Professional Development: Making Meaning

Professional Development Overview  |  Making Meaning  |  Online Course  |  Pricing

Levels of Support

girls reading

Starting the Conversation

A two-hour engaging workshop at no charge

Description

Deepening Thinking and Learning Through Student Talk
Research confirms that even though a child can read a page aloud does not mean he or she can understand it. Teaching students to read sophisticated text with deep levels of understanding has been an enduring challenge in education. Participants discover how the Making Meaning program uses an instructional approach that brings together the latest research in reading comprehension instruction with support for fostering students’ growth as caring, collaborative, and principled people.

Format Option

  • In-person workshop

Beginning the Work

An interactive introduction to get started

Description

Participants explore the program’s components and experience a lesson that teaches specific strategies. They review an instructional model that uses read-alouds, partner work, and whole-class discussions followed by daily independent practice to apply strategies in text. They review how the program builds in complexity through the grades, supporting facilitation that teaches the strategies with social and problem-solving skills.

Format Options

  • In-person workshop
  • Online course
    • This interactive, self-paced course is available anytime. Visit learn.devstu.org.
  • Making Meaning Leadership Support Kit
    • Agendas and video clips for sessions facilitated by an instructional leader provide support for effective staff-led implementation to introduce the program, for follow-up support, and to build sustainability.
  • Webinar: DSC-hosted
    • Introductory sessions can be offered as live webinars hosted by a DSC national education consultant.

Deepening the Practice

Options for taking the work to the next level

Format Topics

  • Standards-based Units of Study
  • Pacing, Scheduling, and Planning
  • Implementing an Independent Reading Program
  • Facilitating Talk for Deeper Levels of Understanding
  • Using Assessments to Guide Instruction
  • Constructing Formative Assessments for Grading and Evaluation

Format Options

  • All-staff sessions
    • Topics chosen from the list above
  • Classroom observation
    • Address implementation issues
  • Model lessons
    • See DSC pedagogy in action
    • Explore facilitation techniques
    • Observe conferring with students
  • Grade-level team planning
    • Powerful lesson planning
    • Q+A about lessons, pedagogy, and facilitation