Merle-Smith Faculty Engage in Innovative Professional Development

At our Merle-Smith Campus, faculty are deepening their expertise through a faculty-led professional development initiative designed to enhance teaching practices and foster continuous growth. Over the next two months, faculty members will engage in a four-part series of collaborative meetings, reinforcing Moravian Academy’s commitment to academic excellence and lifelong learning. This initiative provides a structured opportunity for educators to refine their skills, exchange insights, and explore innovative pedagogical strategies that enhance student learning experiences.

The following sessions, each focusing on a unique area of instructional development, delve into essential instructional techniques, providing educators with actionable insights to strengthen their teaching and support student success.

 

This mini-course introduces the principles and practical applications of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in the classroom. Over the course of four sessions, teachers will explore key SEL competencies, learn strategies, and reflect on ways to implement SEL in their own teaching practice to support both student well-being and academic success.

 

What does this even mean? What might it look like and sound like in our classrooms? How do we know that it's actually happening? How do we get the most out of our students and ensure that meaningful learning is taking place? Let's explore how we foster critical thinking and inspire authentic engagement in our classrooms.

 

Initially, this course will gather the collective knowledge of the group to give everyone the chance to share their experience with teaching ADHD best practices. Explore teaching practices that support the learning environment for students with ADHD and all students in the class. Learn how to better engage and manage students with ADHD. The course will give participants the opportunity to reflect on their own teaching practices and to implement some new strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. Learn strategies that support students with ADHD and all students in your classroom.

 

Narrative 4 (N4) is an organization designed to instill and support empathy among young people. We will present the methodology behind N4's story exchange, which involves pairing up and sharing stories, which are then retold in first-person to a larger audience. Faculty will be asked to participate fully in a story exchange while also learning about how to support students in pre-exchange and post-exchange opportunities for deeper learning.

 

By engaging in these thoughtfully designed sessions, Moravian Academy faculty continue to advance their teaching methodologies, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of educational excellence. This professional development series reflects our dedication to fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and meaningful student engagement.