Weekly Teacher Download for November 9

ALL TEACHERS

Aspiring Program Specialist and Aspiring Department Chair Cohorts: The Office of Special Education Services (OSES) is seeking special education (SPED) teachers and other instructional professionals with a SPED certification to apply for the Aspiring Program Specialist and Aspiring Department Chair Cohorts. The purpose of the aspiring cohorts is to develop a pool of potential SPED leaders to provide timely and relevant instructional support and services to campus leaders, special education teachers, staff, and other stakeholders who serve students with disabilities. Interested applicants may access the applications online via the HISD Careers link – Business Professionals>Special Education Cohort. For more information regarding the timeline, application criteria, and frequently asked questions, click here. For questions related to the Aspiring Cohorts of Special Education Leaders (A.C.S.E.L.), please contact Carolyn Henry via Microsoft Teams or Cattani Frye via Microsoft Teams or email at cattani.frye@HoustonISD.org.

Brain Breaks: Brain breaks are structured breaks during times of learning or activity. Research suggests that regular 90-second brain breaks can improve classroom culture and student achievement. Brain breaks are a useful tool for adults and children alike. The benefits of brain breaks include improved attention and focus, reduced stress, and increased self-esteem. Check out these creative ideas for brain breaks.

Annual ESL Summit: Multilingual Programs will hold its second Annual ESL Summit: Bridging the Content to provide professionals with instructional strategies and inspiration to achieve success for all English learners. The virtual event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 14 and provide professional development opportunities for English language educators of all levels, including new sessions for campus administrators. The sessions will offer a variety of English language instructional strategies and resources, and all participants will be entered into a prize giveaway! Register in OneSource and view the course selection guide.

New Teachers: Each month, we will spotlight one of the Instructional Practice (IPR) criteria within TADS. This month’s IPR focus criterion is I-8 Students Actively Participating in Lesson Activities. Join us for a live webinar session where we will dive into effective practice strategies that will support your ability to ensure that:

• Students demonstrate engagement during direct instruction
• Students participate in and complete instructional tasks
• Students volunteer responses to questions
• Students follow teacher directions and ask appropriate questions
• Students display active effort in learning activities during independent work
• Students display active effort in learning activities during group work

Two sessions will be offered via Microsoft Teams on Thursday, Nov. 12 and Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 5 to 6 p.m. To register, please click here.

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Career Awareness Day: Join us on Nov. 12 for Career Awareness Day! Students and adults are invited to join C3 and partner commercial construction industry professionals to learn about exciting careers, interviewing tips, and resume preparation! Students who want to learn about this industry can attend the free virtual event during their class period and gain 30-day access to recorded sessions of engaging speakers through Whova. Register now!

CareerSafe Communication Skills Training: Thefree CareerSafe Communication Skills Training course has a media-rich and mobile-friendly online format that makes it accessible anywhere, anytime. The course consists of interactive modules discussing how to effectively communicate and understanding the importance of superb communication skills. Participants will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful communicator, practice professional communication techniques at an early age, and become more employable, gaining a competitive advantage in the job market. The CareerSafe National Video Contest is officially open and will last through March 1, 2021!

GRASPS in CTE Classrooms: Gain deeper use for student performance assessments in Career and Technical Education (CTE) classrooms. Learn how to create more authentic and real-world performance tasks using the GRASPS acronym to foster student understanding. This can be used in any classroom. How do you help students think critically ? Do you always use the same assessments? Do you meet students’ individual needs? Do you frame student performances by an explicit purpose or goal? Think about different approaches to assessment. This online course is self-paced and may be taken at any time through OneSource Learning.

Career and Technical Education: Attention CTE Teachers: Do you still have questions or need support in the areas of CTE curriculum and/or industry-based certifications? As you know, CTE content is aligned with challenging academic standards, relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in emerging professions. The CTE Curriculum and Certifications Open Lab is open. Please review available openings and schedule a meeting with a specialist.