Delivering CLASS Training is no easy feat. As a trainer, you are a debate moderator, CLASS manual guru, and test anxiety counselor all rolled into one! Even the most experienced staff trainer at Teachstone will tell you that preparation is essential—whether it’s your first time training or your fifty-first!
Several months ago, we realized that the staff trainers at Teachstone have a luxury not afforded to most affiliates: they train really frequently (think several times a month!). On the other hand, most affiliates train just once or twice per year—and as a result—spend a lot of time preparing each time they train. This insight inspired us to do more to support affiliate trainer preparation.
We are pleased to announce a new video collection featuring exemplary training moments from real Teachstone trainings. In a style similar to the CLASS Video Library you know and love, these videos provide authentic examples of training moments for your reference, preparation, and reflection. You can check out this new video collection, titled “Trainers in Action,” on the Affiliate Trainer Support page.
Happy Training (and prep)!
When I first learned about CLASS Group Coaching—a training for early childhood professionals about building relationships with children—I was more than a little interested. This, I thought. This is what teaching is all about. It seems to be an obvious concept, but once we dig deeper, we are able to identify the whys and hows of our interactions. CLASS Group Coaching allows us to identify the benefits of our classroom relationships with our students and helps us be intentional in our daily practices. It allows us to utilize each moment we have with our students to deepen our understanding of their perspectives and genuinely connect with them as people. It helps us see the world from their view and guide their learning in a way that is relevant to them.
As a CLASS Group Coaching (MMCI) instructor, the sections of any given two-hour session may feel, at times, very goal driven. These sections titled "Know," "See," and "Do” are interconnected. In particular, it is possible to consider "Do" within "Know," and "See." When an instructor supports in-the-moment experiences that connect new knowledge to current practice, they make the CLASS dimensions more relevant to the educators' daily work. But how can we infuse more “Do” into “Know” and “See?” First, let's re-cap what happens in each section.
Of course every CLASS Observation Training covers the same material, but every trainer puts their unique spin on it. Find out what your strength is as a CLASS trainer. Take our fun quiz to find out what yours is!
I have a confession to make. Recently, I used vacation time to stay home and watch Season 6 of The Walking Dead. I know, I know. How could I have let myself miss a whole season? Oh, and I feel a little bad about taking the time off from work too, but this was very nearly an emergency! I mean it was only weeks before Season 7 of the season premiere. I had to do something. Don’t judge.
While I was watching, I had the strangest feeling of deja vu. I felt like I had actually walked through a herd of zombies, but couldn’t quite place why it felt so familiar. Then it hit me—I had unknowingly created zombie-like participants during at least two of my previous CLASS trainings.