Oct. 15, 2004
Noted National Trainer Leads Workshop for Area Teachers
By: Charlotte J. Muenzenberger
UW-RF News Bureau
Diane Heacox, a nationally noted consultant and trainer in gifted education
and differentiation of instruction, led a hands-on workshop for area teachers
Oct. 13 and 15 at UW-River Falls.
Heacox, the author of "Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom—How
to Reach and Teach all Learners," addressed 48 elementary teachers on Wednesday
and 32 secondary teachers on Friday.
The workshop included hands-on learning experiences for teachers to create differentiated
lesson plans, which help design curriculum for diverse students of differing
abilities.
Teachers attended from seven area school districts, including public schools
in Hudson, New Richmond, Boyceville, Prescott, River Falls, and Somerset as
well as St. Anne's Catholic in Somerset.
Heacox, originally from Hastings, Minn., has worked as a gifted and talented
teacher and administrator in many school districts including Edina and Hastings.
She is an associate professor of education and the director of Antonian Scholars
Program at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn. In 2001 she was inducted
in the Education Hall of Fame by University of St. Thomas.
She has previously given presentations from Los Angeles to New York, and as
she says, "most places in between, even the Catholic Archdiocese."
She has also authored the books, "Up From Underachievement," "The
Reflective Teacher," and "The Constructivist Classroom."
According to Charles Sambs, superintendent and curriculum director of Hudson
Public Schools, the workshop was geared to "train the trainers." The
workshop used strategies from Heacox's book, which explains practical ways to
help students learn in diverse environments. Teachers learned new ways to handle
diversity in the classroom and new ideas to take back to their school districts,
where they will share with other teachers, said Sambs. School principals attended
an earlier conference on the same subject, said Sambs.
As part of the conference, teachers tested out new strategies by working with
teachers of the same grade-level to create lesson plans for their own classrooms.
The plans consisted of academic standards, instructional activities, the opportunity
for students to choose activities, and tiers for different learning levels.
The teacher also learned Heacox's tips on how to push students to accomplish
goals while learning in a very diverse classroom.
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