Winter 2021-2022 Professional Development from Moreland University

Concrete Skills for Teaching Innovation: Small-Group Learning, Effective Feedback, and Multimedia for Learning

Moreland University continues to serve educators through no-cost professional development to fulfill its mission to teach teachers around the world to be resourceful problem solvers and tech-savvy educators through an online, collaborative, activity-based learning system designed for tomorrow’s students in a dynamic and diverse world. The winter season of no-cost professional development will be characterized by discrete-skill development. We will focus on three critical skills for teacher success and innovation in our upcoming no-cost courses, Moreland Meet webinars, blog posts, and Moreland Materials: 

1. Transformative Small-Group Instruction

2. Strategies to Improve Feedback for Learning

3. Strategies and Tools to Create Multimedia for Learning

To learn more about our professional development this winter, continue reading and have your calendar handy to mark down the important dates! 

December 2021: Transformative Small-Group Instruction

Small-group instructional methods enable educators to transform traditional teacher-driven classrooms into responsive student-driven learning environments characterized by differentiation and student agency. By mindfully grouping students and empowering them with meaningful learning tasks and resources to lead learning, educators deeply engage students while making progress toward closing learning gaps. Students who receive personalized instruction and collaborative peer support are more deeply engaged and academically successful. Small groups offer opportunities for inclusive instructional practices that support students with special needs, those who struggle to meet academic standards, and those who need opportunities for extension. Small-group instruction is a cornerstone of student-centered learning in the differentiated classroom whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid. 

On December 13th, a faculty panel from Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program will discuss mindful grouping strategies, student-led activity ideas, and differentiation techniques through the lens of small-group instruction. Then on December 15th, 2021 we will offer our online no-cost course called “Transformative Small-Group Instruction” where participants will learn and apply six small-group instructional strategies in any learning environment to promote inclusion, increase learning outcomes, and facilitate deep engagement. 

• Moreland Meet Webinar: Transformative Small-Group Instruction (December 13, 2021 at 9PM ET)

• No-Cost Course: Strategies to Innovate Small-Group Instruction (December 15, 2021 at 9AM or 9PM ET)

January 2022: Strategies to Improve Feedback for Learning

Students learn and grow due, in large part, to the feedback they receive from teachers as part of the learning cycle. Effective teacher-provided feedback is an essential part of student learning and achievement. Hybrid learning, in particular, relies heavily on teacher feedback to empower students to reflect, revise, and grow. Teachers must analyze their feedback to students to determine its overall effectiveness and potential impact on learning. 

Moreland University is collaborating with researchers from Evidence Based Education, a global provider of research and professional development for teachers, to uncover conditions for effective feedback that has the greatest potential for student success. Join us in a Moreland Meet webinar on characteristics of effective feedback on January 11th, 2022 followed by our monthly no-cost professional development on January 15th, this time on “Strategies to Improve Feedback for Learning.”Participants in this month’s programming integrate three core components of feedback to promote student learning and development: growth opportunities, process-based praise, and metacognitive reflection.

• Moreland Meet Webinar: Characteristics of Effective Feedback (January 11, 2022 at 9AM ET)

• No-Cost Course: Strategies to Improve Feedback For Learning (January 15, 2022 at 9AM or 9PM ET)

February 2022: Strategies and Tools to Create Multimedia for Learning

Teachers in the 21st-century classroom can provide more personalized and relevant resources by creating multimedia of their own to use in the classroom. With tools and strategies to create digital resources, teachers create multimedia in response to the individual needs of their students. The following two forms of multimedia are staples in the modern classroom: 

1. Infographics combine visual representations of data, images, and text to efficiently and effectively convey information. Infographics illustrate data and ideas in ways that enhance student learning through the use of patterns, colors, and graphic design.

2. Instructional videos offer dynamic audiovisual input that may promote student understanding, connect theory to real-life contexts, and even offer inclusive learning opportunities for students with disabilities and language barriers. Moveover, teachers can flip the classroom by front-loading content in engaging videos that students review in preparation for collaborative, student-driven activities in the classroom. 

Moreland University is thrilled to collaborate with the Modern Classrooms Project in February to offer engaging professional development on concrete strategies and best practices teachers can use to create and publish their own multimedia for learning. On February 8th, faculty from Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program and educational leaders from the Modern Classrooms Project will host a teacher-led roundtable discussion on video creation. Thereafter, we will offer our monthly no-cost professional development on “Strategies and Tools to Create Multimedia for Learning.” Finally, we will host one final roundtable on February 17th on strategies to create infographics for teaching and learning.  

• Moreland Meet Roundtable: Best Practices for Creating Instructional Videos (February 8, 2022 at 9PM ET)

• No-Cost Course: Strategies & Tools to Create Multimedia for Learning (February 15, 2022 at 9AM or 9PM ET)

• Moreland Meet Roundtable: Infographics to Support Teaching & Learning (February 17, 2022 at 9PM ET)

At Moreland University, we recognize the need for effective, engaging, and transformative professional development for educators to improve practice and renew teaching certifications. This winter’s programming promises to be some of the best continuing education we have yet to offer within our no-cost professional development as we seek to empower educators with concrete and usable skills to immediately use in the classroom or wherever learning takes place.

Joseph A. Pearson, M.S.Ed.

Professional Development Officer