NCGE Workshop: Training Teachers for Success in

Single-Gender Classrooms

February 2012

Patty Carver, Online School for Girls & The Holton-Arms SchoolCathy Murphree, Online School for Girls & The Hockaday School

Twitter Backchannel

• Log into your Twitter account.

• Include #OSGPD in your tweets.

• Search for #OSGPD and follow the discussion.

During this workshop and afterwards, we encourage you to join in an ongoing discussion about training new faculty for our schools using a Twitter backchannel.

How Do We Prepare New Faculty?

• With what perceptions and expectations do our new teachers arrive?

• How can we provide a safe place for them to explore these?

• How do we not only assimilate our new teachers to our schools but also to the broader girls’ school community?

• And…with all that school startup involves, how do we do this important work on top of everything else?

Online School for GirlsCommunication, Collaboration, Application and Creativity

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS1. What makes independent schools unique? 2. Are all-girls schools about more than simply separating the

sexes? 3. What life-long benefits do single sex educational experiences

offer? 4. Are there implications for leadership?5. How can girls’ schools address cultural gender expectations and

biases? 6. Are there gender differences that impact teaching and learning

practices? 7. How do we address the broader issues of societal support for girls and women? 8. Where can a teacher go for more guidance?

Getting Started

Getting Started

Pre-Course Tasks:1.Create free VoiceThread account2.Update their profile for Haiku3.Introduce themselves to everyone4.Ask questions

Course GuidelinesGetting the Most Out

of this Online Class •Plan to check the Haiku course page at least every other day to keep up with assignments and communication with fellow participants. •Actively participate in online discussions and VoiceThread projects.

•As you are contributing to discussions or other online activities, feel free to reference the readings or other sources you may find in the course of exploration.

• Ask questions!

Online Communications: "Netiquette"

•Respect the confidentiality of what is shared in class, as well as the privacy of all participants.

•Be sure to review all digital content before you share it online.

•Be cautious about expressing emotion, whether intentional or unintentional

•Be sure to cite all resources referenced in your work for this course.

Week 1 Overview

EXPERIENCE PART OF A LESSON

EXPERIENCE PART OF A LESSON

Take a moment to visit with a neighbor…

Can you suggest three perceptions and/or expectations new faculty bring to their new position at your school?

Themes from Discussion Board

Prevalent Themes in Week One Discussion Board

• Looking forward to small class sizes• The ability to focus on individual students• The ability (expectation) to play multiple roles• Freedom from state-mandated tests• Excitement to meet new colleagues• Interest in what research shows about single sex

classrooms• The internal conflict, for some, of leaving public

schools, and in some cases, urban schools

EXPERIENCE PART OF A LESSON--again

Each week includes a video panel:•Heads of Schools•Alumnae•2nd year teachers•Master teachers

EXPERIENCE PART OF A LESSON—again

Christopher Wilson, The Holton-Arms School

If you were creating videos for your new faculty, what particular strategies in teaching girls would you want your master teachers to address?

EXPERIENCE PART OF A LESSON--again

Please share your thoughts with the group…

FEEDBACK FROM COURSE PARTICIPANTS

FEEDBACK FROM COURSE PARTICIPANTS

“It was all extremely relevant. I learned a lot from the experience from the heads of schools, teachers, and the articles.”

“I think that hearing from new and veteran teachers at different girls’ schools was extremely helpful. They offered great advice, a lot of which we can take directly into the classroom.”

FEEDBACK FROM COURSE PARTICIPANTS

“I loved reading the responses and amazing suggestions of my colleagues.” “Reading the articles, then reading posts from classmates. It was interesting how students chose different aspects on which to comment.” “Watching the videos and reading my colleagues' comments.”

FEEDBACK FROM COURSE PARTICIPANTS

“The Online School for Girls was a great way to take a professional development course… The course coordinators were very knowledgeable about the class content and interacted in a very positive way with the group. The OSG course allowed me to collaborate with colleagues from across the country from the comfort of my home or hotel room (since I travel in the summer), so the convenience was another great feature.”

FEEDBACK FROM COURSE PARTICIPANTS

“This OSG course gave me a good sense of what it will be like teaching in an all-girls' school… The research we read was also enlightening. It made me feel less stressed about my new beginning!” “Even after teaching in a coed independent school for four years, I found this course very informative not only about teaching girls at a girls’ school but also about teaching in independent schools, single-gender or coed, as well.”

OTHER BENEFITS

• Depth of discussion• A growing bibliography• Collaboration between the course teachers and

the involved schools• Participants’ collaboration and relationship-

forming at their home schools• Being introduced to colleagues at other schools-

even before school started—starting out with a network

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS . . .

• Could online professional development be a part of your school's orientation program?

• Do you see other applications for this model or a similar program?

Dates for 2012

• Session I: May 25 - June 22• Session II: June 22 - July 20• Session III: July 20 - August 17

QUESTIONS . . .

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