16 Feb Professional Development Work in Our Extended Community
Requests for professional development often come from school principals whose teachers identify a need. These requests frequently call for help with problem solving and tasks that promote higher-level thinking for students. CRDG staff traveled around the state and around the world to meet these requests in 2006.
The Mathematics Section helped Hōkūlani School with work on process standards and on problem solving and the habits of successful problem solvers. Ka‘ahumanu School asked to revisit familiar topics—addition, subtraction, multiplication and division—by analyzing the concepts behind the operations and learning new ways to work with students to develop mathematical understanding as well as skill. At Lanakila School, CRDG staff was asked to help with a mathematics and science partnership project. The goal of the project was to improve children’s mathematical understanding through professional development that involved teachers in an indepth exploration of mathematical ideas.
CRDG’s Science Section modified their professional development model for the award-winning elementary science curriculum Development Approaches in Science, Health and Technology (DASH) to meet the special needs of two schools. Eight days of teacher training for twelve grade K–5 teachers and specialists of Ka Waihona o ka Na‘auao New Century Public Charter School were designed to help them integrate DASH into their Native Hawaiian-based curriculum. The second modification, designed to help small, remote schools implement the inquiry-based program, took DASH instructors to Ethiopia to train teachers of the International Community School (ICS) of Addis Ababa. ICS also began implementation of CRDG’s Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) with the attendance of two ICS middle school teachers at FAST workshops in Honolulu.
The English Section was also busy with requests for professional development this year, and also made the effort to help small schools with specific needs. They hosted teachers from Ho ‘omana Hou school on Moloka‘i at the Laboratory School so the teachers could observe the Golden Triangle program, then a ULS teacher/researcher traveled to Moloka‘i to demonstration teach in their school and provide additional training.
Professional Development Community Partners
Hōkūlani Elementary School
Ka‘ahumanu Elementary School
Lanakila Elementary School
Ka Waihona o ka Na‘auao PCS
International Community School of Addis Ababa
Ho‘omana Hou PCS
Kaua‘i Community Partners
Hawai‘i Department of Education, Kaua‘i District
Kaua‘i Community College