Great Hearts Teachers Refine Their Craft at Fall Faculty In-Service

Over 1,200 teachers from Great Hearts Arizona recently gathered throughout the Valley for the annual Fall Faculty In-Service, a series of trainings designed to develop excellent teaching skills. “This year, the event, formed in cooperation with Great Hearts professional development, academics, and executive directors, was created to provide a meaningful selection of topics and opportunities for practice around the many ways we continuously assess our students’ learning in the classroom,” shared Amy Gottry, Regional Manager of Professional Development.

“’Assessment’ comes from the Latin ‘assidere,’ meaning ‘to sit beside,’” explained Gottry. “Assessment isn’t something we do when we are finished teaching. It is an integral part of the whole.”

While some sessions had a focus on a particular assessment tool or in a specific subject matter, other sessions were relevant across the grade levels and subject areas in our shared pursuit of student growth. These sessions were hosted at Lincoln Prep, Archway Glendale, Archway Veritas, and in the Lund Center at Veritas Prep with some sessions available online.

Neil Gillingham, Senior Director of Academics, described this particularly important theme. “Assessment is an important part of the instructional cycle. As classical educators, we can think of assessment as a continuation of the conversation we have with our students. We assess our students because we want to communicate what is important and, in turn, our students communicate their understanding.”

While some sessions had a focus on a particular assessment tool or in a specific subject matter, other sessions were relevant across the grade levels and subject areas in our shared pursuit of student growth. One participant commenting about one of these all-inclusive sessions said, “Wonderful insights that are very real and applicable.”

One of the larger sessions was “Encouraging and Evaluating Depth of Inquiry and Sense of “ Wonder” presented by Great Hearts National Directors of Curriculum, Cammie Passey and Mike Austin, where they explored questions like: What does it mean for students to inquire deeply? What does wonder look like in an academic setting? How do teachers assess these areas? Facutly came away from the session with some practical tools for creating the conditions for and assessing the quality of inquiry and wonder in their classrooms. “Cammie and Mike designed an informative and enlightening presentation,” shared one attendee. “I appreciated their thoughtful approach. I was able to think deeply and wrestle with ideas with my colleagues.”

Another participant noted, “I enjoy sessions like this in a smaller group working with my team so I can really get into the nitty gritty, but I appreciate the continued support given to our community at large through this training.”

Going back to their academies with new tools and inspiration, our teachers are excited to dive back into their classrooms and put them into action.

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Submit a student application to a Great Hearts Academy by visiting: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/enroll/.