"Explore, Play, Share" Theme Explored at Faculty Professional Development Day

The ICS faculty and staff hit the ground running, as they returned from winter break on Monday, January 4, embracing the spirit of our 2020-21 motto “learning together.” A vibrant Professional Development Day gave teachers the opportunity to get back in the school mindset, celebrate the new year together, and collaborate about best practices in teaching and learning.

Indian Creek employees came together with a spirit of celebration and optimism at a morning all school meeting. Next, faculty and staff hit the Ed Tech Playground, to explore, play, and share how a variety of technology tools enhance teaching and learning at ICS.  The playground included 10 virtual stations, led by ICS faculty members for the purpose of exchanging tips and best practices between colleagues.  The stations provided opportunities to explore tech tools including Pear Deck, CREEKnet, Teams Break-Out Rooms, OneNote, Virtual Field Trips, differentiated forms, FlipGrid, PowerPoint, Razz Kids, and Jigsaw Strategy. 

Teacher-driven collaboration and conversation reached new heights during the Ed Camp portion of the day.  Faculty came together for informal yet inspiring conversations on a variety of topics in the early afternoon.  Lively discussions on “Classroom Management for Virtual and Hybrid Classrooms,” “Facilitating Collaborative Work in Virtual and Hybrid Teaching,” “Faculty Collaboration Across Departments,” “Mindfulness as an S.E.L. Approach,” “Arts Integration,” “Feedback and Assessment in Virtual and Hybrid Learning,” “Small Group Instruction,” “Teaching Self-Advocacy Skills,” “Student Engagement in Virtual and Hybrid Learning,” “Hands-On Learning in Virtual and Hybrid Environments,” “Inclusion and Curriculum,” “Building Connections and Community for Students in Virtual and Hybrid Environments,” “Responsive Classroom: Morning Meeting Strategies,” and “Inclusive Practices and Language” were held between teachers of varying grade levels and disciplines.

All faculty came together again for an afternoon session centered around “Best practices in Virtual & Hybrid Learning” before teachers broke off into departmental and grade-level meetings.  While ICS students enjoyed their final day of winter break, the ICS faculty and staff enjoyed the opportunity to come together to collaborate, learn, and grow as educators.