As we move into another cycle of pandemic dynamics, UC Berkeley’s Professional Development Providers (UCBPDP) continues to collaborate with intention and authenticity toward a common vision: that educators and education leaders will thrive as agents of change promoting equity and social justice in their communities.
21CSLA Offerings
The GSE is home to the 21CSLA State Center, and the 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy. As a lead partner in the Alameda Regional Academy, UCBPDP has harnessed the valuable lessons from the previous year, while also responding to the real time needs from the full range of educators committed to working together differently. Another example of service offerings designed by UCBPDP include new free offerings for education leaders in Title II schools to address critical current needs. Here are our initial offerings for spring 2021:
- The Lawrence Hall of Science is leading Creating Equitable Access to Engaged Learning through Small Cohorts. Districts continue to plan for and implement the small cohort model to mitigate against the increasing equity challenges faced by our current educational systems, such as chronic absenteeism during distance learning and increasing needs of learners at home in cases where families are unable to provide supports. This Community of Practice (CoP) will engage coordinators and school site leaders of small cohort group models (e.g., learning hub, special day class, learning hub + extended day, outdoor learning-focused learning hub, etc.) to share learnings, innovations, and solutions to real-time barriers. Meeting dates: TBD.
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Antiracist Practices in Math and Writing Instruction will be co-led by the Bay Area Math Project and the Bay Area Writing Project. This Professional Learning Program will explore the ways in which values inherent in math and writing curricula must be interrogated if we are truly committed to creating antiracist schools. Through participation in a mini-inquiry cycle, educators will reflect on their own practices and identities, and consider implications for curriculum and pedagogy. Participants will collectively analyze artifacts of teaching (including student work, lesson plans, observation data). Writing will be used in service of self-reflection, analysis and expanding the notion of a community of learners, both in sessions and in classrooms. Meeting dates: TBD.
Other Events
UCBPDP partner organizations have events throughout the year, some fee-based, and some free. Educators and systems leaders are encouraged to check the events calendar often. Two events in March of broad interest to educators are:
- Teacher Panel: Tips for Reopening Schools for In-Person Learning -- Hear from a panel of Bay Area teachers who are currently teaching in-person. What has been working well? What do they wish they would have known before returning to school? Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the teacher panelists and to discuss their responses in small groups with like-minded educators from across the Bay Area. Meeting date: Thur., March 4.
- Uprisings: Current Global Events Discussion Group -- A discussion group for k-14 teachers focused on the exploration of popular uprisings in different regions around the world. Each month will focus on a different movement in a specific region. Participants are provided with preparatory materials to inform the discussion. Meeting date: Tue., March 30.
2020 Virtual Learning Series
When pandemic closures threw our schools, districts and communities into disarray in the spring 2020, the 14 partner organizations of UCBPDP threw their collaborative into high gear to offer dozens of free and urgently desired virtual learning opportunities for community sharing and collaboration. The UCBPDP units from across the Berkeley campus demonstrated authentic collaboration in practice by assessing educators’ needs, identifying resources, and integrating the cross disciplinary content needed at a critical moment. Over a two-month period PDP actively engaged more than 2,500 participants in a wide range of topics, such as:
- The Healing Art of Relational Pedagogy in Times of Crisis (Bay Area Writing Project)
- Leading Equity Action Research for Education Practitioners in a Public Health Crisis (College and Career Academy Support Network)
- Applying Literacy and Historical Thinking Strategies in the Digital Realm (History-Social Science Subject Matter Project)
- Making The Case For The Outdoors As A Context For Learning How To Learn (Lawrence Hall of Science)
The Spring 2020 Virtual Learning Series is archived with recordings and other resources. Click here for more information about UCBPDP, as well as a calendar of professional development offerings, and other valuable resources.
