Professional Development in Early Mathematics
For PreK and Kindergarten Programs
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Effective, Affordable and Sustainable
For more than 10 years we have been combining the best online and face-to-face elements to craft a professional development model that is effective, affordable and sustainable.
Teacher Tested! Supports educators at all level
We have trained more than 1000 teachers and we have used their feedback to refine the model. Most of them rate give the highest rating, independent of their level.
Flexible Packages to Meet your Needs
The elements of our training can be easily customized to meet the needs of large Head Start programs or school districts, medium sized urban or rural programs, or even childcare/homecare centers.
Kids Play Math is a University of Denver project.
We started in 2008 and we have received funding from the Office of Head Star, the Toyota USA Foundation, the Colorado Department of Education and the University of Denver
In 2016 we were selected by the State of of Colorado to train PreK-K teachers accross the state.
The Elements of the Kids Play Math PD Model
Teacher PD Online
Relevant and Job-Embeded
We take the most important information from early math research and provide it to teachers in an easy to use online format. All assignments involve application to their own classrooms. So the learning is job embedded and involves teacher participation from the very beginning.
Early Math Coaching
Face to face Workshop and Certification
We provide a two day face to face workshop for coaches (after they also take the online component above). This builds skill in early math coaching. This training is interactive, involving practice in math specific coaching throughout. In addition, coaches receive the information they need to provide local support (#3 below).
Instructional Support
Face to face Local Support
Coaches, with support from Kids Play Math, provide teachers with one day of face to face interaction designed to increase Instructional Support. The focus is in Concept Development, Quality of Feddback and Mathematical Language. This training helps teachers solidify the online content they already use and improve implementation. What they learn allows them to continue improving.
Sustainability
Sustainability and a Solution to Teacher Turnover
By impacting teachers and coaches in a coordinated way, we find that gains can be sustained over time. Coaches and teachers continue to interact. As new teachers come in, they take the affordable online component and work with the local coach in implementing what they've learned.
Results
Improved Early Math Learning for All Children
Sustainability is built into all the components. As a result, changes last and build as long as the teachers and coaches work in the schools. This impacts many hundreds of children for many years.
“I have to say the Early Math Initiative has been a successful project for us. I really like the model that you’ve applied, i.e. teachers learn through videos and online instruction, and apply and practice the learned skills in the classroom, teachers get together, as what I call a learning community, to share ideas and experiences and reflect how they can do better, a coach goes into the classrooms, does targeted observations and provides reflective feedback, the knowledge and resources is passed on to families to ensure the continuity and family engagement. Now when I have seen the engagement of the teachers and experienced the model myself, I can try it with other initiatives.”
Lana Young, Early Childhood Education Specialist, New York
For Questions
Please send an email to Alvaro Arias
aarias@du.edu
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