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This course will explore how Student Engagement and Checking for Understanding methods allow for more confident and effective teaching.

Target audience: U.S. K-12 educators

Prerequisite knowledge/skills:

• Solid understanding of your current grade level standards.
• Knowledge of different teaching methodologies.
• Practice with engaging students in the classroom environment.
• Willingness to try out activities and share experiences with fellow participants.
• Ability to openly dialogue about theoretical ideas and actual classroom practice.

Course dates: Sept. 28-November 15 (6 weeks)

Course commitments:

Participants should be willing to:

• Participate in 2-4 hours of online work and sharing each week.
• Share openly as a member of a learning community.
• Keep a journal and/or notes pertaining to your observations and learning.
• Try out practices in your own classroom and bring back experiences to the group.
• Watch videos of instruction and instructional ideas and observe for specific practices.
• Read and discuss articles and blogs related to SE and CFU.
• Disagree and agree in a respectful, dialogue encouraging manner.

Course goals:

After this course, participants will:

• Define Student Engagement and describe characteristics that add and distract from engagement.
• Describe Student Engagement methods for different instructional frameworks.
• Explain pros and cons of different methods of engagement within a direct instruction framework.
• Define Checking for Understanding and its role in the educational process.
• Explain various methods for Checking for Understanding in a classroom, and the pros and cons for each method.
• Be able to explain how their ideas about SE and CFU fit into their instructional context.
• Understand how methods of SE and CFU can help teachers to address common standards.

Full course syllabus here.

Course developer/facilitator:

Bonita DeAmicis is currently a principal of a K-5 public school in Los Angeles County. Prior to administration she worked as an elementary teacher, a staff developer, a math methods instructor for a state college, and an adult art teacher.  Her love of learning makes her happy to be part of a new learning environment where teachers and learners negotiate and collaborate their way to deeper understandings.  

Bonita also enjoys drawing, painting, and waxing philosophically over a glass of wine and a view.