SparkEd offers workshops to serve all grades, K - Adult, for educators who serve students across content areas and levels of ability. Our consultants are practicing educators with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and each brings his or her own spark.
Beginning Summer 2022, the following six -hour workshops will be offered. Each of these can also be customized to meet your needs. If you are interested in learning more, please fill out the Google Form following the descriptions.
Building Avid Readers: With the ever-expanding digital world, a love of reading has diminished for many, especially those born into a word with smartphones and tablets. For some, the love has never been developed. This workshop will provide a research-based approach to building avid readers, practical engagement and instructional strategies, and editable materials to establish an independent reading program in the classroom (Grades 5 - 12).
Flipping the Script: Got Chromebooks but feel they aren't being used as more than fancy, expensive notebooks? Want to flip instruction or do less traditional, direct instruction but feel nervous about relinquishing control or making big changes? This workshop will provide a research-based approach to blending face-to-face and virtual instruction while maintaining rigorous standards and promoting student agency. Participants will examine their own practices, determine goals for blending instruction, and create an action plan for implementation (K-Adult).
Re-Imagining the PLC: In its original conception, the Professional Learning Community (PLC) was an innovative idea to utilize the strengths of educators and share the workload of teaching. In practice, the PLC has had varying results; some groups have moved mountains and others are stagnant. This workshop will push participants to consider their professional team dynamics, return to their goals (or set new ones), and transform their teaching so they can best serve the needs of students (K-Adult).
Standards-Based Grading: Tired of compliance and homework grades? Unsure of the skills your students actually leave your classroom or school with? Want to give students more ownership of their learning but still align to the standards? This workshop will explore a newly developed and classroom tested approach to standards-based grading that includes collaborative team teaching, choosing essential skills and outcomes, and developing student-centered units to offer students ample opportunities to demonstrate and defend mastery (Grades K - 12).
Sparking Wonder: We all battle apathy, but as education moves toward a more project-based approach across the country, we are often left scrambling to engage students in more authentic, hands-on, competency-based learning, particularly in English/Language Arts classes. This workshop will provide engaging strategies to spark wonder in even the most reluctant students and participants will leave with instructional resources for turning students’ wonderings into standards-based projects that all will want to showcase (All Grades).