As we aim to bring delayed readers up to grade level, we cannot allow other students to languish. Nor do we want to organize our instruction in such a way that our struggling students feel stigmatized or labeled. How do teachers balance the emotional and instructional needs of all their students? That is the question we will attack in this program. Teachers will spend several days immersed in a variety of differentiation activities and then craft specific plans and activities for differentiating in their own classrooms. (This seminar is designed to help teachers and schools navigate the requirements of the Read to Achieve Act.)

There are a great many free or low cost tools available on the Internet that can be used to help engage your students more fully. Whether you are a late adopter or a person who feels like you just need the time to work with some of the tools, this program will give you the opportunity to polish your technology skills and to work apps, sites, scripts, and extensions into your curriculum next year. During this seminar, teachers will learn a variety of strategies for providing students with access to readily available technology. Learn the best practices for creating digital artifacts, including texts, images, multimedia- and web-enabled communication, and collaboration tools to encourage the literacy development of your students. Join us as we explore digital literacy as one of the methods for bridging gaps in skill and understanding so that our students will be able to face the challenges of the world to come.

Let NCCAT help you meet the challenges raised by the North Carolina Read to Achieve Program (a part of the Excellent Public Schools Act). Join us as we examine literacy initiatives and discover the best practices for developing a welcoming and enriching reading and writing environment for the early childhood classroom. Open to teachers in grades K–3, the program will focus on developing teaching strategies that link literacy and play, develop phonological and print awareness, embed literacy instruction in the basic activities of early learning, create engaging read-aloud experiences, and support emergent reading and writing. NOTE: This is a flipped seminar. Teachers will engage virtually with the material before the residential part of the program. Some follow-up activities also will take place.

In the time between a total implementation of 1:1 technology and the present, many teachers are faced with a charge to integrate technology into the curriculum and the reality that the technology supplied by their schools is not the same sort of technology that their students are using on a daily basis. One answer to this dilemma is that the technology that the students want to bring with them to school can be used as a way to engage them more fully with the materials and the processes. Come and join us to learn more about how a teacher, a school, or a district can more effectively leverage BYOT (sometimes also called BYOD—Bring-Your-Own-Device) in order to meet goals on a budget and to meet your students on common ground.

The NCCAT Research and Development Teams program offers educators an opportunity to meet in a residential setting devoid of distraction to create and advance departmental, school, or district-wide projects. These projects might consist of new programming, research, planning, or curricula. Gather a team together to create or refine your own innovative approaches to early grades literacy or digital learning. Early grades literacy or digital learning projects will be given preference. All projects will be considered. Come prepared to share your knowledge and progress with other teams from around our state.
The application process requires submission of a project proposal from your team, and an NCCAT application from each individual. Teachers, administrators, central office personnel and district coordinators are encouraged to apply.

Experts in early grades literacy agree that the most successful approaches to sustainable literacy include factors inside and outside of school. Involving parents and other care givers in the learning process is an essential part of the challenge of helping children maintain their progress as readers and writers. The major focus of the sessions is on the best practices for engaging parents in the learning process. Participants will be expected to put the information into practice by providing training for teachers in the schools that they serve and school teams are welcome to apply. Some follow-up activities also will take place.

Open to teachers in their first, second, or third year of teaching, this seminar supports motivated beginning teachers by strengthening their knowledge base and classroom expertise. Through experiential learning, teachers will explore pedagogical concerns including differentiated instruction, brain-compatible teaching, assessment, the effect of poverty on achievement and behavior, and classroom management. Come prepared to build professional competence and confidence, improve student achievement, and reinforce your commitment to this critically important profession.

Never in our nation’s history has ability to produce and comprehend written information been more necessary. Unfortunately, literacy instruction is as difficult as it is essential. This seminar will provide early grades teachers with a complement of research-based tools and strategies to help answer some of their more burning questions: How do I teach “close reading” to students who don’t yet know the alphabet? What level of writing can I attain from children who are still learning to spell? How do I simultaneously provide enrichment for advanced readers and remediation for delayed readers? Finally, how can I integrate reading and writing instruction into all other subject areas? Preference will be given to teachers of grades K–3.

Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Web 2.0, text messaging, Instagram, video conferencing, music downloading, video games, and online social networking communities—our students live in a digital world, with the ability to contact anyone, anywhere, anytime. How can we catch up with them? Enter this world and acquire technology skills needed to navigate the ebb and flow of the digital age. Learn to facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools. Expand your fluency in technology systems. Empower all students by developing technology-enriched learning experiences. Gain confidence and skill in accessing information as you integrate technology seamlessly into your curriculum. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. Capitalize on your students’ excitement and guide them on a safe, legal, and ethical journey into the digital universe.

Open to teachers in their first, second, or third year of teaching, this seminar supports motivated beginning teachers by strengthening their knowledge base and classroom expertise. Through experiential learning, teachers will explore pedagogical concerns including differentiated instruction, brain-compatible teaching, assessment, the effect of poverty on achievement and behavior, and classroom management. Come prepared to build professional competence and confidence, improve student achievement, and reinforce your commitment to this critically important profession.