Teacher Professional Development at GCSD
The Galena School District believes in, endorses and practices the PEAK system of effective teaching strategies. PEAK is a wholistic system of instruction designed to help teachers and students perform to their full potential. PEAK provides educators with critical tools shown to be effective in profoundly increasing student achievement, not only with content, but also with the standards and expectations that will be demanded of students throughout life. Academic and vocational instructors at GILA receive intensive training at the PEAK institute in Colorado at least once in their career at the Galena City Schools and the expert educational consultants from PEAK visit the Galena District several times during the school year for teacher trainings, observations, and coaching.
Here is information about the PEAK "Teaching for Excellence" approach to instruction from the PEAK manual:
Teach, (verb), to give to others knowledge, skills, or understanding that they do not already possess. Until students have met the standards for the learning objectives, it cannot be said that the teacher has finished teaching or that the teacher has taught the objectives.
The Teaching for Excellence Model™ is an approach based on the following premises:
- All students can learn well.
- Students must learn essential content to maximize their choices and opportunities
- All students must be taught to their maximum potential, and potential can never be used as an excuse to limit learning and expectations
- Students must learn to meet standards and, as such, they must be coached until they do.
- Most adults and adolescents are effective teachers when teaching loved ones content they value outside of school.
- Teaching practices and approaches typically found in school were never effective for all students and often lead to inadequate learning, failure of students to reach standards, and a general lack of preparation for the world beyond school.
- Typical teaching practices and approaches throughout school are highly dependent upon support from home.
- The most effective teachers can, and typically do teach students to excellent levels regardless of the support from the home.
PEAK is a commitment to Performance Excellence for All Kids and draws upon the best research-supported practices to ensure students success. The understanding and use of the Six Keys is the essential component ensuring maximum levels of performance for all kids. Effective use of Parallel Assessments for Mastery of critical objectives is the single most important component that produces significant gains in student achievement within the first year of implementation.
*from Teaching for Excellence™ manual p.v
To learn more about PEAK, click the link below to go directly to the PEAK website.
This page was made possible by: Kayla Stepetin May 11,1011