Using the Website to Support Teacher Learning
The DISCUSS website can be used in teacher education and professional development. Below we offer lesson plans for three types of sessions:
- A 2-hour professional development session with inservice teachers
- A 3-hour methods class with preservice teachers
- A full-day professional development
Our lesson plans are based on the PRESS model of identity development and are designed to Promote Relevance, trigger Exploration, Scaffold exploration, and facilitate a sense of Safety. Put simply, teachers need to be personally investing in making a change in their practice (relevance), experience some opportunities to think through new ideas (exploration), have guidance (scaffolding), and feel that they are able to experiment (safety).