The QTL Core - Year 1
The First Five Days of QTL
The QTL™ Process begins with teams of teachers attending five days of professional development in a model classroom. They participate as 'students' in a series of activities, experiencing an engaging teaching approach that uses strategies such as constructivism, cooperative grouping and brain-based learning.
This QTL Core™ builds teachers' understanding of research-based teaching strategies. That modeled instruction is then job-embedded through practical application in the classroom. Teachers immediately build on what they've learned by using the strategies in their own classrooms.
Day One
Brain-Based Learning, Learning Styles and Cooperative Grouping are introduced on Day One. Activities model practical application of individual work, cooperative grouping using management techniques, and cooperative grouping using learning styles. A thematic approach incorporates principles of brain-based learning.
Day Two
Day Two models a classroom environment that incorporates various instructional strategies to differentiate instruction and enable awareness of diversity. Modeling of instructional practices includes assessment of experience and expertise, covering the curriculum while responding to student interest, group decision-making, and product assessment.
Day Three
On Day Three, educators learn effective strategies for incorporating activities that utilize a variety of students’ intelligences such as verbal/linguistic, kinesthetic, logical/mathematical, musical, spatial, interpersonal, intra-personal, and naturalist. Modeling of inquiry-based learning actively involves participants in exploration and experimentation.
Day Four
On Day Four teachers experience hands-on exploratory learning and constructivist teaching practices when they visit a local historic or scientific site. Teams for language arts, math, science, social studies and technology work together collecting information and scientific data.
Day Five
Project-based learning and constructivist teaching practices are modeled on Day Five as teachers work cooperatively to create a real world project for a broader audience: a classroom web page.
Next Steps
Following the first five days of the program, teams and schools take the program to 'practical application' back in their own schools with their students. Practical application may take one of three forms in follow-up days delivered on-site in the schools, generally starting in the fall. These follow up programs include:
- Collaborative Projects
- Focused Collaborative Cycles (Action Research)
OR - Whole Faculty Study Groups®
All follow-up programs are designed to foster
collaboration and move toward establishing Professional Learning Communities.
Read about QTL Collaborative Projects.