Professional Learning

Our professional learning opportunities are designed in collaboration with scholars as a way to bridge research and practice. Informed by a literature review of the field, each professional learning offering is designed in a tiered pathway and aligned to standards for professional practice.

Level 1: LEARN addresses the content knowledge dimension and the research behind its importance

Level 2: INTERPRET addresses the application dimension with opportunities for reflection and discussion of pedagogical issues

Level 3: CREATE addresses the synthesis dimension with opportunities for designing a unit of study for local contexts

Equitable futures pathway (K-12)

Culturally-responsive teaching by design

A professional learning for educators designed to:

develop the essential knowledge of cultural-responsive teaching principles and practices;

develop the critical dispositions of a culturally-responsive practitioner;

design and develop a culturally-connected unit of study that builds on and strengthens the intellective capacity of diverse learners.
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We can't teach what we don't know

A professional learning for educators designed to:

develop understanding how prejudice, discrimination, and racism operate at the interpersonal, intergroup, and institutional level;

reflect, discuss, and self-assess to uncover practices that undermine pedagogical equity;

create opportunities for students to learn about historical truths, affirm the dignity and humanity of all people and become agents of social change to promote equity.
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Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR)

A professional learning for educators designed to:

introduce the learning design of a semester-long Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project that positions learners as lead investigators into a DEI issues that matters to them;

unpack the pedagogical benefits of YPAR to foster learner voice and agency; to engage in inquiry, to analyze findings, and to communicate implications;

unpack the potential learning outcomes of YPAR to foster systems thinking, collaboration, and information literacy as learners critically examine independently researched information against primary and peer reviewed sources.
Racial historical consciousness

A professional learning for educators designed to:

teach a richer, more complete, and more empowering representation of Black history and the Black experience in the United States.
Whose history?

A professional learning for educators designed to:

understand the history and rich diversity of MN Indigenous Peoples before 1492: their social structures, religious beliefs, and daily life;

explore the complicated concept of sovereignty and its implications in the context of treaties between the United States government and American Indian Tribes;

critically reflect on the impact of the 19th century American belief in the divine right to expand westward across the American continent;

explore the historical context and impact of the deliberate eradication of native American populations by European settlers in the 19th century.
Human rights and gender equality

A professional learning for educators designed to:

provide opportunities for self-reflection and discussion on gender identity, including transgender students;

develop understanding of inclusive practices that build safe and caring learning environments;

apply evidence-based practices that foster safety and belonging for all students.

Sustainable futures pathway (K-12)

Integrating a circular economy challenge into the curriculum

A professional learning designed to:

support teachers through the instructional design process of integrating a circular economy challenge into their existing curriculum using an INQUIRY-BASED approach.
Regenerative ecosystem design

A professional learning designed to:

support teachers through the instructional design process of integrating a regenerative ecosystem challenge into their existing curriculum using a PROBLEM-BASED approach.
How nature solves problems

A professional learning designed to:

support teachers through the instructional design process of integrating a biomimicry challenge into their existing curriculum using a PROJECT-BASED approach.
Sustainable products and packaging design

A professional learning designed to:

support teachers through the instructional design process of integrating a product or packaging challenge into their existing curriculum using a DESIGN-BASED approach.

Learning Design pathway (K-16)

Active learning by design: From principles to practice

A professional learning for educators designed to:

develop the pedagogical knowledge of active learning design principles and practices;

guide educators through the process of conducting an active learning course review;

support educators through the instructional design process of creating an active learning unit of study for their respective discipline.
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From learning design to learning outcomes analytics

A professional learning designed to:

support educators in mapping students’ learning experiences to disciplinary standards and higher order skills and generating learning outcomes data by course, program, and/or discipline.

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Technology for learning pathway (K-16)

Orienting your online learners

A professional learning for educators designed to:

understand the importance of social-emotional design for learning which includes welcoming your students, orienting your students, facilitating introductions, introducing the design-logic (teaching philosophy, communication channels, communication patterns, course structure) and more.
Fostering and maintaining online learning communities

A professional learning for educators designed to:

design, develop, and maintain instructor and student social presence in support of learner engagement, learner interaction, and the development of an online learning community.
Universal design to improve online learning environments

A professional learning for educators designed to:

connect the research behind the principles of universal design to the development of online learning environments.
e-Inclusion by design

A professional learning for educators designed to:

introduce instructors to the principles of e-Inclusion

apply the principles of e-Inclusion when declaring learning outcomes, selecting learning resources, and designing learning activities and assessments for online delivery.
Roles of the online instructor

A professional learning for educators designed to understand the pedagogical, social-emotional, managerial, and technical instructor roles when teaching online.

Services

Professional Learning