The RISE Project

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RISE Professional Development

Our professional development approach introduces specific ways to support children’s learning through the design of inquiry-based, connected sets of learning experiences that incorporate children’s out-of-school lives in meaningful ways.

View how co-construction was the basis of this PD experience around the way water moves. Teachers begin the conversation by sharing their own personal experiences and making connections to the Home to School process.

The three RISE PD components are:


 

  • WORKSHOPS – A series of full day meetings, distributed across the school year, enable teachers to work with the RISE team to expand understanding of the STE domains, learn about children’s stages of knowledge, and develop strategies for implementing inquiry-based, conceptually-connected, culturally- and community-relevant sets of learning activities.

 

  • INDIVIDUAL COACHING – During bi-weekly visits, a RISE coach models inquiry-based STE practice and partners with teachers in a reflective cycle that involves teacher self-reflection on instructional practice, goal setting for improvement, and implementation of teaching activities that serve as an object of reflection for coach and teacher together.

 

  • PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES – These monthly peer network meetings enable teachers to reflect, hone their STE practices, deepen their understanding of student learning, and contribute to sustainability of teachers’ gains over time.
“ I remember at the very beginning when they were talking about stability and change, and this is something we never even considered we were doing. To be honest, we’ve been doing it every day. Because things I was doing and I never even thought it was science…”    Eva – GET
“ I like the coaching part. It’s not a shake your finger at you. And that is what I thought it was going to be. And at first it wasn’t and I was waiting for it to become a shake your finger, and it never became a shake your finger. So, hope you understand shake your finger. We’ve all had that experience. Yeah, I like the fact that she meets me where I am.”   Laura – GET

Teachers explore ramp materials in PD workshop to learn how to support children’s engagement with cause and effect

Teachers investigate light and shadow materials in PD workshop to learn how to support children in conducting investigations and reasoning in scale, proportion and quantity

Teachers engage in conversations around Home to School activities they plan to try in their classrooms

Teachers use tools to take apart wind-up toys to learn how to engage children in learning about structure and function

“ The RISE professional development (PD) approach is informed by research on effective PD demonstrating that changing classroom instruction requires practice-based, individualized, ongoing support”

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) offer teachers time to talk, share and reflect with one another between PDs in small group settings.