We’re writing to share an exciting opportunity for Teach for America teachers to participate in an initiative that is curating videos of virtual instruction best practices in action. The initiative is being led by an organization called Ed Direction, which is working with LEAs across Texas to help teachers develop their virtual instruction abilities and better serve students in today’s constantly-evolving education environment. This is a huge need for teachers everywhere, and it directly impacts students’ access to quality education during a time when teaching and learning are especially challenging. Ed Direction has invited TFA teachers to join this exciting initiative because they know what amazing and respected educators you all are, and they’d like to enlist your help in elevating the quality of virtual instruction across the state. Here are the details:
1. Ed Direction is looking for teachers who are willing to model virtual instruction best practices in their own virtual or partially virtual (i.e., concurrent or hybrid) classrooms while being filmed (via the video platform you already use for instruction).
2. These short filming sessions will be used to produce a series of highly actionable exemplar video clips on virtual instruction best practices. The video clips will be short (2-5 min.), easy-to-digest resources that can be embedded in professional development modules and materials for teachers (and instructional coaches, campus leaders, and LEA personnel) as they seek to incorporate virtual best practices into their day-to-day teaching.
3. The entire video series will be shared back with teachers who participate in the project so you can leverage these best practices for your own professional development and share them with colleagues at your own schools. Ed Direction will also share back additional professional development resources aligned with these videos.
4Fellows that choose to participate in the initiative will:
- Receive some light coaching from the Ed Direction team on one or more specific virtual instruction best practices to be modeled. Ed Direction will walk you through the best practices and how you can implement them in your own classroom with your students.
- Coordinate with the Ed Direction team on filming your modeling of the best practice(s) during your normal course of daily instruction with students. You may film on your own (e.g., by recording your own lesson on Zoom or Google Meet), or someone from Ed Direction may sit in on one of your lessons to help film. (Note: Ed Direction and Teach for America are working together to navigate student privacy needs as part of this effort.)
- Have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on any video(s) that Ed Direction creates based on your modeling of the best practices. You may also have the opportunity to review related professional development materials aligned with the videos.
- Receive compensation for contributing to the initiative. The exact arrangements of this compensation are still in the process of being finalized, and Ed Direction will be able to share more specifics soon with teachers who sign up for the initiative (see instructions below).
- To sign up to participate in the initiative, fill out the information in this spreadsheet by EOD Tuesday, January 19th. Ed Direction will contact you shortly thereafter to coordinate what your individual participation will look like. The bulk of the filming of classroom instruction will be completed in January 2021. We recommend you sign up as early as possible, as there are a limited number of spots available to participate in the initiative.
- Please note if you are a teacher in any of the districts listed here, you will be unable to participate in this first round of videos. However, please know that we will likely complete a second round of this initiative and will reach out again.
If you have any questions about the initiative, you can email Athena Nadeau (anadeau@eddirection.org) for more information. We hope you find this to be an exciting and rewarding opportunity to share your teaching expertise and benefit other teachers and students across the state!