Education PD gets a make-over, courtesy of the Apple iPad

MIAMI, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Currently, Apple iPad education apps provide learning opportunities aimed at students, but now there is one created specifically for educators, which provides constructive opportunities for learning and professional growth. Teach N' Kids Learn, in keeping with its innovative groundbreaking approach to education, has just released the first app of a series titled, Classroom Instructional Improvement (Ci2) Protocol for Mathematics. Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics ties professional development for teachers with the observation and feedback process utilized by instructional coaches/department heads and administrators.

"Essentially, what we are doing through the Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics app is leveraging technology by bringing the lesson study process to the Apple iPad to offer teachers professional development with a differentiated instructional approach. It is a mile deep, not mile wide methodology for supporting K-12 Mathematics teachers," explains President and CEO, Rudy Azcuy.

Ci2 Protocol provides teachers and administrators a tool to conduct focused observations of classroom instruction as a prelude to targeted feedback and pre-professional development recommendations; provides access to model videos and other rigorous professional development; and can be used as a post-professional development tool to ascertain if the professional development has transferred into the classroom.

Districts across the country are required to provide professional development to their teachers several times a year.  These generic "in service" programs consist of half or full day sessions that may or may not be relevant to teachers' professional development needs. These workshops may address "hot topics" and feature experts that talk about them. Teachers typically spend a few hours listening and, at best, leave with some practical tips or some useful materials. There is seldom any follow-up to the experience and subsequent in-services may address entirely different sets of topics. The Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics app is designed to be content specific, with a research-based framework for driving building level and classroom-level improvements in instruction.  

Refined over a twelve-year period of in-depth work in classrooms, schools and districts, the Ci2 Protocol application is:

• organized around a set of instructional focus areas that research shows to be strengths in high-performing classrooms
• designed to be used by administrators, coaches, mentors, department heads and peer teachers to provide valued and structured feedback to teachers regarding the best possible approaches to effective instruction
• designed to support the related processes of lesson study, classroom observation, coaching and mentoring, and data-driven decision making
• equipped to not only identify critical areas of need, but to also provide specific examples and feedback within the comprehensive reporting process

"We decided to make the Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics very affordable so that it can be accessible to all teachers and administrators through their iPads. The Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics opens the door to individualized, personalized professional development in the key focus areas of LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, SKILLED INSTRUCTION, EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT LEARNING, USE OF ASSESSMENTS, SEAMLESS DIFFERENTIATION AND SUPPORT FOR PROBLEM SOLVING. The content specific indicators are aligned with national standards," surmised Rudy Azcuy, CEO and President of Teach N' Kids Learn.

Traditional professional development is expensive and the results obtained are not guaranteed. The Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics is offered at an all-inclusive, one-time cost of $79.99 and can be utilized by the entire faculty for less than the cost of one day of traditional professional development.

All content within the Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics is relevant, current and will continue to be maintained and updated based on user feedback and trend analysis data collected.

For more information, please contact TKL at: [email protected] or call 1800-735-2591. The website for the Ci2 Protocol for Mathematics is:  www.Ci2Protocol.com

SOURCE Teach N' Kids Learn