Understanding by Design: Beginning the Journey

January 22–24, 2009

San Diego, Calif.

How does teaching for deep understanding differ from coverage-oriented instruction? What instructional techniques are most effective for developing and deepening student understanding of important ideas and processes? And how can classroom assessments enhance understanding, not simply measure it? Attend this three-day Institute to explore these questions and learn about ASCD's Understanding by Design framework helping thousands of educators plan more results-oriented curriculum. Participants will

• Explore backward design principles and common misunderstandings about design;
• Identify desired results for unit of study and draft an assessment and learning plan;
• Refine work using design standards and feedback from other participants;
• Strategize about how to develop multiple units, courses, and programs; and
• Design assessments and instructional experiences that ensure identified goals are actually learned.

 Linking Professional Development to Improvement in Student Learning

January 22–23, 2009

San Diego, Calif.

What types of professional learning experiences work best? How can we ensure professional development makes a difference in the practices of educators and, ultimately, in the performance of students? This Institute explores these questions and introduces you to the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of professional development experiences. Participants will

• Learn how to identify reliable indicators of success during professional development planning.
• Understand how to apply change research findings to professional development design and implementation processes.
• Explore ways to gather quantitative and qualitative evidence on effects, and present that evidence in meaningful and convincing ways.
  

 Classroom Assessment and Grading That Works

January 22, 2009

San Diego, Calif.

Attend this Institute to understand how to apply the specific recommendations from ASCD's best-selling book Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work. Learn how the research-based approach described in this book provides feasible direction for immediate and long-term changes. Deepen your knowledge of all the issues related to effective classroom formative assessment, including

• Changing grading and assessment practices;
• Developing classroom assessments that provide an accurate profile of what students have learned;
• Creating grade books that separate academic from nonacademic factors;
• Tracking specific learning goals in grading records; and
• Using new grading practices to communicate with students and parents.
  

 How to Implement Professional Learning Communities: One School at a Time

January 23, 2009

San Diego, Calif.

The teacher is the single most powerful influence on student learning, and teachers improve through their professional learning experiences. At this Institute, participants will learn how a large urban school district implemented professional learning communities using a school-by-school effort that focuses on establishing and developing teachers as professional development liaisons. Participants will learn the differences between professional development and professional learning. They will also experience several strategies for professional learning, such as the tuning protocol and consultancy, that they can use in their own settings. Participants will

• Understand how a large urban school district has established a professional development liaison in each school;
• Understand how your district can provide professional learning opportunities for your teachers;
• Know the differences between professional development and professional learning;
• Know several professional learning designs they can use in their own environments; and
• Understand how to apply the strategies used successfully in an urban school district to build a districtwide professional learning community.