The following is a press release from the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching
CULLOWHEE—North Carolina educators have several opportunities from February through June to attend the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), a recognized national leader in professional development programming for teachers.
Registration for these programs is open now. Applicants are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure a spot. Programs are available to North Carolina educators at the Cullowhee and Ocracoke campuses, online and with NCCAT faculty visiting school districts. For more information visit our calendar of programs.
A few of the programs being offered are:
14582 • Developing Engagement and Understanding in Middle School Math
February 12–15: Cullowhee
During the middle grade years, students transition from concrete to abstract understandings. Developing understanding, not simply rote memorization of concepts, is imperative in these grades. Learn how to create contexts for math concepts that lead students to deep understandings of the why and how of middle grades standards. We will use the new NC Common Core Standards, which will be implemented in 2018–2019. Explore the multiple avenues you can use to create lessons that require students to persevere in problem-solving while culminating understanding throughout the lesson progression. Learn creative ways to manage your math class so re-teaching can take place for individualized instruction, and formative assessment can happen routinely. Develop a differentiated math classroom that engages students of all skill levels in lessons and activities that create meaning and application.
14587 • Reading For Meaning: The Role of Questioning
February 19–23: Ocracoke
Designed for teachers of grades K–5.
Good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading to make sense of text. Questions provide the opportunity to interact with the text and figure out the deeper meaning of what is being read. How do teachers model good questioning strategies? How do teachers pose questions that foster critical thinking? What types of questions help readers understand confusing parts of a book? Learn how to use questioning strategies to enhance reading comprehension for all students.
14591 • Integrate Coding Skills into Your Curriculum
March 5–8: Cullowhee
Computer science drives job growth and innovation throughout our economy and society. According to Code.org: computing occupations make up two-thirds of all projected new jobs in STEM fields, making Computer Science one of the most in-demand college degrees. Most students, however, do not have the opportunity to learn coding. You can help change this by inspiring students to learn more about computer science. Learn how to code, how to integrate coding into your curriculum, and the basics in robotics.
14602 • Citizen Science: Interactive STEM for Active Engagement
March 26–29: Ocracoke
Join the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and NCCAT as we look at ways to enhance students’ environmental literacy through participation in citizen science projects. Get outdoors and explore North Carolina’s coastal ecology as we use the unique and beautiful ecosystems of the Outer Banks as a field laboratory to collect data. Become familiar with some of the many online citizen science databases and learn ways to use the data you and other citizens collect in your classroom. Participate in simple activities that incorporate technology, math, graphing, data analysis, and writing while introducing tools that will help you develop your own lessons and programs using citizen science data.
For NCCAT’s Calendar of February programs
For NCCAT’s Calendar of March programs
For NCCAT’s Calendar of April programs
For NCCAT’s Calendar of May programs
About NCCAT
Increasing teacher effectiveness is fundamental to improving public education. NCCAT provides teachers with new knowledge, skills, teaching methods, best practices and information to take back to their classrooms. For more information about NCCAT’s professional development programs, visit www.nccat.org or call 828-293-5202.