Professional Learning Opportunities
Our continuing education sessions have been developed to meet the needs of our community. They are open to individuals as well as school groups, unless noted. Do you have specific learning objectives for your school or learning community? Contact us about designing something to fit your needs.
Current Offerings
Cognitive Coaching℠ 8-Day Foundations Course: Leadership Training to Support and Enhance Teacher Thinking Processes Learn More
Cognitive Coaching℠ Skills Building Sessions: Refresh and renew the coaching skills learned in the 8-Day Foundations Course. Learn More
Makey Makey® - Invention Literacy Workshop: Makey Makey® invention Kit Training for Educators Learn More
Supporting Teacher Growth 3-Day Course: Summer and Fall offerings Learn More
Past Offerings
STEM Professional Learning Opportunities: Getting Started in STEM Learn More
STEM Summer Institute 1.0: Foundational STEM Instruction Learn More
STEM Summer Institute 2.0: Advanced STEM Instruction and Integration Learn More
STEM Certification Strategic Planning Institute: STEM Leadership Instruction Learn More
Overview
The 8-Day Foundations Course is a year-long leadership training course designed for administrators and instructional coaches. Participants learn the skills needed to support and enhance teacher thinking processes.
The mission of Cognitive Coaching℠ is to produce self-directed persons with the cognitive capacity for excellence both independently and as members of a community. Research indicates that teaching is a complex intellectual activity and that teachers who think at higher levels produce students who are higher achieving, more cooperative, and better problem solvers. It is the invisible skills of teaching, the thinking processes that underlie instructional decisions, which produce superior instruction. Cognitive Coaching℠ is a research-based model that capitalizes upon and enhances teachers' cognitive processes.
Learning Outcomes
Meeting once per month for a total of 8-days, participants will learn to:
Cost
$1,000/participant
Materials and lunch are included.
Dates
Course Dates* are:
*If a day is cancelled due to inclement weather, Thursday (March 5th) and Friday (March 6th) will serve as the make-up dates (ONLY IF NEEDED).
Location
The August 7-8 will be held at Irmo Middle School in the Cafeteria, 6051 Wescott Road Columbia, SC 29212
The remaining dates will be at Irmo High School in the PD area located behind the Media Center, 6671 St. Andrews Rd, Columbia, SC 29212.
Have a large group or would like to inquire about training for a district or school? Contact solutions@s2temsc.org.
The 8-Day Foundations Course is a year-long leadership training course designed for administrators and instructional coaches. Participants learn the skills needed to support and enhance teacher thinking processes.
The mission of Cognitive Coaching℠ is to produce self-directed persons with the cognitive capacity for excellence both independently and as members of a community. Research indicates that teaching is a complex intellectual activity and that teachers who think at higher levels produce students who are higher achieving, more cooperative, and better problem solvers. It is the invisible skills of teaching, the thinking processes that underlie instructional decisions, which produce superior instruction. Cognitive Coaching℠ is a research-based model that capitalizes upon and enhances teachers' cognitive processes.
Learning Outcomes
Meeting once per month for a total of 8-days, participants will learn to:
- build trust by developing physical and verbal rapport.
- develop an identity as a mediator of people's thinking.
- utilize three mediative maps for planning, reflecting and problem resolving.
- facilitate self-directed learning through reflective questioning.
- develop teachers' autonomy and sense of community.
- develop higher levels of efficacy, consciousness, craftsmanship, flexibility and interdependence.
- distinguish four support functions: coaching, evaluating, consulting, collaborating.
- practice coaching interactions to differentiate for individual needs.
- utilize the coaching toolkit of pause, paraphrase, and pose a question.
- apply coaching skills that enhance the intellectual processes of instruction.
- distinguish between the five categories of feedback.
Cost
$1,000/participant
Materials and lunch are included.
Dates
Course Dates* are:
- Day 1: Wednesday, August 7, 2019
- Day 2: Thursday, August 8, 2019
- Day 3: Friday, September 27, 2019
- Day 4: Friday, October 11, 2019
- Day 5: Friday, November 1, 2019
- Day 6: Friday, December 6, 2019
- Day 7: Friday, January 31, 2020
- Day 8: Friday, February 21, 2020
*If a day is cancelled due to inclement weather, Thursday (March 5th) and Friday (March 6th) will serve as the make-up dates (ONLY IF NEEDED).
Location
The August 7-8 will be held at Irmo Middle School in the Cafeteria, 6051 Wescott Road Columbia, SC 29212
The remaining dates will be at Irmo High School in the PD area located behind the Media Center, 6671 St. Andrews Rd, Columbia, SC 29212.
Have a large group or would like to inquire about training for a district or school? Contact solutions@s2temsc.org.
The four Cognitive Cognitive Coaching℠ Skill Building sessions are designed for educators who have completed the 8-day Cognitive Coaching Foundations Seminar and desire to refresh their coaching skills in one or more areas. Participants may attend all four skill builder sessions, or choose to attend only those that are applicable to their current growth.
Prerequisite: These sessions are only open to people who have completed the 8-day Cognitive Coaching Foundations Seminar.
Session Descriptions
September 5, 2019: Coaching Tools
Coaches must be skillful with four coaching tools in order to effectively mediate thinking and remain in the coaching support function. Participants will self-assess their current skill level. They will review and practice each of the four tools: rapport, pausing, paraphrasing, and posing mediative questions. Practice will focus on using the essential coaching pattern of pause, paraphrase, pause, pose a question in the context of planning and reflecting.
October 10, 2019: Reflecting and Planning Coaching Maps
The Planning and Reflecting Map are essential for those wishing to establish regular coaching cycles as well as serving as templates for conversations to guide self-directed learning. This Skill Builder provides an in-depth review of the maps with consideration given as to why each region supports the planning or reflecting process. Extensive practice is included in this Skill Builder in order to assist participants in internalizing these two maps.
November 21, 2019: Using Data to Mediate Thinking
The coach’s use of data and mediative questions are critical to self-directed learning. This Skill Builder invites participants to examine how data serves as a catalyst for making meaning. It opens with a historical perspective on how schools have added data use to school improvement processes. Other topics for review and practice include:
5 Forms of Feedback
December 12, 2019: The Problem-Resolving Map
This map is the most sophisticated map learned in the Foundation Seminar®. This module invites participants to continue to study the concept of Cognitive Shift in the context of supporting others who are in low resource and are seemingly stuck. The skills of Pacing and Leading are revisited as well as a deep dive into considering how the States of Mind are resources for moving from Existing State to Desired State. Extensive practice is embedded in this Skill Builder.
Location: Gator Commons at Riverbluff High School, Lexington, SC 29072
Time: 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Cost: $125 per individual session, $450 for all four sessions, lunch is provided.
Registration is limited to 25 participants per session.
Prerequisite: These sessions are only open to people who have completed the 8-day Cognitive Coaching Foundations Seminar.
Session Descriptions
September 5, 2019: Coaching Tools
Coaches must be skillful with four coaching tools in order to effectively mediate thinking and remain in the coaching support function. Participants will self-assess their current skill level. They will review and practice each of the four tools: rapport, pausing, paraphrasing, and posing mediative questions. Practice will focus on using the essential coaching pattern of pause, paraphrase, pause, pose a question in the context of planning and reflecting.
October 10, 2019: Reflecting and Planning Coaching Maps
The Planning and Reflecting Map are essential for those wishing to establish regular coaching cycles as well as serving as templates for conversations to guide self-directed learning. This Skill Builder provides an in-depth review of the maps with consideration given as to why each region supports the planning or reflecting process. Extensive practice is included in this Skill Builder in order to assist participants in internalizing these two maps.
November 21, 2019: Using Data to Mediate Thinking
The coach’s use of data and mediative questions are critical to self-directed learning. This Skill Builder invites participants to examine how data serves as a catalyst for making meaning. It opens with a historical perspective on how schools have added data use to school improvement processes. Other topics for review and practice include:
5 Forms of Feedback
- How Data is Used in Each of the Four Support Functions
- How Data is Used in the Planning and Reflecting Maps
- Reflective Questions for Analyzing Data
- Tools for Teams to Analyze Data
December 12, 2019: The Problem-Resolving Map
This map is the most sophisticated map learned in the Foundation Seminar®. This module invites participants to continue to study the concept of Cognitive Shift in the context of supporting others who are in low resource and are seemingly stuck. The skills of Pacing and Leading are revisited as well as a deep dive into considering how the States of Mind are resources for moving from Existing State to Desired State. Extensive practice is embedded in this Skill Builder.
Location: Gator Commons at Riverbluff High School, Lexington, SC 29072
Time: 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Cost: $125 per individual session, $450 for all four sessions, lunch is provided.
Registration is limited to 25 participants per session.
Makey Makey® - Invention Literacy Workshop
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Overview
Get ready for a fun hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to teach Invention Literacy, Making, and Design Thinking using the award winning Makey Makey® invention kit. Participants will:
Details Workshops are $95/participant. Each participant takes home a free Makey Makey® (retail value of $49.95) and will receive a certificate of completion. Recommended for K-12 teachers. Dates and Locations
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STEM Summer Institute 1.0: Foundational STEM Instruction
Overview
This flexible multi-day series allows participants to choose their focus, number of days, and location. Each day will be focused on one of the following four "STEM" topic areas:
This flexible multi-day series allows participants to choose their focus, number of days, and location. Each day will be focused on one of the following four "STEM" topic areas:
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Focus on Science
Explore a variety of life, earth and physical science concepts through the lens of the Science and Engineering Practices with a focus on the integration of knowledge and skills necessary to develop a STEM focused environment. |
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Focus on Technology
Explore the K-8 Computer Science and Digital Literacy standards and free technologies for perfecting your practice and elevating your students’ computational thinking abilities. |
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Focus on Engineering
Engage in real-world engineering experiences. Learn to integrate the Science and Engineering Practices, skills from the Profile of the SC Graduate and Engineering and Design processes in daily instruction. |
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Focus on Mathematics
Learn to use hands-on, inquiry based learning and real-world applications to ignite productive dialogue, thinking and reasoning and problem-solving in student learning. |
Session Details
- Sessions start at 10 am and end at 3 pm, with an hour break for lunch. Lunch is on your own.
- Each day participants will participate in a preK-8 general session followed by differentiated grade level break-outs.
- Our facilitators tailor each session to maximize your learning experience.
- All materials and handouts will be provided.
- Participants will receive a certificate of completion after the session – 4 hours per day, 16 hours for the entire week.
Registration
Designed with flexibility in mind, you'll choose your days AND location. Register to attend one day, multiple-days or come for the entire 4-day series and save $25 off registration. $50/participant per session $175/participant for the entire 4-day series.
You may attend individually or with a school group. Space is limited, so groups are encouraged to register early!
Designed with flexibility in mind, you'll choose your days AND location. Register to attend one day, multiple-days or come for the entire 4-day series and save $25 off registration. $50/participant per session $175/participant for the entire 4-day series.
You may attend individually or with a school group. Space is limited, so groups are encouraged to register early!
Build on your classroom STEM experience using coding, robotics, 3D printing, and application/problem/project-based learning to deepen STEM learning through integration. Participants will use disciplinary literacy teaching and learning strategies to solve real-world problems. Explore and learn with your colleagues in fun and meaningful ways.
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Integrated Math and Science
Experience hands-on learning using the mathematical practice standards and science and engineering (crosscutting) concepts. Learn how to engage your students in meaningful and challenging ways. Be prepared to get a little dirty, work with your peers, collect data and solve the world’s problems. Integrated Technology and Engineering Experience how to use and manipulate technology in engineering design challenges that cross the curriculum. Work with your peers to create, design and put your ideas to the test in this very collaborative, highly challenging and tremendously fun problem-solving day! |
Session Details
- Sessions start at 10 am and end at 3 pm, with an hour break for lunch. Lunch is on your own.
- Each day participants will participate in a preK-8 general session followed by differentiated grade level break-outs.
- Our facilitators tailor each session to maximize your learning experience.
- All materials and handouts will be provided.
- Participants will receive a certificate of completion after the session – 4 hours per day.
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Registration
Register to attend one or both sessions at the location of your choice. You may attend individually or with a school group. Space is limited, so groups are encouraged to register early! |
$50/participant per session.
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Designed for educators looking to get started integrating STEM into daily practice. Our hands-on sessions will give educators strategies and ideas that can immediately be used in classroom learning. Explore and learn with your colleagues in fun and meaningful ways.
Overview
This flexible multi-day series allows participants to choose their topic, number of days, and location.
Overview
This flexible multi-day series allows participants to choose their topic, number of days, and location.
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Session One: STEM 101: It's more than an acronym!
Participants will:
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Session Two: Engineering Design Process & You
Participants will:
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Session Three: Project-Based Learning: Where do I begin?
Participants will:
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Session Four: Early Childhood Literacy: Making STEM Connections
Participants will:
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Session Five: Makey Makey® - Invention Literacy Workshop
Participants will:
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Session Details
- Sessions start at 9:30 am and end at 3:30 pm, with a one-hour lunch break. Please bring your own lunch.
- Our facilitators tailor each session to maximize your learning experience.
- All materials and handouts will be provided.
- Participants will receive a certificate of completion after the session – 5 hours per day.
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Registration
Register to attend sessions at the Rock Hill or Spartanburg locations. Choose to attend any number of session, or the entire series! You may attend individually or with a school group. Space is limited, so groups are encouraged to register early. Discounts are available for multiple days and groups of 10 or more. |
$75/participant/session. The Makey Makey® session is $95/participant and includes a kit.
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This four-day strategic planning institute is designed for school teams of 3-5. Teams will develop a shared definition of STEM based on the AdvancED STEM Standards and learn to support STEM teaching and learning in their schools. School teams will leave with a plan for moving forward with AdvancEd STEM Certification. Teams should include at least one instructional leader (principal or assistant principal).
Dates: July 29—August 1, 2019 Time: 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. Location Option 1: Newberry School District Office, 3419 Main St, Newberry, SC 29108 Location Options 2: Pee Dee Education Center, 520 Francis Marion Road, Florence, SC 29506 Cost: $1250 per team (up to 5), $300 per participant (teams less than 5, or additional team members) Registration Limit: 50 total participants Registration Deadline: July 19, 2019 |
Supporting Teacher Growth 3-Day Course
This three-day training will provide administrators and instructional coaches with skills needed to support teacher growth and development using the SC Teaching Standards 4.0 Rubric. Participants will learn to navigate pre-conference coaching conversations, to collect observation data to support refinement and reinforcement plans, to provide meaningful feedback, and to conduct growth producing post-conference coaching conversations. Audience: Administrators and Instructional Coaches Learning Outcomes: Day 1: "Understanding the 4.0 Rubric and the Pre-Conference"
Day 2: "Meaningful Feedback"
Day 3: "The Post-Conference and Next Steps"
This course is being offered: Summer 2019 - REGISTER July 23 - 25 9:00 am - 3:00 pm WPEC Office Conference Room 430 Helix Rd., Greenwood, SC 29646 Fall 2019 - REGISTER September 30, October 14, November 18 9:00 am - 3:00 pm WPEC Office Conference Room 430 Helix Rd., Greenwood, SC 29646 $450/participate |
