While Sunnyvale School District students enjoyed a four-day weekend over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Sunnyvale School District staff and teachers were busy attending training sessions on January 21, 2014. The staff had the opportunity to delve deeper into the focus on the District’s strategic goals. Teachers participated in professional development in writing, teaching math with the emphasis on conceptual understanding using Context for Learning (textbook version that supports our math curriculum) and Spatial Temporal Math (web-based program for math instruction), Problem-Based Learning (a system of inquiry-based learning), Response to Intervention (programs supporting students’ academic and behavioral needs), and the use of technology to help support instruction and improve student learning. Sunnyvale Middle School led a day-long session on prevention and intervention of bullying and Columbia Middle School delved deeper into cultural proficiency. Teachers, instructional coaches, as well as school administrators led these sessions.
Our district’s classified staff participated in a rich array of professional development activities as well. Some of their sessions included Project Cornerstone, Mimio (a software program which helps students develop and improve reading comprehension skills, a valuable differentiation tool supporting students working in small groups), Safety Care training, Powerschool, Bullying, and Stress Management.
Contributor: Mala Ahuja, Director of Instruction, Sunnyvale School District
