Customized Professional Development Services K-8
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Empowering Writers will partner with your school or district to provide a customized professional development plan for your school or district. The research is very clear that teacher practice is one of the most important factors influencing student achievement. Providing customized support will meet the needs of teachers and promote the use of research-based best practices in the classroom.
The Customized Professional Development Process:
A member of the Empowering Writers’ team works with your school or district administrators to assess needs and develop a plan ranging from a one-day workshop, a yearlong program to a multi-year partnership. With newly expanded offerings Empowering Writers is a comprehensive professional development provider.
1. Needs Assessment and Observation - An analysis of student data, previous training, background knowledge of teachers, and current instructional models will be completed.
2. Craft an Action Plan - A customized professional development plan will be built specifically for your school or district.
3. Evaluate and Unpack- Each new phase of professional development is revised as needed, based on school or district initiatives, learning outcomes, teacher feedback, student data, and district standards/goals.
Teacher Training Services
Workshops Kindergarten - 8th Grade
Empowering Writers offers comprehensive workshops. Each workshop is geared to a specific genre:
- Kindergarten-1st Grade (“Getting Ready To Write”)
- Narrative (personal experience, character –problem-solution)
- Expository (informative)
- Persuasive writing
These workshops provide educators with all of all the strategies and skills that they need to teach writing in new and creative ways. Our approach is supported by all of our teacher resources, making implementation easy for teachers. Workshops are approximately 5.5 to 6 hours long and can be scheduled for one full day session or two half-day sessions.
Click here for or more information about our workshops
Coaching Services, Kindergarten - 8th Grade
Over the past 13 years, Empowering Writers has developed coaching services to support the implementation of writing instruction. Empowering Writers coaching services will ensure fidelity of the writing instruction and ultimately empower the teachers and literacy team to achieve long-term success in writing.
Classroom Modeling
Research suggests that professional development training has the highest impact on classroom practice when it is supported with modeled lessons and classroom coaching. Modeling lessons allow teachers to observe as new teaching techniques are put into practice in their own classroom.
Facilitated conversations before and after each modeled lesson encourages teachers to focus their observation, reflect on new learning, and refine their understanding of best practices. Empowering Writers works with the school prior to modeled lessons to plan the schedule and focus the lessons.
Participants will:
- Meet with the trainer prior to the observation to discuss the focus of the lesson and prepare for active observation
- Observe the lesson conducted by the trainer while noting observations and questions
- Participate in a facilitated discussion after the lesson to identify effective practices and ask clarifying questions
- Analyze what was learned about the students and discuss instructional next steps
For additional classroom modeling sessions, teachers will conduct the lesson, as the Empowering Writers trainer will observe. Number of days can vary based on number of grade levels involved and amount of time dedicated to Classroom Modeling.
Student Sample Analysis
The easiest way to gauge how teaching instruction is progressing is through student work. By having Empowering Writers training staff review a sampling of writing pieces from selected classrooms ensures proper implementation is taking place.
Participants will:
- Submit a range of student samples from classrooms/grade levels to Empowering Writers training staff
- Receive an assessment of the teaching instruction and detailed analysis.
- Receive specific instruction on addressing aspects of the writing instruction.
- Assessment will be used to inform instruction and set goals for the next benchmark assessment.
On-line Sessions
Empowering Writers provides opportunities for your teachers meet with a master teacher to discuss the writing instruction. These hour and half sessions are ideal for:
- Question and Answer
- Test preparation strategies
- Mini workshops on individual skills
- Student sample analysis
*participants must have access to a computer and the Internet.
E-Learning Center – Digital Support
Maximize technology to support your teachers, enhance curriculum, aid in implementation, and assist in intervention.
RTI (SRBI) Intervention Strategies – Document Center
Are you looking for concrete lessons and activities to address the needs of Tier 2 and Tier 3 writers? Empowering Writers offers a complete RTI resource that provides digital documentation, progress monitoring and proven intervention strategies for writing.
Narrative Training DVD Series
A powerful follow-up for teachers trained in narrative writing. This 6 DVD set covers the background, methodology, skills, and techniques necessary for narrative writing along with actual classroom footage of strategies in action. A perfect addition to your own resource library.
- Each session is approximately one hour length for convenient scheduling
- Easy to follow facilitator’s guide providing everything you need for a successful session
- Reproducible handouts for participants
Monthly Bulletins
Each month teachers receive a “Scope & Sequence” bulletin outlining the teacher instruction and activities for the upcoming month.
On-Demand Webinars and Video Library
Teachers have access to a library of webinars and video from our master teachers to get answer to frequently asked questions, mini workshops on individual skills, student sample analysis, and more.
*participants must have access to a computer and the Internet.
