November 3, 2014
ECU Teacher Candidates visit the ISLES
All new teachers need a toolbox full of high leverage practices to draw upon as they enter their first classrooms. Candidates in Elementary Education, Middle Grades Education and Special Education programs engage with a common framework of effective instructional practices through a series of online modules. The Instructional Strategy Lessons for Educators Series (ISLES) modules explore ten research-based strategies that have been found to increase student achievement. The modules build upon one another at the declarative (ISLES 1), procedural (ISLES 2), and conditional levels (ISLES 3). The modules were developed collaboratively by ECU teacher education faculty and local school district partners as part of ECU’s Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Grant.
The establishment of a common language in high leverage practices is critical to developing expertise in teacher candidates. The ISLES strategies are not the only strategies that are effective, nor are they the only strategies that a teacher should incorporate into instruction. Rather, the instructional strategies identified in the ISLES modules constitute a solid foundation for all beginning teachers – a common set of instructional tools. Effective subject-specific instructional strategies are incorporated into each preparation program, adding additional strategies to the teacher’s toolbox. The ISLES modules are currently being refined and piloted in other teacher education programs, including Secondary English Education, Secondary History Education and Business Information Technology Education.
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