Professional Learning Activities Index

A 2009 report—Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development in the United States and Abroad (PDF; Outside Source)—confirms what many already know; providing educators with quality professional development experiences translates into increased student achievement.

The Taking Center Stage—Act II (TCSII) Professional Learning Activities (PLAs) are designed to help educators access professional growth opportunities any time, and any place. Use the TCSII PLAs as a jumping off point— a place to begin—while you plan your own powerful staff development with a focus on closing the achievement gap at your school.

We encourage you to use these presentations and frame them around your own local context.

Organized around the California Department of Education's (CDE) 12 Recommendation's for Middle Grades Success, each of the following professional learning activities is designed to be self-guided and/or used with teams. Many of the professional learning activities include videos featuring presentations by nationally renowned education experts.

Recommendation	*TCSII* Professional Learning Activity Title	Presenter
1 Rigor	Implementing High Expectations for the Success of Every Student	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
1	Reeves 1—Rigor in the Classroom	Part of the Doug Reeves Series
2 Instruction, Assessment, and Intervention	A Continuous Cycle of Teaching and Learning: Assessment, Instruction, and Intervention	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
2	Differentiated Instruction in the Middle Grades	Debbie Silver
2	Kinsella 1—Engaging Middle Grades Learners	Part of the Kate Kinsella Series
2	Kinsella 2—Teaching Vocabulary in the Middle Grades	Part of the Kate Kinsella Series
2	Kinsella 3—Building Language and Literacy Skills through Structured Tasks	Part of the Kate Kinsella Series
2	Kinsella 4—Enhancing Students' Academic Discussion Skills (Parts 1 and 2)	Part of the Kate Kinsella Series
2	Reeves 2—Making Assessment Work in the Real World	Part of the Doug Reeves Series
2	Zadina 4—Multiple Methods for Learning and Assessment	Part of the Janet Zadina Series
3 Time	Strategic Use of Time in the Middle Grades	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
4 Relevance	Relevant and Engaging Learning in the Middle Grades	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
4	Zadina 1—Brain Matters: Research on Learning	Part of the Janet Zadina Series
4	Zadina 2—Adolescent Characteristics (Part I): The Survival Instinct and the Development of the Brain	Part of the Janet Zadina Series
5 Relationships	Zadina 3—Adolescent Characteristics (Part II): The Social Nature of the Brain and the Role of Emotion	Part of the Janet Zadina Series
5 Relationships	Relationships that Promote Success in the Middle Grades	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
6 Transitions	Transitions that Promote Success in the Middle Grades	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
7 Access	A Visual Tour of Middle Grades Achievement Gap Data	Russlynn Ali
7	Access that Promotes Success in the Middle Grades	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
9 Leadership	Reeves 4—Teacher Leadership: Making a Difference	Part of the Doug Reeves Series
11 Accountability	Reeves 3—Accountability in a Learning Organization	Part of the Doug Reeves Series
All 12 Recommendations	Enhance Your Planning Efforts with the TCSII Initiatives Crosswalk	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office
All 12 Recommendations	Adolescents, You, and TCSII	CDE's K-12 Innovation and Improvement Office

New professional learning activities are added periodically to this section. To receive notification of all TCSII updates, subscribe to the Middle Grades Electronic Mailing List. It is free and you'll be among the first to receive notification when additional professional learning activities (PLAs) are posted to TCSII.

Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Professional Learning Activities Index

We encourage you to use these presentations and frame them around your own local context.