Here at TeachTown, we understand that adopting a new curriculum is no small ask. After all, we are a team full of former educators and administrators who understand the challenges schools face every day.
While our product team has designed the TeachTown platform to be intuitive and user-friendly, we want to be sure teachers feel fully equipped to implement the curriculum in their classrooms. We offer various types of professional development, including on-site and virtual training and coaching plus on-demand support.
We want to help you get the most out of your TeachTown professional development – and who better to help you than our team of Customer Enablement Specialists (CES)! This team of veteran educators has experience in both classroom and clinical settings, and they’re experts in TeachTown implementation. They connect virtually and in-person with educators like you all over the country to make sure you feel confident implementing TeachTown in your classroom, and they’ve shared some tips for helping TeachTown users get the most out of their professional development.
CES Team: Allison F., Tina E., Ann L., Lena K., Megan W., Rachel M., Naomi P., Jay N., Samantha A.
For Allison, it’s important to make sure everyone’s on the same page of ‘why we’re all here’ before starting a training. She shares, “For teachers, knowing the ‘why’ behind the change for their district is huge. Knowing why they picked TeachTown – it’s for their students to make sure that they have the best! If they have that ‘why’ the training tends to go better.”
Defining everyone’s ‘Why’ can also help shift mindsets to recognize how beneficial TeachTown can be in their classroom. “I get excited when they’re really positive about what’s to come and the new change that they’re about to have,” says Tina.
According to the CES Team, active participation in your professional development is key. Ann sees the best training outcomes when “teachers are engaged, they are in the curriculum, they’re asking questions, and they’re engaging with each other.”
Lena has noticed that when teachers engage in the training, they realize TeachTown is going to be a truly helpful tool. “Sometimes teachers are resistant, especially at the beginning of training,” says Lena. “And then all of a sudden, at the end, they’re like, ‘Okay, I like this!’”
Megan W agrees that active participation is what makes the information click, “When they start to really think about what it’s going to look like in the classroom, those conversations really help solidify the learning in the training.”
At TeachTown, Teacher Voice matters! The Customer Enablement Team is always on a mission to better serve and support the teachers they’re training. “Every time I hear feedback from a teacher, it’s helped me with other teachers,” says Tina, “because I can take that feedback and learn how to really shape that for the next coaching session or training session.”
As Rachel puts it, “We want teacher voices to be heard. TeachTown is listening. If something needs to be improved, we are going to course correct.”
With all that TeachTown has to offer, we understand that it can be overwhelming initially. We recommend starting with one thing to get really excited about. What are the challenges you’re facing? How can TeachTown be a solution to that challenge? The CES team shares a few of our product features that teachers get most excited about:
“Quick start! They love that they can launch the lesson instantly!” – Rachel
“Current events! When they see the current events, they are so amazed! And the reporting tab – having a tool where they can see all the data and standards alignment.” – Tina
“The Daily Implementation Guides, the visuals, and the teacher-led lessons that automatically collect data!” – Naomi
Naomi explains that the various features teachers get excited about speaks to the diverse needs teachers have and the ways TeachTown can meet them. “There’s always someone in the room that gets excited by a feature that we have and how it’s going to make their lives easier,” she says. “So it’s always fun to just kind of have those moments where they realize they’re excited to use the program.”
A resounding piece of advice across the team for educators attending training is to be patient with themselves and the process.
“Give yourself grace,” – Allison
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. Change is hard, and then it’s messy, and then it’s beautiful. Change is going to improve your life and the students that you serve.” – Jay
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. This is an addition that’s going to help you and enhance your teaching.” – Ann
“It’s overwhelming, but when it clicks, it clicks, and then you have it, and it’ll just get easier from there!” – Sam
“Every day is one step to getting more proficient in it. Just take it day by day, one thing at a time.” – Megan
Allison echoes this sentiment by encouraging educators in her trainings to start small. “Take one step at a time with a reasonable goal for yourself: I’m just going to try and teach this one unit. I’m just going to teach ELA. I’m just going to try a teacher-led lesson.”
Samantha’s goal is to show teachers that TeachTown can reduce some of their stress and workload, “If a teacher learns one thing that will make their life easier the next day, the training is a success.”
The most important thing to remember is that everyone in a TeachTown training or coaching session is there for the same reason – to measurably improve the lives of students with disabilities. If you’re not a TeachTown user and share this same vision for your students, schedule a consultation today!
Already a TeachTown user but curious about further professional development opportunities? Reach out!