Teachers, are you looking for new ideas about classroom procedures, expectations, parent communication, student engagement, and more? If so, join our Teacher Learning Network. Each session will be focused on a topic where participants will learn strategies and resources that are easy to implement. Participants are encouraged to bring an open mind and ideas to share related to the session's focus. Participants may join as many of the sessions as they'd like! Register once and you will receive reminder emails for all of the sessions. If you have questions regarding this series, reach out to Rebecca Shea at rshea@meansinc.com. Session 1: Procedures & Expectations; Session 2: Lesson Planning; Session 3: Parent Communication & Conferences; Session 4: Student Portfolios and Goals Setting; Session 5: Student Engagement Activities/Protocols

Leading schools today can be arduous at times. Networking with other leaders who are working through similar challenges can serve as a critical support system. Join fellow administrators in a discussion-based format to share ideas about what's working and strategies to overcome hurdles through action-oriented conversations. Share what you know, take what you need. September 28 Topic: Staff Collaboration; October 26 & November 30 Topics: TBD by Leader Partcipants

A key feature to ensure students are getting the most out of learning is by establishing effective classroom structures that promote learning. Teachers can have the best lesson in the world but if students cannot navigate the classroom, anticipate the flow of the class, or have an understanding of what to do when, they will not learn nearly as much as they could.

In this session participants will explore ways to minimize commotion in the classroom by examining ways the arrangement and routines impact student engagement and learning. Participants will explore ways the physical space and organizational planning for the class flow can help support learning. Participants will gain suggestions in the areas of organizing the room arrangement to support the instructional format for your lesson design and planning for traffic patterns, student interactions, and minimizing distractions or disruptions to learning.

Teachers, are you looking for new ideas about classroom procedures, expectations, parent communication, student engagement, and more? If so, join our Teacher Learning Network. Each session will be focused on a topic where participants will learn strategies and resources that are easy to implement. Participants are encouraged to bring an open mind and ideas to share related to the session's focus. Participants may join as many of the sessions as they'd like! Register once and you will receive reminder emails for all of the sessions. If you have questions regarding this series, reach out to Rebecca Shea at rshea@meansinc.com. October 5: Parent Communication/Conferences; October 12: Student Portfolios & Goal Setting; November 2: Classroom Discussions; November 30: Scaffolding Instruction; December 5: Feedback Strategies

When done well, small group work enhances individual development, equity in instruction, academic and social emotional growth, and builds community. In the second of this three part series, participants will learn three strategies for promoting peer to peer and collaborative learning:
--Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)
--Classwide Wide Peer Tutoring (CWPT)
--Reciprocal Peer Tutoring (RPT)
Go beyond matching your strongest students with your struggling students and learn strategies to ensure that all students have opportunities to contribute to and receive support from their small group interactions.
Intended for K-12 teachers
*Note: participants are not required to attend all three sessions in the series. Although the content is connected, each session can stand alone.

As a differentiation strategy, station teaching or learning centers provide teachers with a multitude of ways to promote independence, ensure equity in instruction, support academic and social emotional growth, build community and make learning fun. The key to success is knowing how to plan and manage centers effectively and efficiently. In the third of this three part series on Making the Most of Small Group Learning, participants will explore:
-3 Models of Station Teaching
-Grouping and Movement in Station Teaching
-Planning and Managing Learning Centers: Time saving Tips
*Note: participants are not required to attend all three sessions in the series. Although the content is connected, each session can stand alone.
Intended for K-12 teachers
Join us to learn how learning centers can make your classroom less teacher directed while meeting the academic and social emotional needs of your students.

"One Size Fits All" a phrase that we are all familiar with but may find challenging to avoid when designing instruction. Innovative teaching and assessment practices are not always that obvious. All educators want what is best for their students; independence, success, perseverance, and understanding. Standards-Based learning provides transparency to your students, their families, and your administration in order to communicate clearly what students have learned and need to practice. Join us for a three-part series to develop a better understanding of standards-based learning and learn how to take initial steps toward creating a task that is leveled, based on a learning standard, for your students to demonstrate their learning. This series will be led through the lens of a secondary math-content teacher, however the concept of leveled learning is applicable to teachers in all content areas and grades.

In our first session, we will work through evidence-based practices to unpack standards, identify "levels", and share assessment practices to begin making your classroom a place for aligned and effective learning.
In our second session, we will examine how evidenced-based practices are the first step toward transitioning into a standards-based learning environment, or at least helpful to begin differentiating on a deeper level for your students' learning needs.

In our third session, we will be discussing formative vs. summative assessment, an area that all educators could continue learning about.

Relationships matter for student learning, between teacher to student and student to student. Students who feel comfortable, safe, and connected are often more willing to try and work harder in the classroom. Additionally, post-COVID and in our digital age, many students are struggling with in person relationships and peer to peer collaboration. In this session participants will review research behind why relationships matter and learn strategies to build or improve student motivation, learning, and engagement. This session will have two main focus areas; strategies for building relationships between teachers and students, and building peer to peer relationships among students.

All students thrive on choice! In any learning environment, there is always a chance of students becoming disengaged or complacent. Teachers are left with the tasks of being creatively innovative to provide guided choices for their students. In this session, participants will work collaboratively to build "Choice Boards" using Google Slides. These "boards" will provide meaningful activities that will support student learning and choice. These tools are helpful in many scenarios such as independent work (home or school), small group instruction, providing tasks for early-finishers, or freeing up the teachers to meet with students one-on-one, to name a few. By the end of the session participants will leave with the tools to begin constructing a choice board ready to share with your students! This session will be led through the lens of a math-content teacher, however the choice board concept is applicable to teachers in all content areas and grades.