Bobbie Solley Center of Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Bobbie Solley, former director of education development for Healing Hands International and a retired professor from Middle Tennessee State University, has worked in collaboration with the College of Education to establish the Bobbie Solley Center for Excellence in Teaching at Freed-Hardeman University. 

Utilizing the mantra, “Reaching Students, Empowering Teachers, Transforming Instruction”, the center’s mission is to develop teacher and school leaders committed to making a positive impact on student learning and fostering high student academic achievement for diverse student populations. 

Professional development activities are always free of charge for attendees and will use a variety of innovative methods, including coaching, mentoring, seminars, workshops, diversity sensitivity training and many others.  Building on partnerships already established with Chester County Schools, Columbia Academy and Middle Tennessee Christian School, the center seeks to develop additional partnerships throughout West Tennessee and eventually in other regions of the state and beyond.

Please see below for upcoming professional development opportunities.

Summer 2023 SESSIONS

ALL SESSIONS ARE FREE!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

In order to receive a certificate of completion, we kindly request that for virtual sessions your camera is enabled and that you are present for the duration of the session.

Upon completion of each session a personalized certificate is emailed to you with the session title, name of presenter(s), date, and number of professional development hours noted.

JUNE SESSIONS

MATH LEARNING GOALS

PRESENTED BY:

Mrs. Melanie Peel

District Math Coach

Chester County Schools; Henderson, Tennessee

Former Southwest Regional Math Consultant

Session Summary:

In this session, we will dig into the 1st Effective Mathematics Teaching Practice: Establish mathematics goals to focus learning. We will learn about clear and concise goals for the mathematics that students are learning, situating the goals within the learning and using the goals to guide instructional decisions. This session will help us to see the significance of setting clear success criteria for students. 

success and beyond....what are your criteria

IN-PERSON WORKSHOP 

AT

Freed-Hardeman University

PRESENTED BY EDUCATORS FROM CHESTER COUNTY, TN SCHOOLS

Molly Risley

7th grade ELA teacher

Diane Speed

3rd grade ELA teacher

Becky Welch

2nd grade ELA and Math teacher

Session Summary:

“Success criteria” is not just the latest education buzzword. Success criteria are crucial in supporting students as they ascend into high levels of achievement. Success criteria provide learners with a clear vision of mastery and opportunities to assess their own learning along the way. 

Bring your standards, invite your colleagues, and join 3 seasoned educators as they facilitate an in-person workshop where you will receive multiple models of success criteria and will be given opportunities to collaboratively create your own criteria for success of standards of your choice.

SELECTING A MATH TASK

PRESENTED BY:

Mrs. Melanie Peel

District Math Coach

Chester County Schools; Henderson, Tennessee

Former Southwest Regional Math Consultant

Session Summary:

In this session, we will dive into the 2nd Effective Mathematics Teaching Practice: Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving. We will discuss how effective math teaching engages students in solving and discussing tasks that promote mathematical reasoning and problem solving, as well as allow for multiple entry points and varied solution strategies. This will further discuss how we build thinking classrooms and create an environment for math discourse.

LET YOUR STUDENTS DO THE HEAVY LIFTING

HOW SUCCESS CRITERIA CAN ENHANCE STUDENT OWNERSHIP AND ACHIEVEMENT

PRESENTED BY:
Dr. Katy Flatt

Student Teaching Supervisor

Lipscomb University

Former Classroom Teacher, Instructional Coach, School Administrator

Session Summary:

Through this training, participants will learn the value of putting the students center stage and putting them in the driver's seat. Participants will begin to develop an understanding of how student engagement and ownership naturally weave into high-quality lessons and impacts evaluations and observations but with the ultimate goal of student success. 

Motivating Generation Z Teenagers in a World with No Attention Span and Too Much Information

PRESENTED BY:

Mr. Drake Jackson

Classroom Teacher - Math

ACT Preparation Coordinator

Summit High School

Williamson County (TN) Schools

Session Summary:

Do you ever feel like education has become this uphill battle for the attention and motivation of your students? To some extent, it has! But an uphill battle is not an unwinnable one—we have tools at our disposal! In this session, we will unpack two important aspects of teaching practice: who we are as humans in relationship with our students and what we can do to make them “give a…” in a world that begs them not to. We will discuss how to leverage our strengths, shore up our weaknesses, and find a balance between meeting their generational needs and remaining true to who we are.

Target audience: Focus will be on secondary students, but all educators are welcome!

The Art of the Sentence: Improving students’ sentence-level writing

Session Summary:

In Teach Like a Champion, Doug Lemov wrote, “The complete sentence is the battering ram that breaks down the door to college.” Many of the fundamental challenges we encounter in classroom conversation and writing can be traced to the need to improve sentence-level work. A sentence is a complex and powerful thing, and mastering them means students can not only express complete thoughts but also capture the nuances of tough ideas and examine their relationships. In this session, participants will explore strategies designed to improve sentence-level composition in the classroom. This session is ideal for teachers in grades 2-12 and university instructors.

Classroom Protocols:

Creating systems so students own the learning

PRESENTED BY:

Dr. Cathy Pressnell

Reading Coordinator, Grades 3-6

Murfreesboro City Schools

2016 Tennessee Teacher of the Year

Session Summary:

If we want learning that truly lasts for students, they need to truly own it. Protocols - agreed upon procedures and guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or sharing - teach students to lead their own learning. They help to hold each student accountable and responsible for their learning by using procedures that help them work more effectively on their own and with others. In this session, participants will deepen their understanding of the purpose for protocols, understand how to establish them in the classroom, explore a wide variety of protocols, and plan to implement one in their classroom this fall. This session is ideal for K-12 teachers and university instructors, and it is especially ideal for teachers implementing the EL Education ELA curriculum.

State Assessments and ELA: Answering Your Content QUESTIONS

PRESENTED BY:

Dr. Cathy Pressnell

Reading Coordinator, Grades 3-6

Murfreesboro City Schools

2016 Tennessee Teacher of the Year

SESSION SUMMARY:

Understanding how our ELA state assessment is created, structured, and designed to align with our state standards is the best way we’ve found to alleviate teachers’ test-related stress and improve classroom instruction at the same time. In this session, participants will gain an overview of the process by which our state assessment is created, closely examine released items and practice tests, learn to find and write answer rationales, and explore assessment-related classroom best practices that are based in research.

july SESSIONS

STUDENT THINKING

PRESENTED BY:

Mrs. Melanie Peel

District Math Coach

Chester County Schools; Henderson, Tennessee

Session Summary:

In this session, we will explore the NCTM Effective Mathematics Teaching Practice: Elicit and use evidence of student thinking. We will discuss how effective teaching of math uses evidence of student thinking to assess progress toward mathematical understanding and how we adjust instruction continually in ways that support and extend student learning.

YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID

IN-PERSON TRAINING 

at

FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY

PRESENTED BY:

Mr. James Cook 

Co-Occurring Disorders Specialist

Region IV Mental Health Services

LEARN HOW TO SUPPORT THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adolescents ages 12-18. You’ll build skills and confidence you need to reach out and provide initial support to young people who are struggling. You’ll also learn how to help connect them to appropriate support.

AFTER THE COURSE, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO:

• Recognize common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, including anxiety,
depression, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).
• Recognize common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.
• Understand how to interact with a young person in crisis.
• Know how to connect a young person with help.
• Better understand trauma, substance use, self-care and the impact of social media
and bullying.

Building a Comprehensive ACT Prep Program for High Schools

PRESENTED BY:

Mr. Drake Jackson

Classroom Teacher - Math

ACT Preparation Coordinator

Summit High School

Williamson County (TN) Schools

Session Summary:

Despite the literal mountain of data (both scientific and anecdotal) that suggests that the ACT predicts a person’s social class and test-taking ability instead of their college readiness, most colleges (especially public colleges in the South) show no signs of deemphasizing ACT scores in decision-making—especially for awarding merit scholarships. Building an ACT Prep program to make sure your students have maximum access to opportunities may seem daunting, but it is more possible than ever in the age of LMSs and other instructional technology. In this session, we will discuss proven practices that work to raise awareness about the importance of the ACT, to prepare students for the ACT, and to build a culture of achievement.

Target audience: Building- and district-level administrators, counselors, or ACT Prep teachers