Steel Valley staff participates in multi-district professional development through Consortium for Public Education

With their students enjoying a day off, Steel Valley teachers and administrators took some time on Monday to do some learning of their own.

Steel Valley participated in a day of professional development at Woodland Hills High School organized by the Consortium for Public Education. The multi-district event also featured the hosts, Clairton, East Allegheny, Penn Hills and Wilkinsburg School Districts. What made the event a little different than other professional development seminars was that educators had the opportunity to learn from each other.

There were 48 breakout sessions for educators to participate in, with each session led by a participating teacher, administrator, or community partner. Steel Valley staff led multiple sessions as they shared information about tools, programs, services, strategies and other tips they've learned as educators.

Check out the full list of sessions led by Steel Valley teachers below, along with a few photos from the event:

• Mr. Michael Hofbauer led a session titled "Virtual Posters," which focused on how he uses Smart Televisions in his classroom to showcase live webcams related to his science classes. These webcams include animal activity, the International Space Station, scenic vistas, and more. Mr. Hofbauer explained how he uses the webcams to add to the curriculum and contribute to his students' learning process.
• Ms. Kerry Melega led a session titled "Creating Musicians on a Limited Budget," which shared how music teachers with smaller budgets can still teach effectively and capture their students' attention.
• A team from Barrett Elementary that included Ms. Alyson Fisher, Ms. Tameka Akins, Ms. Denise Barron, Ms. Beth Cattrerall, Ms. Jenn Ambrozic, Ms. LuAnne Szczypinski, Ms. Emilee Bedillion, Ms. Jess Andzelik, Ms. Marissa Petro and Mr. Kevin Walsh presented "Barrett's Magic Bag of PBIS Tricks." The Barrett team shared how it is constantly re-evaluating its PBIS programming to keep it fresh and relevant.
• Ms. Michelle Maddigan and Ms. Mariann Reilly presented "Visual Literacy in Secondary Settings," which demonstrated how to incorporate visual aids in lessons as teachers adapt to educating the YouTube Generation.
• Ms. Nicole States and Ms. Ryan Dunmire presented "Using Google Apps in the Classroom," which focused on how educators can utilize the suite of applications provided by Google to help students enhance their ability to collaborate, communicate, innovate, think critically, and more.
• Dr. Lori Kenavey and Ms. Christine Ruffing led a session titled "Phonological Awareness: The Critical Skill for Learning How to Read."