Time: 3:15-5:15 p.m.

Despite our knowledge of effective reading instruction in the early grades, only 36% of fourth graders in North Carolina read at or above proficiency according to the 2019 NAEP assessment. By fourth grade, it is common for instruction to shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” which assumes that students have already mastered basic reading skills like decoding and fluency. With decreased instruction focused on learning to read, students who do not read proficiently by the end of third grade will likely encounter additional learning challenges, and teachers must support these students before the gap widens. Join us to learn about the research surrounding reading and decoding practices most effective for struggling students.

MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) is the umbrella under which all educational practices fall. It has four main pillars: Attendance; Behavior; Academics, and; SEL (Social Emotional Learning). What have we learned from the experts over the past decades? What are we continuing to learn from disequities highlighted by the pandemic? How can we use this research to create optimal teaching behaviors that equate to maximum learning outcomes? And how can we change OUR professional practices to ensure positive and thriving student behaviors?

This program is intended to offer the big picture - the major actions that will yield the biggest impact, some of the latest research, as well as practical implementation suggestions and resources. Plan to leave with ideas, resources, and a game plan for your classroom and school teams!

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Supporting the practices of instructional coaches is critical in NC schools. This program will prepare coaches for this ever-changing profession. Throughout the week, coaches will learn strategies to strengthen relationships with teachers, facilitate meaningful collaboration, and give effective coaching feedback. Sessions will include best practices for having critical conversations and establishing productive Professional Learning Communities with students’ success in mind. Join NCCAT to learn and collaborate with instructional coaches from across NC.

Want to learn how to build effective online design for Canvas and Google Classroom using Google Apps? The widespread adoption of Learning Management Systems and 1:1 laptop initiatives means teachers have opportunities to blend the best of traditional instruction and online learning. Teachers will learn the latest best practices for online learning and put that learning into practice by creating effective lessons to engage student learners. The 4 C’s - collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity are essential components of the digital learning competencies that support and enhance student learning and success for our global society. This course will help you design online lessons using Google Apps for your Canvas or Google Classroom account. By building their repertoire of skills with Google Apps for Education, teachers will see how to foster seamless communication, encourage collaboration among students, promote critical thinking, and support student creativity—the 4 C’s.

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The Covid-19 pandemic forced educators to suddenly pivot to new ways of teaching and reaching students. Now that we’ve all had those shared experiences, how can we take the best of both digital and in-person learning to create equitable and engaging classrooms? Each participant will design makeovers of their favorite lessons, using techniques like flipped classes and project-based learning to blend the best of both worlds. We will also develop frameworks for advocating for change in the classroom to support equity work. This hands-on session will give educators make-and-take products to help merge the best practices of digital and in-person learning to better reach all students.

Time: 3:15-4:45 p.m.

We know ongoing formative assessment is more critical than ever in math instruction, so how do we make the most of these assessments to guide our instruction? Join this virtual session on March 24th from 3:15-4:45 to explore different assessment strategies that help us make informed decisions about next steps in math learning. We will explore guidance for best practices in this unprecedented time to ensure students are receiving rigorous instruction and learn strategies for checking students’ learning needs with a variety of formative assessments. This program is intended for math teachers and instructional coaches in grades 2-8.

Do you either have an underutilized makerspace or are thinking of developing a makerspace? Are you finding that your STEM efforts are not generating the kind of interdisciplinary joy and wonder of learning that you see at other schools? Have you considered exploring authentic PBL instead of just “doing projects?” This workshop will answer these questions and more by providing middle and high school teachers the opportunity for a deep dive into the intersection of each of these proven strategies that drive relevance, engagement, and deeper learning. Find out how you can leverage the power of an active learning environment in your own classroom and school – one that amplifies the best traditions of progressive, constructivist education and depends more on a mindset of problem solving and sustained inquiry and less on expensive equipment and technology.

What if rather than hearing your students say, “I’m not good at math,” you could hear them say “math is one of my favorite classes!”? This workshop is for high schoolmath teachers ready to shift the paradigm for engaging teaching and learning through Design Thinking and the core elements of Experiential Learning such as authentic Problem, Place, and Project Based Learning. We will ground our work in student empathy, an asset-based lens, and proven, learner-centered strategies that help restore the joy, wonder, and relevance of math, while also enabling an increase in rigor and student depth of knowledge. Participants will work in a collaborative environment to develop a working knowledge of the design process and elements of High Quality PBL, as well as leverage a wealth of proven resources that help make math instruction less siloed and abstract and more connected to applications that students care about. Come to NCCAT with one or more ideas of how to design an experiential learning culture in your classroom and school.

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Digital learning is a broad category that encompasses the use of digital resources and technology to enhance and differentiate instruction. The number of available options, however, can be overwhelming. Participants in this session will gain experience with free, high-quality tools for: video and audio production, blended lessons, curating digital content, formative assessment, and coding. The program will also incorporate hands-on experiences with inexpensive technology that could be used to enhance instruction. Participants will explore these digital tools as students to best determine how to use them effectively as teachers, then leave NCCAT with a Teachers will: · develop strategies to use digital tools before, during, and after a lesson. · learn strategies for creating blended learning experiences in their classes. · gain firsthand experience with digital tools in a variety of areas and consider how to best use those tools in their classrooms .virtual toolbox of new techniques to take back to the classroom.