social learning. If the session you signed-up for exceeds 20 people and you did not make the the cut off, we will place you on a wait list. You will receive notification that you are confirmed for the session or on the wait list by October 30, 2020. If you are on the waitlist and there are cancellations, we will give you 24 hours notice that you have been accepted into the session.
- Any participant is eligible to receive 4 sessions of 1:1 virtual coaching from BetterLesson to help you implement strategies from workshops. We will ask if you're interested in your end of session survey.  Learn more about coaching here.

Meaningful Tasks: Designing Engaging Learning Experiences - 11/10/2020 @ 4-6pm (EST)

Learning tasks have many goals: introducing new material, group work, discussion, assessment, and more. Many teachers find it challenging to adapt in-person tasks to distance learning—especially asynchronous tasks. Participants will:

Define the 10 principles of distance learning tasks
Explore scenarios from real classrooms, including tools like choice boards
Build and get peer feedback on their plan for effective learning tasks

Synchronous Learning: Bring Live Learning to Life - 11/12/2020 @ 4-6pm (EST)

Synchronous learning includes any activities that students and teachers do together. How can teachers make the most of their time online with students—to engage them, answer questions, collaborate, and build community? In this Virtual Workshop, participants will:

Define the pros and cons of “synchronous” learning
Explore examples of office hours, ‘live lessons’ via video, breakouts, and coaching formats
Build and get peer feedback on a plan to enhance their synchronous teaching

Strategic Planning: Goals and Objectives of an Instructional Plan - 11/17/2020 @ 4-6pm (EST)

No school or district can tackle everything all at once. Leaders must identify instructional focus areas that are clear, actionable, and narrow, and will guide teacher professional development. In this Virtual Workshop, leaders will:

Define the traits of an effective instructional focus area
Explore how to address focus areas in different contexts, from in-school to hybrid to distance learning
Build and get peer feedback on their strategic plan

Coaching and Evaluating Teachers in a Flexible Learning Environment - 11/19/2020 @ 4-6pm (EST) and 12/1/2020 @ 2-4pm (EST)

This session will help leaders create an actionable framework, personalized to their schools' vision, and allow them to define observable high-quality flexible learning practices in order to create a tool and a process to support self-assessment, feedback and coaching of teachers delivering instruction fully remotely or in a hybrid model. They will practice using this tool during the session as well by engaging in Flexible Learning coaching role plays.

Setting Up Flexible PD: Shared Professional Learning - 12/3/2020 @ 2-4pm (EST) and 1/12/2021 @ 4-6pm (EST)

To transition to flexible or hybrid learning, teachers need to experience for themselves the kind of personalized, flexible learning environments they’ll create for students. For leaders, this means identifying teacher skill gaps and the variety of supports needed to address them. In this Virtual Workshop, leaders will:

Define various types of PD that produce sustainable, cyclical growth
Explore options to address skill gaps using the “PD Poker” simulation
Build and get peer feedback on their teacher PD plan

Supporting Wellness: Utilizing Mindfulness to Meet the Emotional Needs of Your Team - 1/14/2021 @ 4-6pm (EST)

Cultivating a reflective, positive school culture that supports staff wellness is essential for leadership. By developing those practices with their team, leaders also model how to support students through an emotional and traumatic time. In this Virtual Workshop, leaders will:

Define wellness for yourself and your community
Explore strategies and real-life scenarios
Build and get peer feedback on their plan to develop wellness practices with your staff

Flexible Learning 101: Best Practices and Big Ideas - 1/19/2021 @ 4-6pm (EST)

Flexible learning puts students at the center— whether they’re in school or at home. Leaders need to understand the best practices and new skills teachers need in order to support their educators. In this Virtual Workshop, leaders will:

Define the components of flexible learning, including synchronous/ asynchronous learning, assessment, and culture
Explore examples of effective learning tasks and tech tool integration
Build and get peer feedback on their vision for student success

Class Community: Creating a Safe Space Online - 1/21/2021 @ 4-6pm (EST)

Creating a safe and inclusive class culture is the bedrock of all learning. Whether in-person or online, students need routines and expectations, a sense of trust, community, and self-care. In this Virtual Workshop, participants will:

Define the 8 cultural forces, and how they apply at a distance
Explore real-life scenarios and strategies like gamification, breakout rooms, and consultancies
Build and get peer feedback on a plan to create positive class culture in flexible learning

Virtual Workshop Calendar

Date	Time	Session Name
11/10	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Meaningful Tasks: Designing Engaging Learning Experiences
11/12	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Synchronous Learning: Bring Live Learning to Life
11/17	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Strategic Planning: Goals and Objectives of a Instructional Plan
11/19	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Coaching and Evaluating Teachers in a Flexible Learning Environment
12/1	2 - 4 pm EST 1 - 3 pm CST 12 - 2 pm MDT 11 - 1 pm PDT 8 - 10 am Hawaii	Coaching and Evaluating Teachers in a Flexible Learning Environment
12/3	2 - 4 pm EST 1 - 3 pm CST 12 - 2 pm MDT 11 - 1 pm PDT 8 - 10 am Hawaii	Setting Up Flexible PD: Shared Professional Learning
1/12	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Setting Up Flexible PD: Shared Professional Learning
1/14	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Supporting Wellness: Utilizing Mindfulness to Meet the Emotional Needs of Your Team
1/19	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Flexible Learning 101: Best Practices and Big Ideas
1/21	4 - 6 pm EST 3 - 5 pm CST 2 - 4 pm MDT 1 - 3 pm PDT 10 - 12 pm Hawaii	Trauma-Informed Practices: Creating Safe Spaces Online

BetterLesson virtual workshops are highly collaborative and participatory -- they are not webinars! Virtual learning workshops are 2 hours each, and throughout the workshop, a BetterLesson coach will support educators to:

Learn about high impact instructional strategies in your focus area
Experience active virtual pedagogy through chatting, digital tools, and small group sessions
Create and execute manageable implementation steps
Build a collaborative learning community to share challenges and successes

What are learning norms for when we are in a Session?

1:1 devices is key: It is really important to join the session from your own device! It’s tough to engage when you’re sharing a computer with someone else (remember it’s interactive)!
Arrive early: Please log in to the Zoom room at least 10 minutes before the start time to make sure all the technology works and to ensure that your group starts on time.
Show us you: We would like all participants to leave your camera ON for the session. It is so much better when we can see each other!
Learning is social: We believe any professional learning should give you time to share with peers and work together. We will regularly ask you to engage in discussion and support you to work in small groups with colleagues.

Building Capacity in Remote Learning