Professional development
At the center of the mission
Professional growth and development is at the center of a mission that embraces the need for conversation on race-related topics and believes in encouraging intellectual leadership, fostering an empathic spirit and stimulating a drive for societal impact.
To this end, an employee at Gordon is expected to seek out and participate in professional development opportunities. These are offered within and outside of our community. Within the community, we have provided professional speakers, workshops, seminars and trainings. In addition to going to outside workshops and conferences as attendees, many faculty and administrators present at conferences and seminars – an experience we find to be a powerful form of professional development.
The Multicultural Institute
In an effort to both build and refine their skills as multicultural practitioners, Gordon faculty run a three-day professional development seminar – called the Multicultural Institute - after school concludes each June.
The Multicultural Institute started in June 2007. This was originally for Gordon’s Middle School teachers as well as middle school teachers from other schools across the country. These three days focused on teachers reflecting on their multicultural practice through conversations involving how identity shapes the way one engages with students and curriculum.
Starting in 2011, the Institute became an entirely internal experience and included all Gordon teachers. Recent institutes included workshops on writing mastery objectives and creating formative assessments; planning for advancing STEAM objectives in our curriculum; professional development related to classroom technology: Google Classroom, Pear Deck Technology and the use of Lexia as a center in lower school classrooms. In every case, equity pedagogy is the focus.
Recent in-house workshops and seminars
- Strategies to Support Students Who Identify as LGBTQQI (Rachel Legend, MSW)
- Unpacking Race: Brown University/Gordon symposium
- Yearly Race-Based-Affinity-Group work focused on anti-racist teaching practices
- Task Stream: Database for Evaluation Work
- Mindfulness in the Classroom with Dr. Judith Gnys
- Blackbaud Training
- Math In Focus Training with Kevin Mahoney
- Social Cognition: What is it and How Does it Impact My Classroom? with Alison Anderson, MSW CCC-SLP
- Objectives, Formative Assessments and Criteria for Success with Deb Reed
Recent outside workshops and seminars
- AISNE Diversity Conference
- NAIS People of Color Conference
- Learning and the Brain Conference
- Georgetown Day School: Future of Diversity Symposium
- Association of Physical Plant Administrators Conference
- NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads
- White Privilege Conference
- LEGO Engineering Institute for Educators
- Rhode Island School Nurse Educators Conference
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education Conference
- Carney Sandoe Diversity Forum
- Orton Gillingham Training
- AISNE Governance Conference
- Summer Institute in Digital Literacy (University of RI)
- Arts and Universal Design for Learning Conference
- Annual Learning Differences Conference
- NAME Eastern Division Conference
- Analyzing Teaching for Better Results Seminar