District Creates Professional Development Videos for Teachers

Published February 9, 2021

Williamson County Schools is making sure its teachers have the tools they need to provide the high-quality education students and families expect.

Two years ago, the WCS Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) Department teamed up with the Communications Departments to create videos for educators to use as resources. As new curriculum materials are adopted each year, new teaching methods are introduced into the classroom and new videos are required. The videos help train teachers, instructional coaches and principals to use new tools as they are introduced.

"For quality professional development, it's very important for teachers to see strong, effective practices being conducted in classrooms," said WCS Executive Director of TLA Laurette Carle. "It's impossible to carry each one of our 3,000 teachers into a classroom, so by capturing these videos, we're creating a bank that will give teachers the ability to see those practices and look to as needed."

The newest video projects have focused on curriculum being used in the district’s elementary English Language Arts (ELA) classes this year.

"We really thought it would be helpful for teachers to see the lessons since they're working with new material," said WCS Literacy K-5 Specialist Marianne Gilbert. "I know that when we were originally training this summer on foundational skills, I used some YouTube videos from other districts. It is a definite benefit to have our own videos online."

Gilbert said capturing a wide range of lessons is the goal.

"Programs look a lot different in a fourth grade classroom than they do in a first grade classroom," said Gilbert. "Ideally, I'd love to have tons of model lessons to cover all levels."

Currently, the district's Professional Development YouTube channel features videos about science kits, phonics, co-teaching, pacing guides and more to provide teachers with a wealth of resources.