Differentiating Staff Professional Development Using LINCS

Submitted by Kathy Tracey on Thu, 11/04/2021 - 09:09
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Colleagues, 

Throughout December, we will look at conversations and discussions from the wide range of Communities of Practice in the LINCS system. With each highlighted discussion, I will share tips and ideas on how to use these communities for differentiating staff professional development. 

The goals of this thread will be to: 

  • Introduce you to different communities and the range of topics discussed, 
  • Provide at least one strategy for using the discussions highlighted for professional development,
  • Engage with CoP members with ideas and strategies.  

Join in and discover new ways to use LINCS. 

Kathy Tracey

Comments

Colleagues, 

As we explore various communities, let's start with the Integrating Technology group and explore one of their discussions on using Jamboard and Padlet. 

Share this discussion thread with your staff and suggest they develop either a Jamboard or Padlet. Staff can work in teams or individually and then you can ask staff to submit a reflection on what they've learned in the process and detail if and how they will use these tools in their role. 

What do you think? How can you use the Integrating Technology CoP to differentiate professional development in your program?  

Sincerely, 
Kathy Tracey
 

CColleagues, 

As we continue to feature discussions in the communities, I'd like to explore the Bio Poems in the Reading and Writing Community of Practice.  This writing technique was featured in a special event with guest expert Dr. Mary Ann Corley

When looking at differentiating professional development for your staff, consider having your reading and writing teachers join the Reading and Writing CoP.  Teachers can apply strategies discussed in the CoP and report out to their colleagues about their successes. 

How can you use the Reading and Writing CoP to differentiate professional development at your program level? 

Kathy 

 

As we explore the benefit of the many LINCS Communities, let's look at The 12 Days of QR Codes in the Career Pathways CoP. From the CoP Moderator, Chrissy Klinger, 

QR stands for "Quick Response" and it is a special type of barcode that can be scanned my most smartphone cameras. QR codes act like a bridge from the physical world to the virtual world. We see them on flyers, water bottles, food containers, and even on appliances. By pointing our smartphone camera at the QR code we can quickly be directed to online information. 

So how do you make this a PD event at your program? 

  • Ask your teachers and staff to submit a quick KWL chart with what they know about QR Codes to your PD coordinator. 
  • Once this special event is completed on LINCS, ask your staff to come together and discuss their KWL chart and what they learned from the event. 
  • Task participants with trying at least one new idea they've learned from this discussion and report out to the group on the successes and challenges. 

What do you think? How can you make this discussion a local PD event? 

Kathy 

As we continue to explore the various communities, check out the Math Community of Practice and the Holiday Math Puzzle  This community continually challenges its members to solve various math problems and discuss strategies used to arrive at the solution. Through here, you can focus on instructional strategies. 

Is this something your math teachers can use to generate interest in math? Or how can these types of puzzles also create interest and engagement? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts. 
Kathy