Wired for Learning: Enhanced Pedagogy for K-2 Teachers (2021-2022)
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction appointed a statewide, collaborative committee in 2000 to design a model K-2 program that would nurture students who have traditionally been underrepresented in gifted and advanced learning programs. Project Bright IDEA was launched from this initiative.
In order to recognize the full potential in every child and address disproportional representation in advanced education programs, Project Bright IDEA aimed to increase student achievement among underrepresented populations by redesigning the curriculum and learning environment, and training teachers in the implementation of a Thinking Skills curriculum to foster high-level thinking in students.
This project team built on Project Bright IDEA by enhancing teachers’ instructional practices to ensure every student has access to an assets-based, rigorous curriculum that will raise their achievement, reveal their full potential and prepare them for their future.
The previous project team learned that one of the main obstacles in the implementation of the Thinking Skills curriculum is preparing teachers to effectively deploy the associated instructional strategies in their classrooms. Building on that research, this year’s team addressed implementation issues by developing a series of open access, interactive professional development modules. These short, asynchronous, “just-in-time” modules are meant to assist K-2 teachers in effectively implementing the Thinking Skills curriculum in their classrooms.
Team members analyzed past Project Bright IDEA data and deliverables (videos, teacher-created Thinking Skills curricula) to target module content and identify usable content; plan and produce a series of modules; and determine the best venue for hosting the modules.
Learn more about this project team by viewing the team's video.
Timing
Fall 2021 – Spring 2022
Team Outputs
Professional development modules for K-2 teacher
Digital archive of instructional videos
Online resource library of Thinking Skills instructional materials
This project team was originally part of the Education & Human Development theme of Bass Connections, which ended in 2022. See earlier related team, Wired for Learning: Supporting Thinking Skills in the K-2 Classroom (2018-2019).
Image: 2018-2019 team member Raisa Reed with first-grade students at Pearsontown Elementary, by Julie Schoonmaker