I had the privilege of providing virtual professional staff development for the staff of Kids at Work Preschool in the Dominican Republic last week. I was scheduled to conduct the project-based learning training in-person. However, the training became a virtual experience due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Last year I introduced the Kids at Work Preschool staff to foundational principles of project-based teaching and learning, as well as two PBL units that are ideal and meaningful to incorporate at the early childhood level. The training this past week was a follow-up to the 2019 introductory session. A major part of our training sessions was spent on revising classroom learning experiences into virtual, and those that can be undertaken within the home with support from the children’s parents/caregivers. We started off the training by revisiting teaching via inquiry-based practices, and strategies to truly engage and immerse the young child in the virtual learning experience. To promote inquiry practices, I had teachers use a soap solution and a straw to blow bubbles. They made predictions, asked questions, theorized, drew in their journals, etc. We also made observations of objects found in nature. I introduced teachers to two new project-based learning units to incorporate within their classrooms “Math Is All Around Us” and “Transportation: Things That Go“. Both of these units are ideal for incorporating meaningful and authentic PBL learning experiences within the early childhood + settings. There was plenty of time during each of the virtual training sessions to share questions, participant video of the mini inquiry investigations they were conducting, etc. Our closing session was spent discussing ideas for a PBL unit as a group to assure that all of the staff were confident in designing and teaching a project-based learning unit over an extended period of time. As always it was a great group of dedicated educators, who like so many educators worldwide have spent countless hours on their own tweaking their teaching skills and lessons for the virtual learning platform. The following photos were taken during the sessions, as you can see it is possible to make virtual teaching and learning engaging! For more information on virtual and in-person science and STEM-based professional staff development, Diana provides worldwide complete the contact form here.
Month: August 2020
Supporting Teachers Virtually During COVID-19
The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a profound impact on education systems globally. School systems worldwide were forced to close down abruptly. Teachers were asked to transition to teaching virtually with short notice, and parents became teachers. Amidst the disruption and changes felt within all of our lives, there have been some silver linings of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Parents saw first hand the amount of time and effort teachers put forth on a daily basis. Teachers now had the time to pursue professional staff development virtually, usually for free, or at discounted rates. And education systems worldwide were faced with the reality that not all children have the opportunity to receive a quality and equitable education. In the United States, this has been a time for lengthy collaborative discussions, and action plans to address how we can move forward as a nation to provide every child with an equal opportunity for a quality education whether it be face-to-face instruction or virtual. Many teachers, administrators, and support personnel have spent the past few months becoming acquainted with online platforms. And how to provide quality and engaging virtual learning experience that can compare to the experience a student would have in a traditional classroom environment. I’ve been impressed by the level of commitment I have seen globally in so many educators as they transitioned to teaching virtually. Likewise, I have had to transition my onsite professional staff development offerings to virtual platforms. I conducted quite a bit of research on what equipment would be needed to assure that my science and STEM professional staff development sessions would be a quality and highly immersive experience. I have a nice set-up which consists of a quality microphone, headset, webcam, lighting system, document cameras, digital microscopes, 2 monitors, a lab table, and more. For the past four months, I’ve been conducting STEM-based ZOOM webinars and meetings reaching teachers from all over the world. I’ve even presented an interactive keynote ” Fostering Social-Emotional Learning Through STEAM in the Early Years” for the Global Forum for Teacher Educators in July using the Streamyard Platform. My goal is to have my virtual professional staff development be as close to an onsite experience as possible. Thus, I ask the participants to have readily available materials on hand to experiment with during the training sessions. Most of the materials requested teachers would have within their homes. During the sessions, teachers undertake engineering design challenges. They have discussions with their peers and are able to ask questions throughout the sessions. Additionally, Teachers are given engineering challenges to undertake overnight and share their designs, observations, and questions during the following session. I also provide the participants with a manual, and all of the PowerPoint slides used during the training. I look forward to the days of driving my car to neighboring cities and catching planes to travel across the nation and the world to share my passion and knowledge of STEM education with educators/administrators, and parents in person. But for now, I’m grateful for the advancement of technology which has allowed me and educators globally to continue inspiring their students. The following photos are from some of the recent virtual professional staff development sessions I have conducted for educators within the USA, and abroad. For more information on scheduling in-person or virtual professional staff development please complete the contact form found on the Contact Page.