Orava - Core Teacher Leaders, Overview

A central component of the Orava Project is development of two Core Teacher Leaders (CTL) groups. During this year the first CTL group was formed and received intensive inservice programming. The model for working with the CTL's has been extremely effective. CTL's receive instruction blended with demonstration and practical experience. They next implement new strategies in their classrooms, carefully observing student responses. CTL's then share their experiences, adapt and refine their applications and return to their classrooms for further implementation. Classroom observations reveal extensive changes in instructional practices.

The CTL's (grades 1-4) received 20 days of inservicing during the year. Additionally, they traveled to the U.S. and observed model teaching in selected classrooms in four school districts, participated in two UNI pedagogical courses and held seminars on Slovak education.

This first year has seen tremendous development of the Core Teacher Leaders. There are a number of identifiable outcomes:

CTL's are now prepared to offer training workshops to their teaching colleagues throughout the Orava Region.
CTL's are prepared to serve as resource people in their home schools, sharing new instructional strategies and providing model teaching.
A model workshop delivery design has been developed to effectively reach all teachers within the Orava Region. Through coordination with the MetodickŽ Centrum program, CTL will reach the entire Orava teaching population in the coming year.
The CTL program is in the process of obtaining Educational Ministry approval for certification. Further, CTL workshops provided to teachers by the core teacher leaders will also be approved by the Ministry as recertification courses for Slovak educators.
A democratic instructional practices curriculum and teacher's handbook has been developed for CTL use as resource teachers and inservice providers.

Future Plans

The beginning of the 1995-96 school year will mark the launching of several new initiatives. The 1-4 CTL's will begin providing workshops to their colleagues. They will also begin developing a democracy curriculum. This will take the form of thematic units extending across the curriculum. CTL's will develop the curriculum and all supporting materials will be provided by the project to ensure effective implementation.

A second CTL group representing grades 5-8 will begin their work during the 1995-96 school year. It is anticipated that by the end of the school year they too will be prepared to offer high quality inservice programming to their colleagues.
Curricular materials will continue to be developed for all grades 1-8. These materials will be developed and printed in Slovak for use in Slovak classrooms.
CTL workshops will soon be approved as a course of study for recertification of teachers, increasing incentives for participants and, through institutionalization, assuring sustainability of the Orava Project effort.
Development of an Inservice Implementation Curriculum and Handbook for CTL's (grades 5-8).