QTL Quality Teaching and Learning

Summary of Daily Activities

Day One: Social and Language Arts Theme: Making Connections to Ourselves

  • Day one begins with an activating strategy that promotes thinking skills to introduce the day's theme.
  • Classroom procedures are established while reinforcing learning styles, flexible grouping, brain-based strategies, and classroom management techniques.
  • Curricular integration focuses on graphing, reading comprehension and the writing processes.
  • Technology tools include use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, digital cameras, and Internet resources.

Day Two: Language Arts and Social Studies Theme: Making Connections to Others

  • At the start of day two, participants must write a journal reflection of a Johnson and Johnson article on Cooperative Learning. 
  • The best practices focused upon on this day include recognition of diversity, as well as project-based and problem-based learning, collaborative and cooperative learning. 
  • Participants focus on the curriculum as they learn skills for research, note taking, interviewing techniques, decision-making, concept mapping and estimation and guess and check problem solving.
  • The technology tools include electronic graphic organizers, instructional video clips, Internet resources, The Writers, Kid Pix, spreadsheets and word-processing.

Day Three: Science and Math Theme: Making Connections to the Environment

  • An activating strategy on day three models questioning techniques and chunking of information in relation to our environmental theme. 
  • Multiple intelligences and differentiation are the designs of learning that are modeled throughout the day.
  • Participants exhibit problem-solving skills as they work in centers to simulate environmental investigations. Participants document, collect, analyze, research, and graph data, based on their observations. 
  • The technology tools used include the digital microscope, digital cameras, scanner, The Writers, document camera, Internet resources, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint.

Day Four: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies Theme: Making Connections to Our Community

  • Participants experience new dynamic approaches to field trips through project based learning at the Natural Science Center. They are divided into teams for each curricular area and work collaboratively to construct their own knowledge based on a given task. 
  • Technology tools include digital cameras, portable processors, global positioning systems, and equipment used to capture a panoramic view of the site. 
  • Curricular integration focuses on all types of writing, vocabulary and comprehension, detecting patterns, geometry, measurement, gathering and applying social studies resources, and collecting and organizing scientific data. 
  • Participants experience the constructivist approach by creating collaborative products; integrating the digital photos taken at the Natural Science Center with other technology tools.

Day Five: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies Theme: Making Connections to Our World

  • Participants experience problem-based learning as they focus on global issues through literature.
  • Multiple technology tools are used to create a non-linear PowerPoint presentation to present their issues in a mock trial.
  • During the second half of the day, the focus is switched to instructional planning.
  • Activating, cognitive and summarizing strategies are modeled and the theory behind these strategies is explained.
    Click here to view the presentation on Learning Theory in PDF format. (This file will open in Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Coaching Session

Minimum of one 60-minute coaching session per participant to include:

  • Addressing the SCOS objective and developing an appropriate essential question
  • Coaching through development of appropriate activating, cognitive, and summarizing strategies that address the SCOS objective and essential question
  • Assist with development of appropriate technology integration

***Prior to the Coaching Session, participants must provide the instructor with a topic of study and the corresponding SCOS objective.

Day Six Theme: Instructional Planning

  • Instructional planning is the focus for day six.
  • The day starts with identification of and solutions to the barriers of technology integration.
  • Participants will individually write a lesson plan. Lessons must meet the North Carolina Standard Course of Study objectives and utilize technology. 
  • Lesson plans will be published on the Guilford County Schools ACT Lesson Plan web site.

Implementation Lesson

  • An QTL instructor is on-site to assist in the implementation of the technology-enriched lesson that was written by the participant on day seven. 
  • QTL instructors will provide continued support, with on-line tips and on-site visits, whenever feasible, to ensure that participants are able to use what they have learned in their own classroom setting.