This week, the Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL) will begin a six-session workshop series with more than 70 Teacher Specialists from Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS). The goal of the series, which stems from the CTTL’s model public/private school partnership with FCPS, is to engage Teacher Specialists in the Science of Learning and Mind, Brain, and Education Science research-informed strategies.
The workshop series, which will span this academic year and the next, is the first step in providing a replicable professional learning model for other school districts across the country who also see the opportunity to elevate teacher, student, and school leader understanding of the Science of Learning to enhance teacher quality, student outcomes, and the whole child school experience.
The first day of this week’s workshop will take place in Frederick County with the second day being held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School’s Student Center. The educators in attendance touch 100% of the faculty and classrooms in FCPS, thus impacting 43,000 students. These teachers will help FCPS reach one of the goals in its five-year plan: “Inform, validate, and transform practices for educating every student in order to eliminate achievement gaps and accelerate learning outcomes for all.”
The learning goals for these two days include developing a shared vocabulary and common language around key principles of the Science of Learning and Mind, Brain, and Education Science; understanding a set of MBE research-informed strategies and how to apply them; embracing the concept of neuroplasticity and belief in the role of teachers as game changers; and creating opportunities for shared learning and synergy among a diverse and talented group of teacher leaders.
