TEA Program Regional Workshop

The TEA management team has compiled the following information to support proposing facilitators as they plan a workshop.

I.
“…keep in mind that the most important factor in planning an event of this type is that it be a ‘team’ effort between teachers … and…‘experts’ in the field.”

“Establishing a ‘theme’ facilitates the organization of a workshop. Speakers, hands-on sessions, resource materials, and tours can all be developed around the central theme.”

“An interesting venue, conducive to a facility tour, is the ideal place to hold a workshop. Local museums, a NASA Center, a local aero/astro company, airport, or local university are excellent locations. More often than not, the facility will assist in the promotion of the workshop and will often volunteer to provide some support services such as photocopying, volunteers, and/or refreshments.”

“Teachers enjoy facility tours! Whenever possible (and depending on the workshop site) even a short visit to a university lab, an aero/astro fabrication area, or a flight line is appreciated.”

From: “A Guide for Organizing and Conducting a Teacher Workshop”
Dr. Larry Lebofsky and Juanita Ryan
AIAA/NASA
(1997)
Contact:

II.
“It is clear that large-group ‘batch processing’ of teachers who are ‘talked at’ in the name of ‘exposing’ them to new ideas are ineffective and squander teachers’ good will regarding professional development.”

Instruction is improved when professional development uses various types of professional learning processes based on its intended outcomes and employs the types of instruction it recommends to teachers.”

From “Designing Powerful Professional development for Teachers and Principals”
Dennis Sparks
National Staff Development Council, Oxford Ohio
(2002)
www.nsdc.org/sparksbook.html

Also, specific information about parcticular staff development models or programs
www.nsdc.org/standards.htm

III.
“Peggy Sharp suggests there are a number of things we should not try to do when facilitating a workshop, and proposes 13 ‘Never-Ever’ statements that can be used as reminders of good workshop facilitation.”

From: “The ‘Never Evers’ of Workshop Facilitation”
Peggy Sharp
National Staff Development Council, Oxford Ohio
(2000)
www.nsdc.org/library/tools/tools12-99shar.html

IV.
Facilitators “influence the climate for group learning by determining the level of involvement of the parcticipants, which, in turn, determines how individuals contribute and parcticipate.”

From: Workshop Planner, Successful workshops Activity I
www.unesco.org/education/DTT/dtt_plan_01_1bod.htm

V.
“Choose presenters wisely; make sure they will actively engage the parcticipants and will model the types of strategies we are trying to incorporate in our courses. No talking heads allowed!”

From: “What We Learned from Running Regional Workshops”
Linda L. Ramsey
Louisiana Tech University
(2000)
http://ecept.net/LaCEPT/00/10/22/2228216.shtml