Part one of this series on teacher training method options described Video Training through Individual Streaming. A more affordable option is to provide professional development for your whole staff or small groups using the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style® seminar (DVD or Forever Streaming). This training method offers flexibility in scheduling and grouping, depending on your budget, timetable, and goals.
How does it work?
Leaders of small schools gather the faculty in one location to complete the seminar together in two or three in-service days or spread the training over the school year. Does your school follow a Professional Learning Community (PLC) model? If so, teachers can train together in small, self-led groups. These groups could consist of teachers at the same grade level (in large schools), by grade level groupings (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12), or by content area (English teachers, history teachers, English Learner specialists, or special education teachers).
What are the benefits of training using this method?
- Group training is less expensive than IEW’s on-site, live training or the Virtual Teaching Writing: Structure and Style writing workshop. An administrator or mentor teacher can facilitate training, or small self-led collaborative groups can train together.
- Teachers have more time to complete the practicum assignments than they would have during the live seminar.
- As administrators and teachers engage during the practicums, crucial conversations shape the school’s culture and lead to fidelity in teaching the method. Teachers solidify their understanding and gain confidence.
Training the whole staff together may be more effective in some schools. Do you lead a small school with one classroom per grade level or have a common mission or worldview that guides and unifies your school community? Having a common purpose or guiding principle adds a powerful layer of commitment and unity that brings everyone together.
Larger schools with an established culture of doing what is best for students might choose to implement Structure and Style by training the whole teaching staff at one time. However, it helps to have widespread agreement among teachers to improve writing instruction. Additionally, a strong commitment by administrators to support teachers as they learn and grow in the methodology facilitates the process.
What are the challenges to consider about this method?
- Administrators are advised to have a core group of teachers who are fully on board and prepared to mentor other teachers. This can be accomplished by registering a few teachers for a summer Virtual Teaching Writing: Structure and Style workshop or purchasing a Teaching Writing: Structure and Style package to train individually via video streaming.
- Group training requires more hands-on involvement by administrators in planning the training sessions, ordering materials, setting schedules, and leading the training. However, your IEW Educational Consultant will support you through the training, implementation steps, and choosing the curriculum option that best fits your students’ needs.
What do we need to purchase?
You will need at least one set of Teaching Writing Structure and Style DVDs or Forever Streaming per group and one Seminar Workbook per teacher. Please note that per IEW’s copyright policy, streaming videos may not be transmitted digitally through any online meeting or classroom platform. To maximize your teachers’ success, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium Membership for every teacher who will be trained. This allows teachers access to the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style seminar via video streaming, the IEW Checklist GeneratorTM, and other benefits to support them as they teach the method to their students. Multiple viewings provide tremendous support to teachers as they transition from one structural unit to the next during the school year. With individual Premium Memberships, teachers can review any portion of the seminar at a moment’s notice as often as they need. The membership can be renewed annually.
As you make decisions about IEW’s training options for your teachers and find that you have questions or need more information, contact your school’s Educational Consultant. If your school has not yet been assigned an Educational Consultant, please contact Schools@IEW.com or call 800.856.5815 and ask to speak to someone in the Schools Department.
If you are interested in live on-site professional development for your school, contact IEW’s Implementation Coach Jeff Nease (JeffN@IEW.com or 800.856.5815 x5501) to discuss the details or to request a quote.
by Jean Nichols
Originally Posted on 05/09/2022
