Professional Services :: Features

Best Practices in Professional Development

Experts in the field of professional development and training agree that increasing the amount of professional training and coaching results in an increase of the percentage of instructional skills that educators implement in the classroom.

The research of respected individuals such as Robert Marzano and his suggested strategies for increasing student achievement, and Bruce Joyce and Bev Shower's findings of providing teachers with opportunities for practice, observation, feedback, coaching, and modeling of essential skills as necessary elements leading to improved student achievement, are emphasized in Vantage Learning's professional development offerings.

These programs apply best practices in staff development and reflect current research in this area, such as mapping, a system of curriculum analysis and alignment that is a valuable component of curriculum renewal and staff development.

Participants in Vantage Learning's professional development programs gain the competencies necessary to successful implement the application being used in their school or district with:

• A hands-on learning environment
• Certified, experienced trainers
• Observable models and examples
• Reflection and refinement of instructional practices
• "Real-time" coaching and mentoring in the classroom
• Strategies for cross-curricular integration
• Opportunities for sharing and gaining professional expertise