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Anchin Center's 2022 Spring Professional Development review

During the spring semester 2022, the Anchin Center offered myriad professional development opportunities for educators focused on diverse topics that would positively impact student learning and teacher pedagogical skills. Some of the topics were literacy research and teaching, math and science instruction, racial justice, educational technology, and effective online teaching. These professional development opportunities were offered throughout the academic year to meet the needs of teachers and school districts, as well as through different modalities (e.g., face-to-face and virtual webinars) and presentation styles (e.g., small group settings and conference style).  

Literacy

Because the newly adopted Florida B.E.S.T. standards in literacy were implemented in grades K-2 this year, many professional development offerings from the Anchin Center were focused on literacy, the science of reading, and equitable instructional practices that support literacy achievement.  For example, the Anchin Center partnered with USF Literacy Studies faculty to develop two online professional development courses focused on reading instruction.  The Science of Reading: Implications for Explicit, Systematic, and Multisensory Literacy Instruction and Intervention is an online course designed for classroom teachers to explore the science of reading and developmental models of reading.  Reading K-12 Exam Prep is an online, asynchronous professional development course created to support teachers studying to complete Florida鈥檚 Reading K-12 Subject Area Exam, an exam many Florida educators will take as they work towards a Florida reading endorsement.   

The Anchin Center also created the Tampa Bay Literacy Leadership Collaborative, a multi-district team of literacy leaders working together to harness the power of evidence-based, equitable instructional practices while implementing the Florida B.E.S.T. standards to accelerate literacy achievement for each student in their district.  This group of leaders met nine times throughout the 2021-22 school year to problem-solve, share best practices, and build a strong network of inter-district literacy leadership.  Carolyn Graham, a participant and Instructional Coach in Pasco County Schools said of the group, 鈥淭his professional development gave me real world and practical applications that could be applied to my school-based site immediately to elevate the literacy experience for all stakeholders, including staff and students.鈥� 

A partnership with #DisruptTexts, a crowdsourced, grass roots effort by teachers for teachers to challenge the traditional canon to create a more inclusive, representative, and equitable language arts curriculum, led to a three-part professional development series that explored culturally relevant instructional practices for three canonical texts: To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, and 1984.  The Anchin Center also collaborated with Multicultural Classroom to highlight the work of Lorena Germ谩n鈥檚 Textured Teaching, lesson design strategies that build traditional literacy skills while supporting students in developing their social justice skills at the same time. 

Educational Technology and Online Teaching 

The Center continued to offer courses in its Effective Online Teaching strand, including the three-course series that leads to a Certificate in Advanced Professional Learning in Effective Online Teaching.  After completing the three-course series, one participant said, 鈥淚 loved how Dr. Hatten helped us to lose fear of teaching online and to learn new techniques for engaging our students. He had purposeful ways for us to demonstrate our learning in the activities and I very much appreciated how engaged he was as our instructor! Thank you to the Anchin Center for providing this professional development!鈥�

The Center also offered four different Microsoft Innovative Educator workshops to USF students, faculty, and staff, through a partnership with Connection.  In these workshops, participants engaged in a series of immersive learning activities that increase efficiency, enhance communication and collaboration, and improve instruction to meet the needs of students, all while modeling the innovating and effective use of educational technology. 

Webinars 

Anchin Community Talks also launched this academic year, with a series of webinars addressing current topics faced by practicing PreK-12 teachers and leaders.  Anchin Community Talks webinars have given the Anchin Center excellent opportunities to collaborate with USF faculty and to dialogue with our broader educational community on current issues.  Topics explored in these webinars included the following: 1) racial justice in literacy research; 2) math and science instructional practices during remote instruction; 3) race, racism, and teacher free speech in the classroom; 4) the power of narratives to influence policy; and 5) how to create brave spaces for student conversations in the classroom.