TeachFest Connecticut: Principals Academy

TeachFest Connecticut: Principals Academy was a one-day event held on December 2, 2014, that kicked off a series of virtual webinars aimed at bringing together instructional leaders from around the state and equipping them with the content knowledge needed to support teachers in tackling the CT Core Standards, practical tools for identifying high quality resources and assessing student learning, and strategies for leading professional development discussions focused on student learning.

Materials and Presentations

ELA and Literacy materials

• TeachFest Connecticut: Principals Academy Guide (downloadable version)
• Presentation slides for “Choosing the Right Text, Asking the Right Questions”– note: videos not embedded in the slides, see below
• Video excerpts for “Choosing the Right Text, Asking the Right Questions”
  • Three Shifts in the Common Core State Standards
  • Analyzing text-complexity and vocabulary
  • How to choose a text for close reading
  • Determining big takeaways
  • Writing text-dependent questions

Mathematics materials

• TeachFest Connecticut: Principals Academy Guide (downloadable version)
• Presentation slides for “Improving Math Learning Opportunities through Worthwhile Tasks”
• Video excerpts for “Improving Math Learning Opportunities through Worthwhile Tasks”
  • “You pour, I choose” (from Dan Meyer’s Three Act Tasks)
  • Performance time vs. Learning time (from Jo Boaler, Opening Up Math, YouCubed.com)