Instructional Modules for Professional learning Responding to Opportunities and Valuing Educators (IMPROVE) is a peer-reviewed virtual professional development resource. Modules within the resource are collaboratively authored by candidates in their final semester of coursework in the EdD in Curriculum & Instruction at Gardner-Webb University and promote positive, data-informed, sustainable change in instructional practices or organizational structures to improve student learning at the K-12 level and beyond.
The learning cycle featured in the modules in this resource is based on the STAR Legacy Cycle developed by the IRIS Center (2013); http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/) and based on the work of Dr. John Branford and colleagues (National Research Council, 2000).
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Increasing Student Outcomes Through Effective Feedback
Julie Conn, Michelle Bennett, Cari Maneen, and Terree Andrew
This module explores descriptive purposeful feedback and its use as a strategy for differentiation and as a formative assessment tool. This module explores in detail research integral to understanding what effective and purposeful feedback is and the importance of providing specific and descriptive feedback. This module provides an evaluator the understanding and tools for how to use purposeful feedback to determine if a student is meeting the established performance criteria or if more intensive intervention is needed.
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Our Collaborative Team
Roberta Callaway, LaVerne Chestnut, and Jeffery Waters
This module is designed to help you recharge your knowledge about PLCs and refine your understanding of how a PLC team can function more effectively. As teachers collaborate in PLC meetings, a culture of commitment, willingness to change, and accountability emerges as instructional leaders develop common assessments, study data, and create opportunities for higher levels of student achievement. An effectively functioning team can lay the groundwork for tackling challenges and embracing the rewards of student learning success.