Virtual Professional Learning Communities
Dynamic Professional Development Solutions
Are you looking for free professional development to earn your required continuing education hours? Or maybe you are looking for more information about a particular instructional strategy?
We offer professional development from highly experienced educators and school administrators. We provide virtual professional learning communities (VPLCs), which consist of asynchronous Massive Open Online Professional Individual Learning (MOOPIL) courses and synchronous VPLC sessions with a live coach, on a range of pedagogical and administrative topics.
Complete the MOOPIL of your choice and then register for the corresponding VPLC. You will receive 2-3 professional development hours and a micro-credential.
Virtual Professional Learning Communities
We’re releasing future VLPC dates soon. Sign up for notifications and don’t miss out. If you’d like more information about our VPLC offerings, please contact Dr. Matthew Etchells.
Coaches
Dr. Linda Rodriguez, Lead Coach
Dr. Linda Rodriguez currently serves as Lead Coach at Texas A&M University – College Station. She served as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Aldine ISD where she supervised one high school, one early college high school, one middle school, and 11 elementary schools and four early childhood centers. Dr. Rodriguez has 34 years of service in the public schools. She has taught bilingual/ESL prekindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade in Pharr San Juan Alamo ISD and Aldine ISD. She helped develop the first prekindergarten classroom in Aldine. She was also instrumental in opening Keeble EC/PK Center as a Montessori school. In addition, she has taught courses for Sam Houston State University and Texas A&M.
Dr. Michelle Burke
Dr. Michelle Martin Burke has 19 years of experience in education including serving as a bilingual early childhood teacher, an assistant principal, principal, and director of various departments. Her personal and unique experience as an English Learner as well as holding a Montessori certification, bachelor’s, and master’s in instructional leadership, as well as a doctorate in supervision and leadership has allowed her to help other educators “make connections” between abstract and concrete concepts for all students, especially when learning a second language. When she supports educators, she infuses both English learner strategies and Montessori theories such as “isolating the difficulty, simple to complex, and from the hand to the mind!” Michelle is an advocate for student success and believes all students can reach their true potential when providing them with a scaffold prepared environment that includes a choice as well as opportunities to engage in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Her recent research contributions are in adult learning and primary education.
Ms. Gloria Cavazos
Dr. Selina Chapa
Ms. Sandra Doria
Dr. Maria Galindo
MOOPIL Descriptions
- develop an understanding of organizational leadership and change,
- explore ways to address strategic and systemic practices,
- learn strategies to build and support engagement, and
- connect learning to real-life practice.
Building Teacher Instructional Capacity 2 Virtual Professional Development Hours As you complete this course, you will:
- discover the importance of advancing the educational outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and
- explore ways of developing culturally and linguistically diverse students’ literacy and academic excellence in the STEM content areas.
Conducting Comprehensive Needs Assessments 1 Virtual Professional Development Hour As you complete this course, you will:
- develop a general understanding of CNAs,
- explore key attributes of CNAs, and
- learn how the use of CNAs emphasize the academic needs of ELs.
Critical Dialogues 2 Virtual Professional Development Hours The course objectives are to:
- understand what critical dialogue is and how it supports citizenship,
- examine how critical dialogue benefits students in schools and can be applied in real-life situations,
- explore instructional practices conducive to teaching critical dialogue, and
- understand critical dialogue as a foundation for teaching empathy and functioning in a democracy.
Cultivating Leadership in Others 2 Virtual Professional Development Hours The course objectives are to:
- learn about peer coaching characteristics, and
- how peer coaching impacts the implementation of new content in classrooms, and reflect on ways to implement or improve upon existing peer coaching practices.
Evaluating Instruction from a Literacy Development Perspective 1 Virtual Professional Development Hour As you complete this module, you will:
- recognize schools’ responsibility to provide effective EL services, programs, and instruction that promote the development of ELs’ academic language and literacy; and
- explore how ineffective EL services, programs, or instruction can hinder ELs’ English acquisition progress resulting in large numbers of students who are long-term English learners.
Monitoring Curriculum and Instruction 2 Virtual Professional Development Hours The course objectives are to:
- learn about assessment types or elements,
- become familiar with differentiation elements, and
- explore ways to use data to make informed decisions.
Sharing Leadership 2 Virtual Professional Development Hours The course objectives are to:
- examine the importance of sharing leadership related to school improvement,
- explore the concept of collective capacity,
- understand that trust not only matters but is critical to sharing leadership, and
- know the elements of purposeful communities to support shared leadership.
Strategic Planning 2 Virtual Professional Development Hours This course covers organizational leadership research and best practices. The course objectives are to:
- develop an understanding of organizational leadership and change,
- explore ways to address strategic and systemic practices,
- learn strategies to build and support engagement, and
- connect learning to real-life practice.
Understanding English Learners’ Needs and Dual Language Programs 2 Virtual Professional Development Hours The course objectives are to:
- review the goals of dual language education,
- explore the needs of ELs in dual language programs,
- consider if your dual language program is delivering equitable outcomes for the ELs, and
- become familiar with the resource Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard et al., 2018).
Understanding Language Objectives 1 Virtual Professional Development Hour As you complete this module, you will:
- discover how language objectives help address the dual challenges ELs face of mastering grade-level content while acquiring English proficiency,
- become familiar with the distinctions between content and language objectives, and
- explore how to implement content and language objectives simultaneously.
Years in U.S. Schools and Their Importance 1 Virtual Professional Development Hour As you complete this module, you will:
- discover the link between time in dual language programs and student achievement, and
- explore factors to consider when making high-stakes dual language program decisions.