Educators Rising Attend Course 2 Kickoff
Launch the media gallery 1 playerPlainview High School's Education and Training Pathway program is off to an impressive start this year, with students gaining valuable insights into the teaching profession through a specialized professional development event.
On January 16, Educators Rising member Landon Hergert and Teacher Leader Ronita Jacobsen traveled to ESU 6 in Milford to attend the Course 2 Kickoff event. The conference marked the beginning of "Human Development and Cognition," the second course in the pathway, which is offered as dual credit through Wayne State College.
The day featured instruction from course developers Lynne Herr, Dr. Katie Soto, and Shalee Lindsey from ESU 6 and ESU 9, who provided students with insight into the Grow Your Own (GYO) program and its Work Based Learning Component. Dr. Soto welcomed students and shared that the goals of the day were to understand the roles and responsibilities within the GYO (Grow Your Own) Course 2 and its Work Based Learning Component, explore the content and the EdRising projects in Course 2, and to engage in and learn new teaching strategies to use in future classrooms.
Launch the media gallery 3 playerA highlight of the event was experiencing innovative instructional techniques firsthand. Dr. Soto demonstrated interactive strategies including Quiz Quiz Trade, Hands Stand UP Pair Up, Mix-Pair-Share, and Sole Mate. Students also learned about incorporating technology tools like Flippity and using artificial intelligence effectively in classroom settings.
Throughout the course, students will complete projects in partnership with Educators Rising including Children's Literature, Lesson Plan Development, Public Speaking presentations, and Teacher Created Materials. These experiences provide authentic preparation for classroom instruction.
Plainview High School's participation in the Grow Your Own initiative addresses the teacher shortage affecting Nebraska and the nation. Mrs. Jacobsen is in her second year teaching the dual-credit courses, which include observation and classroom hours that give students real educational experience.
The Education and Training Pathway Sequence is: Lifespan Development, Introduction to Professional Education (EDU 150) with 16 observation hours, Human Development and Cognition (EDU 250) with 20 observation hours, PK-12 Instruction Design (EDU 275) with 40 classroom hours. All students in the courses are members of Educators Rising. Educators Rising is a career and technical student organization that helps ensure students interested in a career in education have the experience and skills they need to be ready for the classroom. The mission of Educators Rising is to create a new generation of highly skilled educators by guiding. Young people on a path from high school through college and into their teaching careers.