Teachers That Learn and Lead
An Ongoing and Engaging Professional Development Program
Delivered by The Finesville Institute
“The best learners make the best teachers.”
Jim Gamble, Educational Viewpoints, 1998
Introduction
As we know, the one shot / single day professional development approach is not the most effective way to provide teachers with new knowledge and skills that serve to enhance their practice and increase student achievement.
One of the major keys to the success of a school and / or school district is the quality of professional development and the overall learning that takes place within the organization.
As Peter Senge states; “Ultimately, people follow people who believe in something and have the abilities to achieve results in the service of those beliefs. Or, to put it another way, who are the natural leaders of learning organizations? They are the learners”
The Finesville Institute for Innovative Teaching provides an excellent solution for establishing instructional sustainability within your school. Dr. Jim Gamble draws upon his 40+ years of experience in education to provide your staff with meaningful instruction and demonstrations of best practices that are ongoing and job embedded.
Teachers learn how to effectively implement innovative instructional strategies. They are also coached on the most effective ways to turn key instruction. These facts serve to greatly enhance and bring out leadership potential. In essence; professional development continues far beyond the sessions that are provided by the Finesville Institute!
Program Outcomes
- Through seminar sessions, ongoing small group meetings, and professional dialogue; the teachers will greatly enhance their knowledge and skills that relate to multiple precision teaching strategies in a variety of critical areas of instruction.
- Ongoing professional development sessions will provide the teachers with coaching, collaborative, and consulting skills that can be utilized to turn key instruction and serve to foster consistency and sustainability for the school / school district.
The Ongoing Professional Development Process
Specifically, Jim Gamble provides an introductory and interactive seminar (full or half day) to the entire school staff. This seminar is followed by multiple small group sessions that take place throughout the school year.
The small group sessions (about 1-2 hours per session - 2-3 different groups meet per day) are designed to provide selected teachers with deeper understandings of specific skills that relate to a variety of topics. Examples of these topics include differentiated instruction, formative assessment, performance assessment, data analysis, Understanding by Design, reading in the content areas, and technology integration.
The small groups are customized for each individual school. For example, each group may consist of a few teachers from a specific grade level. Another option is to form a group of teachers from different grade levels and disciplines. The groups have been in the past referred to as Vanguard Groups and Teacher Leader Groups.
All of the above organizational structures work well since they are designed to meet the specific needs of each school and as we know; “one size does not fit all.”
The unique component of the small group sessions is found in the leadership segments that are presented by Jim Gamble. Specifically, the teachers gain knowledge and skills in the following specific areas:
In addition, multiple professional development options are also available during the year to include after school professional development sessions, parent sessions, 45 minute to 90 minute mini sessions on teacher selected topics, classroom demonstrations, and guidance for curriculum renewal projects.
Meetings are also held with the administration for planning and making ongoing adjustments to the professional development program during the course of the school year.
Schools and School Districts that have worked with Jim Gamble
This ongoing approach to professional development has been successfully implemented by Jim Gamble at Rockaway Borough, Holland Township, New Milford High School, Park Ridge High School, Ridgefield Elementary School, Ridgefield High School, Park Academy, and Long Valley Middle School.
Each school organizes their small groups differently but the common thread is the realization of deeper understandings by teachers of critical knowledge and skills that can be turn keyed in the future.
Here is what the principal of the Holland Township School has to say about the programs that are provided by the Finesville Institute:
"Dr. Jim Gamble knows what it means to be a teacher and a teacher leader. His workshops reach the heart of education; student learning. He immediately connects professional learning with classroom practice. As a participant and professional development planner, I am pleased to know that I can rely on Dr. Jim to provide engaging and effective staff training."
Another seasoned educator, Dr. Sue Lebeau adds...
“I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Jim Gamble on numerous educational training initiatives. He is not only knowledgeable in the areas of instructional technology and educational leadership, but he is also a master presenter. Jim is a superb educational trainer; he is enthusiastic and passionate about education and he is always on the cutting edge when it comes to learning and leading.“
Integrating Technology into the Professional Development Program
Ongoing professional development can be further enhanced by utilizing new technologies. Jim Gamble works with district / school technology personnel to provide virtual resource materials that can be delivered through Moodle, The Finesville Institute’s web site, or other specific / customized technology portals.
As a former lead trainer for the New Jersey ELITE (Exemplary Leadership Institutes in Technology Education) initiative, Jim Gamble provides the guidance and direction for capitalizing on the educational benefits of multiple Web 2.0 technologies such as voice threads, blogs, wikis, skype, twitter, podcasts, etc.
How much does this program cost?
In a time of tight budgets, it is critical that the dollars that are allocated for professional development are wisely spent. The total cost of the “Teachers that Learn and Lead” program will vary. The cost will be determined by the number of consulting days and the number of substitutes that are required to release teachers to participate in the small group sessions.
All of the schools and school districts that have been mentioned above have been able to provide an ongoing program for under $20,000 for the entire year. Typical fees range from $8,500 to $19,550 for the school year. The fee varies according to the number of scheduled consulting days on site. (It is not recommended to design a program for less than 10 consulting days during the school year)
Value added components of the program that are delivered at no additional charge are planning sessions with the administration, ongoing communications via phone and email, and copying expenses.
In essence you are able to realize a highly effective professional development program for the entire school year at a very reasonable cost. This fact has prompted several of the schools and school districts to contract for additional years of service.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the professional development program is customized to meet the needs of the school or school district. Teacher feedback forms, surveys, and classroom performance have been used for the purpose of evaluation.
Recommended Text References
Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. & Wiliam, D. (2003). Assessment for learning: Putting it into practice. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-148.
Fisher, D. & Nancy Frey, (2007). Checking for understanding: Formative assessment techniques for your classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Sandi Everlove. (2009). Productive group work: How to engage students, build teamwork, and promote understanding. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for reading problems at any level. New York: Knopf.
Sousa, D.A. ((2005). How the brain learns to read. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Strickland, D. , Monroe, J., & Kathy Ganske. (2006). Supporting struggling readers and writers: Strategies for classroom intervention 3-6/ Portland. ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Tomlinson, C. and Jay McTighe (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Vita
James W. Gamble, Ed.D.
169 County Road 627
Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
Phone: 201-602-4558
Experience
2009-Present Co-Founder /Consultant
Finesville Institute for Innovative Teaching
Finesville, NJ 08865
2009-Present Adjunct Professor
Ramapo College of New Jersey
505 Ramapo Valley Road
Mahwah, NJ 07430
2007-Present Online Mentor for Doctoral Candidates
Northcentral University
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 2003-2005
2003-2005 Adjunct Professor
Farleigh Dickenson University
Florham Park, NJ 07932
2003-2005 Adjunct Professor
College of Saint Elizabeth
Convent Station, NJ
2001-2009 Senior Vice President for Research and Program Development
The Madison Institute, L.L.C.
100 Paragon Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645
1998-2001 Superintendent / Principal
Bethlehem Township School District
940 Iron Bridge Road
Asbury, New Jersey 08802
1981-1998 Principal
Flemington-Raritan Regional Schools
50 Court Street
Flemington, New Jersey 08822
1995-1997 Adjunct Professor
Delaware Valley College
700 East Butler Ave.
Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18901
1980-1981 Middle School Coordinator
Flemington-Raritan Regional Schools
50 Court Street
Flemington, New Jersey 08822
1978-1980 Sixth Grade Teacher
Flemington-Raritan Regional Schools
50 Court Street
Flemington, New Jersey 08822
1972-1978 Sixth Grade Teacher
West Amwell Township School District
Box 295, Hwy. 179
Lambertville, New Jersey 08530
Jan. 1972-June 1972 Seventh Grade Teacher
Madison Junior High School
Madison, New Jersey
1969-1972 U.S. Army Intelligence Specialist
Performed duties as an Image Interpretation Specialist
Served a tour of duty in Viet Nam
1968-1969 Fifth Grade Teacher
West Amwell Township School District
Box 295, Hwy. 179
Lambertville, New Jersey 08530
Education
1995-1998 Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Received Doctoral degree in educational leadership.
1985-1987 Temple University
Ambler, Pennsylvania
Postgraduate studies in educational administration.
1975-1979 The College of New Jersey
Ewing Township, New Jersey 08625
Received Master of Education degree in the area of developmental reading. Received Reading, Supervisor, and Principal Certificates.
1964-1968 The College of New Jersey
Ewing Township, New Jersey 08625
Received Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary social studies education and a minor in psychology.
Certifications
NJ Chief School Administrator
Principal
Supervisor,
Reading Specialist
Elementary Teacher
Social Studies Teacher
National and International Presentations
2006 Providence, Rhode Island
Early Literacy Conference
Topic: The Reading Brain
2004 Providence, Rhode Island
Early Literacy Conference
Topic: The Reading Brain
2003 Amman, Jordan
E-Learning Forum
Topic: The EduWave E-Learning Portal
2001 Denver, Colorado
NSCD Convention
Topic: Educational Leadership
1998 Orlando, Florida
NAESP Convention
Topic: Daily Professional Development
1996 Uppsala, Sweden
Nova Southeastern Inst.
Topic: Daily Professional Development
1994 Toronto, Canada
International Reading Association
Topic: Exemplary Reading Program
Published Articles
Daily Professional Development: The Best Learners Make the Best Teachers, Educational Viewpoints, 1998.
Beyond Mentoring, Educational Viewpoints, 2002
Project Based Learning on the Web, Educational Viewpoints, 2002
Published Books
Chinni, B. Gamble, J. & Panicucci, R. (2003). Teaching and learning in the 21 century: The co-5 instructional model. Woodcliff Lake, NJ: TMI Press.
Gamble, J. (2006). The reading brain’s unnatural connections: Unlocking the secrets to what all teachers need to know. Montvale, NJ: TMI Press.
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