Graduate Education team workshops support colleagues in pandemic

Claudine Bedell

The Graduate Education Program at Saint Michael’s College works with inservice and preservice teachers. A team of St. Mike’s professors (Claudine Bedell, Tess Dussling, Rebecca Haslam, Amy Knight, Cathy Quinn, Amy Saks Pavese, John Tapper, and Becky Wigglesworth) gathered recently to brainstorm how they could support their colleagues in the field during these unprecedented times due to the pandemic.

They surveyed Vermont teachers and leaders to determine their needs and, in response, procured experts in the field to teach the Saint Michael’s College Graduate Education Program’s Remote Teaching and Learning Summer Workshop Series. The series has been designed to offer innovative strategies and tools to build educator capacity to teach, engage, support and assess all learners in preparation to teach remotely.

With the help of Alex Colletta, assistant director of operations: online and non-traditional programs, the 3-hour online workshops are either synchronous or a blend of synchronous and asynchronous professional learning in the areas of: Equity, Community, Engagement, Personalization, and Assessment. “We are thrilled to offer this virtual space for individuals or colleagues and teams to come together to further develop their skill set and fuel the momentum to start the school year strong,” Bedell said of the group.