KASCD Virtual Just-in-Time Workshop on Distance Learning

In response to the recently released Navigating Change: Kansas Guide to Learning and School Safety Operations by the Kansas SDE, Kansas ASCD is partnering with BetterLesson to offer 6 virtual professional learning workshops just-in-time. All of these sessions are specifically designed to meet the needs of flexible learning and a manageable shift to Competency-Based Learning as the Navigating Change Guide strongly suggests.

Why Attend?

Knowing that there is no single accepted model of Competency-Based Learning, leaders have been tasked with the challenge of preparing their staff to begin tackling this new concept in the coming year. That means considering not just systems of instruction, but also forms of assessment, grading, and academic reporting to ensure students have the knowledge and skills to progress through their learning. From there, each district or school may need to consider new models of additional instruction, practice time, or academic support to ensure competency across the board. 

If this sounds overwhelming, even before considering the other unique aspects of Fall 2020, BetterLesson and Kansas ASCD are here to help, with workshops just-in-time for your planning and implementation. 

As instructional teams continue to plan for the 2020-2021 school year and determine what will best support their students and communities, these workshops will help address instructional leadership, best practices, learning design, and practical planning in three different potential scenarios: 

1. On-site Learning Environment: Students and teachers will be in school with or without social distancing practices put into place.

2. Hybrid Learning Environment: Students would be spending part of their time in the classroom and part of their time learning virtually from home.

3. Remote Learning Environment: Students would be doing most of their learning from home and not entering the school building on a regular basis.

Who Should Attend

This Just-in-Time virtual event is designed to help educators prepare for the coming school year and the unique instructional and practical challenges it brings. Sessions are intended for all Kansas educators including: 

• Principals & Assistant Principals
• Curriculum Directors
• Technology Personnel
• Teachers and Teacher Leaders
• Instructional Coaches 
• CTOs/CAOs 
• Superintendents/Assistant Superintendents 

Registration Cost

Registration for Just In Time sessions is $65 per session, per person; $55 per session, per person for KASCD members.

Registration will close at 11:59 pm CDT on July 30th.

Schedule:

Wednesday, August 5:

9-11 AM: Meaningful Tasks: Designing Engaging Learning Experiences

In a flexible learning environment, students are far more likely to engage deeply in their learning if they are asked to complete tasks and make products that are meaningful and clearly connected to their identities and passions. In this session, we build awareness of the many approaches to asynchronous learning tasks.  Participants will see examples and scenarios of asynchronous learning, and convert an in-person task to a distance learning format, supported by ideas explored within the session. Participants start to build their own strategic plan for what is most important to them and their students in this area.

1-3 PM: Synchronous Learning: Bringing Live Learning to Life

In this session, we will build understanding of the benefits and challenges of synchronous learning, and the ways in which we can make live classes via video conferencing tools more engaging and impactful. We will also introduce participants to creative ways to use a synchronous space that are not whole-group instruction and can therefore support differentiating the virtual learning experience. 

Thursday, August 6:

9-11 AM: Flexible Assessment: Designing Authentic Assessments to Check Progress

In a Flexible learning environment, students and teachers must have consistent access to feedback on progress so that they start to identify gaps early. Assessment is a meaningful, positive and empowering learning experience for all students that yields timely, relevant, and actionable evidence. Assessing at a distance and in hybrid scenarios needs to be approached carefully to ensure students feel motivated and that tasks are equitable. This session will explore some big ideas in providing feedback and assessing progress authentically and will guide participants in narrowing their focus to an actionable next step around their assessment design.

1-3 PM: Asynchronous Learning: Pathways for Students to Learn at Their Own Pace

In this session, participants will experience self-paced learning for themselves and have an opportunity to think about how the creation of a ‘pathway’ can support students as they work towards mastery. When students have a guide that illustrates how their learning is progressing, it can replicate the positive feelings of completion and success in a purely brick-and-mortar setting. This session will also highlight the challenges of self-paced pathways, and how benchmarking and monitoring the amount of time students are self-paced can help. 

Friday, August 7:

9-11 AM: Equity and Access: Ensuring All Students Meet Their Potential

Recent events, including the isolation resulting from sudden school closure due to COVID 19 and ongoing racial violence have been deeply traumatic to students, families, and entire communities. More than ever, it’s critical that we evaluate learning opportunities in terms of equity.  Thinking about the accessibility of learning for all learners can help us to think about distance learning through a critical and societal lens. This session will support us to look at examples of flexible learning focusing on the experiences of students, especially those who need additional support or who will not have the same access as others, in order to audit and make positive changes. 

1-3 PM: Closing the Gaps: Using Data to Address Academic Gaps

Students will need support addressing learning gaps more than ever after prolonged time away from school.  Creating systems that make addressing those gaps consistent, replicable, and student-centered are key to ensuring that we can differentiate thoughtfully and equitably to effectively close academic gaps over time. The principles of UDL (Universal Design for Learning) will be explored and applied throughout this session as is appropriate in personalized and competency-based learning models. 

*Expert facilitators will be available for office hours after each session for further questions, discussion and support. Sessions have limited capacity and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cancellation Policy