Teaching TechEd

BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) –

 

CTE Educators will implement teacher externships as their professional learning opportunities and use the unique learning oppotunities to learn, make connections and bring real-world lessons into the classroom for their students. 

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To see my full plan and UbD outline, please check here.

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Duration:

My professional learning opportunity will take place over the course of the summer break.

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Ongoing support:

• Department chair - operations of the department; setting schedules, curriculum

• Preparatory Network - Grants/funding

• Development Manager - business partnerships

 

Active Learning Environment:

• Visits to local or national businesses

• Networking opportunities

• In-school orientation meetings with organizing entities

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Modeling:

• Interviewing business executives

• Guest speakers 

• Teacher-to-teacher reflections

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Specific to Discipline:

My professional learning opportunities are widely used in other parts of the country for CTE departments. Having the ability to partner with private businesses for exposure to jobs, companies and industries will help teachers to bring real-life experiences into the classroom. CTE teachers will create connections between the classroom and workplace skills which are necessary for success. The externships will also enforce the importance of connecting students with future career interests.

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How will I foster collaboration?

I believe it's imporant for teachers to have hands-on experiences and allowing the CTE department to work together with core content departments to create cross-curricular project-based learning lessons. I will also bring in guest speakers from the community to come and speak about what CTE teachers can expect on the externships. 

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Who will lead what components?

The CTE department with the help of the development manager will act as lead roles. Since there are only 4 CTE teachers at the school, each teacher will take on various tasks or arranging the interviews, visits and reflection meetings.  

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Audience and their needs:

I believe the audience for this specific professional learning opportunity will be primarily the CTE teachers at my school as the types of courses that we teach allows for us to make connections with real-life situations. Being a part of an externship will provide the needed experience to bring back into the classroom.

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Instructional design for PL: 

I will use the Understanding by Design (UbD) method to help unpack and understand the contents of my professional learning program.  I believe that starting with the end goal will help me design a program that will achieve learning for my fellow CTE teachers. 

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Schedule/Timeline:

Month 1 - 

1. Introduce teacher externships. 

2. Provide checklist and preparation packet for teachers goals and scaffolding 

3. Begin with watching videos on YouTube teacher externships. 

4. Introduce key terms as it relates to teacher externships 

5. Search and view examples of the Career Academy Support Network teacher externship guide.

6. Discuss on best practices for meeting industry leaders and business execs using breakout sessions in class meeting space.

7. Show and Model how to interview business executives.

8. Select business types to visit. 

9. Creation reminders/checklist for a successful teacher externship 

10. Review and discuss (written) plan to visit businesses 

 

Month 2 - 

1. Introduce schedule for externship 

2. Guest speakers meet to discuss details regarding what to expect while on the externship 

3. Attend orientation meetings with organizing entities

4. Collaborate in groups using Microsoft/Google products to determine resources/materials possibly needed for the externship. 

5. Field trips (externship) to local and national businesses to meet with business executives and HR departments in person

6. Discussion regarding how to implement knowledge from guest speakers and trips to local/national businesses 

7. Conduct polls other teachers to understand their needs for cross-curricular project-based learning. 

8. Creation of successful mini-research project to reflect and see what approach is most effective in facilitating cooperative learning among other teachers. (www.teachers.ab.ca)

 

Month 3 - 

1. Introduction of complexity levels of tasks that were performed at a worksite. 

2. Discussion on problem-solving and trouble-shooting 

3. Reflect over the evaluation of teacher externship program

4. Create thank you letter’s to the business hosts 

5. Collaborate with other teachers by completing outline for the cross-curricular lesson plan.

6. Develop summary/PowerPoint presentation on experience to be share with other colleagues.

7. Collaborate with others to create a cross-curricular project-based learning lesson plan. 

8. Present finalized lesson plans 

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Resources:

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Teacher Externship Guide

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