In this learning experience, learning community members will begin their journey of self-study, engaging in critical reflection on beliefs and current practices in relationship to their vision for who they want to become as teachers. Learners will gain an understanding of and experience with the learning community model. Community examination of research based practices aligning instruction, content (knowledge in the discipline), the classroom environment, and assessment provides the learning community member a springboard for focusing personally chosen areas of inquiry and action research. Learning community members will begin the action research/inquiry process by creating questions and engaging in personally directed research reading.

This course engages teachers in self-directing and sharing classroom inquiry with other teachers on research-based best practices for teaching within their self-chosen discipline of study. As a result of this course, teachers understand and incorporate concept-based instruction and assessment principles, including best practices in facilitating learner understanding of content.

In this learning experience, learning community members continue their journey of self-study, engaging in critical reflection on beliefs and current practices in relationship to their vision for who they want to become as teachers. Investigation of research based practices of instruction, the discipline (content area), the classroom environment, and use of a backward design assessment process capable of promoting student learning makes it possible for the learner to align principles guiding all aspects of his/her practice. The development of research based principles of practice provides learning community members a springboard for implementing and evaluating sound teaching strategies in the context of their classroom. The accompanying action research process provides the community member the opportunity to study personally chosen questions related to the implementation of their principles of practice.

This course engages teachers in self-directing and sharing classroom inquiry constructing standards-based, discipline-specific concept learning. As a result of this course, teachers demonstrate framing discipline-specific types of concept learning with curriculum goals, standards, and in-depth learning in mind.

In this learning experience, extended theory based research focused on standards and teaching within a specific discipline provides the community member with strategies to build practices of instruction, environment, and assessment into a coherent framework for comprehensive change. Collaborative research and development with community members assists the learner's formation of integrated strategies across instruction, content standards in the discipline, classroom environment, and assessments using the backward design process. Construction of an action research plan provides a means for incorporating backward designed assessments into the examination of resultant changes in student learning.

This course engages teachers in self-directing and sharing classroom inquiry, designing learning friendly, concept rich learning experiences for diverse learners. As a result of this course, teachers demonstrate construction of concept-rich and inquiry-based learning experiences. Lessons incorporate learner use of the rules for knowledge construction within the discipline and integrate standards into a thematic unit of study.

In this experience, learning community members focus on becoming collaborative learners through critical reflection on research based principles and practices in relationship to their vision for their own practice. Learning community investigation into authentic interdisciplinary learning experiences supports the learning community member's ability to engage in interdisciplinary planning and instruction. Collaborative exploration of how to create authentic interdisciplinary learning through shared collegial learning at a professional conference provides the community member with the ability to build life relevance into the learning process. An expectation that community members create a parent involvement plan as a tool for collaborative learner support provides the learning community member with experience collaborating directly with stakeholders in promoting learner success.

This course engages teachers in self-directing and sharing classroom inquiry as they develop lessons-in-problem solving with concepts within the discipline they have chosen to study. As a result of this course, teachers demonstrate embedding discipline-based concepts in 1) learner-relevant, life-like problem solving 2) developmentally appropriate lessons for meaning making and 3) culturally responsive learner opportunities for metacognitive thinking with concepts.

In the last semester learning experience, learning community members continue their journey of self-study, focusing on becoming collaborative teacher leaders through critical reflection on principles and practices in action in relationship to a vision for education. Learning community investigation into "real life/applied learning" across disciplines supports the learning community member's incorporation of authentic and problem based learning experiences into their practice. Collaborative exploration of how to create authentic learning within a discipline through shared collegial learning at a professional conference provides the community member with the ability to build complexity and flexibility into the learning process. The incorporation of school, parent, community, and technology resources into the learning process exercises the community member's ability to serve the educational community as a teacher leader.

This course engages teachers in sharing content teaching expertise through the collaborative lesson study process within a specific content area lesson. As a result of this course, teachers demonstrate thinking expertise 1) framing concepts for learning within their individual lesson plans 2) preparing ways to observe learners problem-solving with concepts and 3) developing strategies to enhance student thinking with the concepts being taught.