Professional Learning
Growth Knows No Limits
By Guest Blogger on April 26th, 2018
Continuous improvement isn’t just for those who need to work on specific skills.
Continuous improvement is for every professional, every teacher, every student, every person. At Florida Virtual School, we engage in professional learning because we never want to stop growing, expanding our “good enough” to our greatest potential. Continue reading
Rock On: Expert Advice from Two Master Teachers
By Florida Virtual School on July 20th, 2017
Every time I look back at my career as a teacher, I realize how far I have come.
What I find truly astounding is that what made the most impact in my practice was not learned in the resounding hallways of my Alma Mater or the momentous conference rooms of the many in-service training sessions I’ve completed, but interacting and networking with my peers. Sometimes I will get the best idea from asking a question or brainstorming in a Professional Learning Community (PLC) session.
And just like a movie flashback, I am back at the topic for this blog!
I wanted to ask some questions to our teachers that everyone else also asks. It was difficult to single out one or two teachers, because here at FLVS I feel that I am teaching in the middle of a rock festival and every teacher I know is a rock star!
To narrow it down, I reached out to two of our Teacher of the Year nominees, Amsler Burns and Kellie Shellenberger. Continue reading
Why Every Teacher Should Go See “Hidden Figures”
By Guest Blogger on March 1st, 2017
Last month I saw the movie “Hidden Figures” and I was so incredibly inspired.
I am a former English teacher, so my love is words and writing and reading. But I ventured to see this movie because it empowers women and sheds light on some pretty amazing mathematicians who had the power to make this word-loving English teacher a fan of math. I mean, as a teacher I’ve always loved data, but for me, seeing this movie reinforced why numbers are just as important as words.
We look at data a lot in education, but most of the time I believe we are just looking at numbers and not really grasping the full story data can tell us.
Data does tell a story.
Sometimes it’s a story we don’t want to hear; sometimes it’s a story we already know and we’re just validated. Sometimes it’s a story we never gave any thought and a whole new path is opened for us. If the data you look at regularly is just numbers on a screen and it’s not telling you a story, maybe some insights from “Hidden Figures” will help. Continue reading
Professional Learning at FLVS in 2015
By Mary Mitchell on February 25th, 2015
At FLVS, professional learning matters.
Learning that is student-centered, collaborative, sustained and data-driven is what drives success.
Student Centered
This is the year that every department and individual at FLVS is going to refocus. For our teachers, being able to identify and articulate professional learning goals directly impacts student learning, mastery, and performance.
This is what student-centered professional learning is all about.
Premier Events Sponsored by The Foundation for FLVS
By Guest Blogger on November 12th, 2014
This fall, The Foundation for Florida Virtual School (The Foundation), the philanthropic organization of FLVS, “Unmasked the Future of Education” by hosting two premier events: the third annual Opening Doors to the World Awards Celebration and the inaugural users conference, Momentum: FLVS World Symposium. Both of these events shined a spotlight on education leaders who are helping to shape the future of online learning in the United States.
Momentum: FLVS World Symposium, presented by Mawi Learning, was a three-day users conference that provided more than 2,000 industry professionals the opportunity to network and collaborate with education experts, exhibitors, and innovators from all over the country. Conference keynotes featured the best of the best with Mawi Asgedom of Mawi Learning, Ian Jukes of 21st Century Project, and Dan Heath, New York Times Best Selling author. Continue reading
Momentum: FLVS World Symposium Recap
By Guest Blogger on October 28th, 2014
If you have ever wondered how much fun 2,000+ educators could have at once, just attend the annual Momentum: FLVS World Symposium held in Orlando each fall. Yes, there is a ton of learning going on, and educators find that pretty thrilling. It is in their DNA! One educator summarized day one of this year’s conference as follows: “Awesome conference so far. Only one day and I already feel equipped!”
Educators across the country came to learn, participate, present, and network at the conference in early October alongside Florida Virtual School staff. This collaborative learning experience benefited all who attended. As one FLVS staff member highlighted, “Love the idea of presenters outside of FLVS. Lets us know what is going on outside our world.” Continue reading
Instructional Coaching the FLVS Way
By Mary Mitchell on April 1st, 2014
How does instructional coaching work in a virtual world? Have you heard about the Vir-structional coaching program at FLVS?
The Vir-structional program is designed to help those using a virtual platform to train, teach, and inform participants. The goal of the Coaching Program is to deliver high quality technology-based education by increasing customer/student learning through engaging and interactive live lessons.
Instructional coaching provides a venue for instructors to share teaching ideas and strategies with each other. The coach is someone who has expertise and knowledge in developing highly effective and engaging lessons that will lead to increased participant learning. The coachee is someone who would benefit from a coaching relationship by being open and receptive to learning new tools, techniques, and strategies to increase participants’ attendance and understanding. Continue reading
Stop, Collaborate, and Listen
By Guest Blogger on February 26th, 2014
Doing Virtual Doesn’t Mean Doing it Alone!
When people think virtual, what do you think comes to mind? Prior to my experience at FLVS, I thought of sitting alone in front of the computer, reading lessons, responding to discussion boards, and checking email. The common denominator behind all of my thoughts was that you do it alone. While virtual education primarily places responsibility on the learner, there is a debatably larger need to collaborate to be successful.
At FLVS, students are required to collaborate with one another at least one time within each segment/semester. Many families, at first glance, think this is a demanding request or an off-the-wall requirement, because of their initial thoughts about virtual education. What they find is that they wonder why they didn’t start collaborating sooner. Continue reading
Learning Forward – Part 8: Lesson Study
By Mary Mitchell on October 15th, 2013
Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/
The lesson study process is one of the most unique teaching techniques available to 21st century teachers. During a lesson study, instructors present a lesson and uncover what makes it effective or ineffective. Bringing several teachers together and using their combined knowledge to create, teach, and reflect on a lesson is one of the best teaching strategies for instructors. Teachers are life-long learners and are always looking for ways to improve their skills. Lesson study is an ideal format to observe what does and doesn’t work and make improvements. Continue reading
The Power of Negativity
By Guest Blogger on September 30th, 2013
Remember the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” I have to say, that through life experiences, I’ve come to realize that this statement is completely false. The bruises that are caused by sticks and stones may last for a period of time, but the scars words leave can last a lifetime. Continue reading