Professional Developement
Because I consider myself a life-long learner and inquirer, I believe that professional development that provokes reflection and changes my teaching practices is a fundamental part of who I am as a teacher.
The following list shows some of the most important and formal professional development opportunities I have had. There are many other courses and workshops I have attended that are not included here and I have chosen to share only the following because I feel these have had a direct and important impact on my teaching.
The following list shows some of the most important and formal professional development opportunities I have had. There are many other courses and workshops I have attended that are not included here and I have chosen to share only the following because I feel these have had a direct and important impact on my teaching.
The following list shows some of the most important and formal professional development opportunities I have had. There are many other courses and workshops I have attended that are not included here and I have chosen to share only the following because I feel these have had a direct and important impact on my teaching.
The following list shows some of the most important and formal professional development opportunities I have had. There are many other courses and workshops I have attended that are not included here and I have chosen to share only the following because I feel these have had a direct and important impact on my teaching.
2009 NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo, Washington, D.C., USA
- Workshop: "Sharpening your Assessment Lenses: Creating Links to Teaching, Development and Learning"; Diane Trister Dodge, Teaching Strategies
- Workshop: "Supporting Play in an Outcome Based World"; Melissa Grones, Susan Toussaint, Megan Brady, California State University
- Workshop: "Developmentally Appropriate Portfolios"; Ana Rodriguez, Lousianna State University
- Workshop: "Mathematics for Young Children"; Sue Bredekamp, National Association for the Education of Young Children.
IBO training
- 2012: IBO PYP Academy, Miami, Florida: training to become a Workshop Leader, Site Visitor and Consultant.
- 2011: "Inquiry in the PYP" Category 3 workshop; 18 hours of instruction
- 2009: "Teaching and Learning in the PYP" Category 2 workshop; 18 hours of instruction
Other training
- 2015: Cultures of Thinking, International School of Amsterdam; Ron Ritchhart
- 2013: Differentiated Instruction, Harvard Graduate School of Education Online Wide World Courses.
Independent Study
Although I highly value the training I have received in these workshops, I have found that the best way to deepen my understandings on teaching and learning and of improving my teaching practices is through my own study and reflection.
Because of this, I have made an important investment on literature regarding the different subjects in the Early Childhood and Primary Education fields. The study of this literature has had an important impact on my teaching and therefore I would like to mention some of the books and authors that have helped shape my knowledge and have directly changed the nature of my teaching practices.
These are some of the books that I have studied:
Because of this, I have made an important investment on literature regarding the different subjects in the Early Childhood and Primary Education fields. The study of this literature has had an important impact on my teaching and therefore I would like to mention some of the books and authors that have helped shape my knowledge and have directly changed the nature of my teaching practices.
These are some of the books that I have studied:
- "Making Thinking Visible", by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church and Karin Morrison: explains the idea of Cultures of Thinking and how to promote thinking in the early childhood and primary classrooms, through the use of Visible Thinking Routines.
- "Visible Learning for Teachers", by John Hattie: the author shares his findings from a meta-analysis conducted to prove the effectiveness of common teaching practices, such as homework, testing and others. Through the analysis, the author explains that teaching decisions must be taken with the research in mind, and thinking of the impact our practices will have on learners.
- "Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction: Teaching Beyond the Facts", by Lynn Erickson: throughout the book Lynn Erickson explains how to achieve conceptual understanding instead of only knowledge acquisition.
- "Active Learning Through Formative Assessment", by Shirley Clarke: theory and practice on formative assessment, its benefits and practical use in the classroom.
- "Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom", by Carol Ann Tomilson: discusses the way to address student differences and explains the approach of differentiation, with which I have learned to design student-centered and responsive classrooms.
- "Guiding Readers and Writers. Teaching Comprehension, Genre and Content Literacy", by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell: an amazing guide towards the instruction of reading through a whole language approach, and differentiating strategies for diverse learners.
- "Classroom Based Assessment", by Bonnie Campbell Hill, Cynthia Ruptic and Lisa Norwick: provides a framwork for comprehensive assessment for early and upper primary, as well as dozens of resources and strategies to design engaging, authentic and fair assessments.
- "Understanding by Design", written by Grantt Wiggins and Hay McTighe: explains the philosophy of UbD and how to use it to create learner centered classrooms, focused on conceptual understanding and the development of skills, as opposed to "teaching for the test" and "covering" material that has to be learned.
- "The Hundred Languages of Children, The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education", edited by Carolyn Edwards, Lella Gandini and Goerge Forman: and amazing insight into the philosophy of this educational approach.
- "Windows on Learning, Documenting Young Children's Work" by Judy Harris Helm, Salle Beneke, and Kathy Steinheimer: a guide towards assessment and documentation, its importance and its uses.
- "The Intentional Teacher, Choosing the Best Strategies for Young Children's Learning" by Ann S. Epstein: a framework that supports good teaching practices and intentionality, that helps promote high quality in ECE.
- "The Young Child and Mathematics" by Juanita V. Copley: gives a clear understanding of the processes children go through as they learn mathematical concepts and demonstrates good teaching practices aimed towards these goals.
- "Learning Together Through Inquiry" by Kathy Short: explains what inquiry is, how it may be used with children and why it is the best way to ensure meaningful learning.
- "The Power of Guidance, Teaching Socio-Emotional Skills in Early Childhood Classrooms" by Dan Gartrell: the best approach to classroom management, and a book I constantly refer to for help solving conflicts in my classroom.
- "Already Ready, Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten" by Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover: has helped shape my standpoint regarding literacy in the early years.