Services for Schools and Districts
Our Approach to Professional Learning
Our professional learning on learner variability aims to increase collective teacher efficacy by helping educators understand what makes learners unique and how to leverage the science of learning to support their needs. According to John Hattie, collective teacher efficacy, which is the collective belief of teachers in their ability to affect students, has the largest effect size on student achievement. Beliefs matter and understanding learner variability can change the way teachers see students as whole learners with unique strengths and challenges. Our professional learning helps teachers and leaders understand how to design for learner variability based on our four design principles:
- Designing Inclusive Environments that Foster Belonging
- Designing for the Whole Learner
- Designing based on the science of learning
- Designing for student agency
We offer a variety of professional learning services and resources that partners can choose from to meet the needs of their professional learning programs.
Customize Your Path
Self-Guided Modules
We have seven self-guided modules on learner variability that provide opportunities to explore different paths and personalize learning content to help educators and leaders design for learner variability.
Workshops
Whether in-person or virtual, our workshops on designing for learner variability can be tailored to your district initiatives on a variety of topics such as: whole child learning, culturally responsive teaching, social and emotional learning, Multi-tiered support systems (MTSS), strengths-based teaching.
Professional Learning Communities Guides
We have professional learning community (PLC) guides available for each module and each design principle that can be used to help carry the learning into school communities. These guides include activities to apply and extend learning within a school context. We provide train-the-trainer support for PLC leaders on how to use the guides and adapt to their school goals and needs.
Micro-credentials
Micro-credentials offer ways to demonstrate learning and competence across different aspects of learning and application. Our partners can choose from three different stacks of micro-credentials or can opt to design their own.
Examples of Our Work
Professional Learning Communities & Micro-credentials
In this year-long partnership with Iredell-Statesville Schools, we worked with a group of educators who were selected to participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLC). Through train-the-trainer workshops, plc guides, and activities, we supported PLC leaders and members in using the Learner Variability Navigator to support instruction and complete micro-credentials.
Learner Variability Pathways within an LMS
In our partnership with Verizon Innovative Learning Schools, we co-designed a series of modules and micro-credentials that have been integrated into the program’s learning management system. Verizon Innovative Learning Schools can opt into this pathway as part of their extended learning in their third year. To date we’ve been able to award 692 educators and coaches micro-credentials on learner variability.
Modules, PLC’s & Train-the-Trainer Workshops
In our partnership with District of Columbia Public Schools, we provided a series of seven asynchronous modules that cover a range of topics related to learner variability, along with professional learning community guides for each module. We then provided a series of train-the-trainer workshops to district administrators from their division of exceptional learners on how to leverage these tools in their professional development.
See what teachers are saying about their professional learning experiences with us:
The module layout and approach of the topic addressed learner variability from multiple angles, adding repetitions of key information in a format that was direct, concise and not overwhelming despite working on the module after a long day when my brain didn’t really want to take in new information.
Jenn Hoffman, School-based coach/leader
Being part of the LVP [pd program] has made me reflect and realize that viewing and working with students as individuals and not as a number of a large group is a matter of respecting them as human beings. The fact that each one of them is unique is something that we need to keep in mind all the time and that we cannot forget on a daily basis. This project has taught me that if we really want to have a positive impact, that is the starting point.
Carolina Portillo Lozano, 2nd-grade teacher
I found the structure of this [workshop series with asynchronous modules] really helpful! Having an intro session and then the opportunity to learn at our own pace with multiple options to engage with really allowed me to process deeply.
Alexis Feliciano, Math Specialist
Connect With Us!
If you’d like to learn more about our professional learning services or have questions about the resources above, complete this form.
