The Excellence in Teaching Program is designed to develop reflective, collaborative educators who are continually learning in an effort to help students learn. Introductory courses in the program address child growth and development, the qualities of effective educators, latest research around student learning, student engagement, and meeting the needs of diverse learners. The courses that follow emphasize strategic assessment, high-impact instructional practices, and instructional planning. The program allows participants to synthesize and apply their learning and emphasizes the role of as a professional within the school and local community throughout the content methods courses, student teaching experience, and capstone course. Reflective and collaborative practices, as well as use of technology for learning, are infused throughout the program.
Courses are delivered through an online platform approximately once per month. We also require one face-to-face course content class every month. These are held on a Saturday either at the CESA 9 office in Tomahawk or virtually. Please view our timeline for more details on those dates.
Course One: Foundations of Teaching
Linking teaching, learning, and subject matter, this course introduces and supports an understanding of basic theories of learning and development as well as the role of psychological and educational theory in the design of curriculum, conduct of teaching, and assessment of learning.
Course Two: Designing Engaging Learning Environments
In this course, participants will recognize the impact of dynamic learning environments through an exploration of research-based methodology in classroom management, community building, multiple learner pathways, and learning environments that reflect the diverse way in which students learn.
Course Three: Understanding and Meeting the Diverse Needs of Learners
This course focuses on developing an awareness and understanding of diversity in the classroom and explores the needs of learners as well as strategies to address those needs. This course will examine UDL principles as well as differentiation, accommodations, and modifications for special needs students.
Course Four: Diagnostics in Special Education
In this course, participants will learn about the pathway to special education. Starting with EMLSS, participants will learn about the referral process, what happens in the evaluation, parent engagement, facilitating an IEP meeting, and implementing the IEP. Participants will learn about the eligibility of special education services and the many different disability categories. CCR-IEP training is a prerequisite of this course.
Course Five: Interventions in Special Education - Reading
A variety of methods are used to intervene through specially designed instruction in reading. This course will focus on reading interventions, with special emphasis on data-informed and developmentally appropriate teaching in the big 5 areas of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Participants will practice root cause analysis for reading instruction, matching progress monitoring tools to IEP goals.
Course Six: Interventions in Special Education - Mathematics
A variety of methods are used to intervene through specially designed instruction in math. Participants will learn about the math standards and the teaching practices that ensure student learning. Participants will also explore resources for developing math interventions. Participants will practice root cause analysis for math instruction and matching progress monitoring tools to IEP goals.
Course Seven: Interventions in Special Education - Behavior
This course focuses on building skill and removing barriers so all students can learn. Participants will explore ABC: antecedent, behavior, and consequence. Participants will learn how to collect and analyze data through a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and use this information to build a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).
Course Eight: Transition and Collaboration
This course focuses on preparing students with disabilities for what is to come. Participants will explore the many transitions students have in their academic careers. Participants will learn about the PTP (Postsecondary Transition Plan) and the importance of community connections. Participants will learn about transition coordinators in their region and their role.
This course also prepares educators to transition to their professional educator role. Participants will learn about professionalism, how to prepare for an interview (or other professional conversation), and how to best handle challenging situations in the field of education.
Course Nine: Teacher as a Professional and Reflective Practitioner
This course focuses on the teacher as a professional and reflective practitioner. Participants will reflect on their own learning and dispositions and explore the qualities and actions that make teachers effective employees, clear communicators, strong leaders, and community members.
Course Ten: Methods of Teaching Mathematics
In this 2-session course, students will examine the WI math standards, both content and practices, as well as the shifts in instructional practice required for students to become proficient. Students will also focus on the early elementary standards and strategies in order to understand the foundational learning around building number sense and developing computational skills, and will practice the CRA approach to learning math. They will also focus on late elementary, middle school, and high school standards and strategies pertaining to decimals, fractions, ratios & proportions, geometry, and algebra.
Course Eleven: Methods of Teaching Reading
In this 2-session course, students will develop their understanding of the reading process starting with reading foundational skills which include phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency in context. Students will also develop their understanding of the reading process beyond foundational skills. This includes language skills such as background knowledge, vocabulary, and structure for language comprehension, and cognitive skills such as the general and specific purposes for reading, strategic reading behaviors, and comprehension strategies.
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