Summary
Foundations Training is TeachStart’s mandatory 5-day introductory training focused on building the mindsets and skills necessary for substitute teachers and support professionals to create safe and inclusive classrooms. The training begins with a discussion of educator mindsets and aligned actions to bring these mindsets to life in schools. It continues with a skill-building sequence related to building a positive and inclusive classroom culture, focusing on setting clear expectations, positive framing, and de-escalation.
Fellows then explore lesson internalization and the first few minutes of a lesson including introducing themselves and calls to attention. The training culminates with a 5-minute demo lesson in which educators practice the beginning of a lesson and get feedback from a coach and their peers before their first day in the classroom. Additional components of Foundations Training include daily community circles, reflection on the role of an educator and how educators shape the classroom conditions for students, as well as office hours with a variety of TeachStart staff.
Ongoing PD Topics
- Teacher Identity
- Classroom Resets
- Questioning
- Introduction to Universal Design for Learning
- Universal Design: Accessing Content
- Universal Design: Language Supports
- Tiered Behavioral SupportsBuilding
- Restorative Practices
- Monitoring Student Learning