Creating Uplifting Classroom Environments

Providing Support for Early-Career Teachers—Face-to-Face or Virtually

The volume of information and research available to early-career teachers can be overwhelming. CCOSA and the K20 Center have partnered to provide a solution!

To organize this research into a comprehensive format, the K20 Center has developed the “Uplifting Classroom Environment” model. Its goal is to provide early-career teachers with a number of practical, research-based tools and activities to help them to begin teaching successfully. This professional development’s objectives come from this model and will introduce participants to a multitude of strategies that actively engage students in rigorous instruction that can be delivered in a face-to-face format or modified to an online format.

Dates

Cohort 1: July 28–29, September 8, 2021: Norman, OK

Cohort 2: August 3–4, September 10, 2021: Bartlesville, OK

Cohort 4: October 26–27, December 7, 2021: Norman, OK

Cohort 4: January 12-13, March 8, 2022: Norman, OK

“This professional development experience impacted my teaching by giving me new strategies to utilize in the classroom. These strategies allowed me more ways to think outside of the box to bring more engagement and positive instruction to my students.”

—A classroom teacher

In this professional development, the following objectives will be addressed:

Environmental Support

  • Physical Spaces
  • Rules, Procedures, & Interventions
  • Student/Teacher Relationships

Environmental Challenge

  • Active Engagement Strategies/ Lesson Design
  • Rigorous Lesson Design
  • Sustaining Administrative Support

Summary

In this three-day professional development institute for teachers and administrators, teachers will attend all three days and administrators will attend the third day. Due to the University of Oklahoma’s COVID-19 policies and to provide a safe working environment for participants and facilitators, the August workshops will be delivered virtually to provide a safe environment for participants and facilitators. If restrictions are relaxed, the October dates might be held face-to-face at the K20 Center.

“Teachers that attended Uplifting Classrooms brought back a new sense of confidence. The workshop provided the teachers with fun and fresh teaching strategies that brought excitement to their lessons. It also provided the teachers the opportunity to network with others across the state.”

— An administrator

Contacts

Will Parker, CCOSA

OASSP and OMLEA Executive Director

405.524.1191 | parker@ccosa.org

Glen Abshere, CCOSA

OAESP, Executive Director

405.524-1191 | abshere@ccosa.org

Sharon Dean, K20 Center

Associate Director of Leadership

405.325.1267 | sdean@ou.edu