Teacher Preparation MOOCs
The Ayers Institute for Learning and Innovation has developed free MOOCs (massive open online courses) designed to prepare teachers to implement the Tennessee Academic Standards in their classrooms and to engage in best practices in planning, assessment and learning strategies. These highly relevant and innovative courses are funded through a grant from the Governor’s Online Innovation Fund and in partnership with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The Teacher Preparation MOOCs can be viewed at the e3 Courses website: http://courses.ayersinstitute.org. All of the Teacher Preparation MOOCs are designed to either be incorporated into teacher preparation programs or for individual learners to complete on their own.
Available Courses
Course descriptions for these offerings are available to help you decide which will be most beneficial for yourself, your students, and/or your colleagues.
Course Launched: February 8, 2016
Course Contents: The Role of Technology in Education course provides pre-service and current-service teachers the information and resources needed to improve student outcomes through the use of technology. This course includes topics such as technology and teacher evaluation, the connections between pedagogy and technology, differentiating with technology, types of assessment, and how to be a connected educator. Each participant will gain a comprehensive understanding of the value technology brings to the learning environment; ways technology supports teaching, learning, and assessment; and ways technology can provide increased opportunities for professional learning
Course Launched: November 5, 2015
Course Contents: The Learning Environment course provides pre-service and current-service teachers with the information and resources needed to create an optimum learning environment. This course includes topics such as factors contributing to the formation of teacher expectations, classroom management at work, rules vs. procedures, impact of the environment on student outcomes, impact of family involvement and promoting cultural, racial, gender and ethnic sensitivity. Each participant will gain a comprehensive understanding of teacher expectations, classroom management, the physical environment and creating a positive learning culture.
Course Launched: July 2, 2015
Course Contents: Professional Learning Communities (PLC) provides participants with the information and resources needed to successfully participate in an instructional PLC. The course includes topics such as key steps in creating a PLC, collaboration, setting goals, analyzing data, common assessments, and participating in data conversations. Each participant will gain a comprehensive understanding of what an instructional PLC is, how to maximize PLC time, and how to review data and make informed decisions.
Course Launched: April 14, 2015
Course Contents: The Personalized Learning through Differentiated Instruction course includes topics such as differentiating instruction, special populations, meaningful tasks and feedback, and response to intervention. Each participant will gain a comprehensive understanding of what it means to differentiate instruction, how to use data to improve and personalize learning, and how to collaborate with colleagues to create a successful learning plan for all students.
Course Launched: January 30, 2015
Course Contents: Engaging Students includes topics such as factors influencing engaged learning, student motivation and ownership of learning, and creating a culture of engagement. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be engaged in learning, how to increase student involvement in a relevant way, and how to create a learning environment that maximizes student engagement.
Course Launched: October 27, 2014
Course Contents: The Pedagogical Shifts to Instructional Strategies course includes topics such as instruction and application of the mathematical and English Language Arts instructional shifts and the role of writing and reading with literacy in the content areas. Students taking this course will develop a thorough understanding of their own pedagogy and discover how to create the most successful learning environment for their students.
Course Launched: October 2, 2014
Course Contents: The Planning and Assessing for Learning course includes topics such as intentional lesson design, the Tennessee Educator Accelerator Model (TEAM) Planning Rubric including instructional plans, student work and assessment indicators, and differentiating instruction to meet the diverse learning needs in today’s classroom. Students taking this course will develop a thorough understanding of the expectations of the TEAM rubric for instructional plans, student work, assessment, and differentiation.
Course Launched: September 19, 2014
Course Contents: The Introduction to the Tennessee Academic Standards course includes topics such as the research behind and structure of the Tennessee Academic Standards, the instructional shifts, the Mathematical Practice Standards and content standards, the ELA/Literacy Anchor Standards and content standards and special considerations for learners with diverse needs.
All of the Teacher Preparation MOOCs focus on best practices and include material from a broad variety of high-quality information sources. The first three courses have strong ties to implementing the Tennessee Academic Standards in K-12 classrooms. The additional courses focus on key topics that future teachers and in-service teachers should consider as they refine their practice.
The Role of Technology in Education, the newest MOOC, was released by the Ayers Institute on February 8, 2016. The course provides a comprehensive exploration of technology in education, learning and teaching with technology, using technology to assess learning, and using technology for professional learning.
Facilitator’s Guides
The Facilitator’s Guides, available upon request, are helpful to any instructor planning to use a portion of a course or even an entire course within his/her own educator preparation program. These comprehensive guides contain the same icons and information provided in the online environment while going a step further and include how to fully integrate the online course and resources into face-to-face or blended classes.
Getting Started
To get started with any course today, visit the e3 courses website.
If you are an instructor in a teacher preparation program and would like a copy of the full Facilitator’s Guide for any course, use our online form to request a copy of Facilitator's Guide documents.