The full MAW Academy’s ‘Improving Teaching Skills’ Course is based on MI theory and has ten lessons. It has been divided onto three modules. Ideally, it would be good to work through the lessons in order from 1 to 10, as in each lesson reference is made to previous lessons. However, each of the three modules can be studied on their own.
Module 1: The first three lessons provide you with a sound understanding of Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, and a basic introduction to other great educationalists who have influenced modern educational methods. From an oral tradition, passed on by leaders of a community, formal education started with book-based whole-class teaching. Towards the end of the last century, the implementation of MI theory in schools led to teachers planning differentiated work for different groups and, most recently, to personalised learning which can be strongly supported by information technology. Module 1 of the course gives you an insight in to how teaching methods have changed over the years, and how the past has influenced the present.
Module 2: The knowledge gained in Module 1 is then developed in Lessons 4, 5, 6 and 7 to help you develop your own pedagogical skills. These lessons show you how you can improve your own teaching, so that all students in your lessons make the progress they should. The classroom environment is considered, the emphasis on teaching and learning is discussed, formative assessment ideas are put forward and differentiated lesson planning is explained. By the end of Lesson 7 you will have all you need to improve your teaching skills and the outcomes of your students’ learning.
Module 3: This Is for Senior Leaders in your school. Lesson 9 is for those who have leadership and management responsibilities. It links those responsibilities to MI theory. Lesson 10 reflects on the role of parents and how your school can develop that partnership with parents.
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So, whether you decide to start on Module 1 and take the whole course, or just take Module 2 or Module 3, click on the link and find out more. The course is being put forward for Accreditation, which will increase the cost of the course. It is being offered free for a short time, so make the most of the offer while it is there. The workshops, on which the course is based, were run for ten years and were very popular. Two schools invited Margaret back three or more times, and other schools are still asking for them.
This is the perfect course for teachers who want to change from text-book focused learning to a more interactive approach to teaching.
