Perspectives from the Field: Using PowerUp for Professional Development

Common Core State Standards: 
Foundational Skills
Instructional Strategies: 
Fluency

Cindy Gould, who is currently teaching reading at North Scituate Elementary School in Rhode Island, considers herself a teacher leader who strives to impact both teaching and learning.  She has written standards-based lessons for the Rhode Island Department of Education, and consulted on the Balanced Assessment Project at Harvard University.  She is a member of Rhode Island's Educator Leader Cadre for PARCC and the advisory group to the RI Commissioner of Education.  She is currently working on Reading Recovery National Certification.

This is her first guest appearance on the Tech Matters Blog. 

How can you use PowerUp as a tool for Professional Development?

The resources at Power Up are endless! I have been a frequent visitor to the site always looking to lift my professional practice to the highest level. Since developing fluency is a very important skill for elementary students, and especially those who struggle, I’ve relied on the Fluency Instructional Strategy Guide for own learning and for the professional development work I do with teachers (e.g., consultations and workshops). For example, recently during my common planning time with the intermediate teachers, we dug into the fluency materials by viewing the slideshow on fluency that was right there in the overview, reading the Lesson in Action on repeated readings, and viewing the quick view on closed captioning. During a recent Professional Development Day, I encouraged teachers to explore the other math and ELA Instructional Strategy Guides as they were planning ELA and math units.

For me, Power Up makes it possible to stay on the cutting edge of best practice.

What's New on POWERUP?

AIR Informs Episode #6: Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities During COVID-19

Remote learning requires adjustment for all students, but students with disabilities face additional challenges during the COVID-19 quarantine. In the latest episode of AIR Informs, Allison Gandhi, managing researcher and director of AIR’s special education practice area, describes some of these obstacles and shares strategies to help students make the most of this time.