Professional Development | News
ASCD Launches Teacher Training Courses on Common Core, Differentiated Instruction
ASCD has added three courses to its PD Online lineup. The nonprofit organization is now offering courses on Common Core State Standards and differentiated instruction.
ASCD, formerly called the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, focuses on providing best practices and policies for teachers. It publishes books and other publications, runs conferences and institutes, and does on-site capacity building, online learning, and Webinars. It has more than 150,000 members in 145 countries, including superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors, and school board members. PD Online offers more than 80 online professional development courses in a variety of subject areas.
The three new courses are:
The Core Six: Teaching with the Common Core State Standards in Mind, which focuses on six strategies to boost student performance and engagement after implementation of Common Core standards. The course includes The Core Six: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core, an e-book authored by Harvey Silver, Thomas Dewing, and Matthew Perini. Students will create lessons based on strategies taught in this lesson. The course includes a multimedia presentation, video examples, and supplemental readings.
Differentiated Instruction: The Curriculum Connection, which emphasizes the correlation between quality curriculum and high-quality instruction. The course shows teachers how to create effective curriculum that align with standards. In addition, it will look at the importance of rigor and relevance when developing curriculum.
Differentiated Instruction: Using Ongoing Assessment to Inform Instruction, which focuses on how teachers in differentiated classrooms can plan for assessments and use that information to change teaching strategy. This course shows teachers how to plan formative and summative assessments.
Both differentiated instruction courses include reading material, reflections from educators, videos, and "practical applications" for teachers.
For more information, visit ascd.org.
About the Author
Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, having served in capacities from reporter to editor-in-chief of a variety of publications including Web sites, daily and weekly newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and wire services. He can be reached at timothyjsohn@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @editortim.