Through a STEMSS (STEM+Social Studies with an emphasis on geography integration across curriculum) professional development (PD) series for teachers of language learners (TLLs), teacher leaders emerged and were given opportunities to lead PD, develop curriculum, and mentor future participants. Following the Arizona Geographic Alliance’s PD methods, teacher leaders support professional learning in their schools, work towards improvement and change, and ultimately improve student learning and success (Wenner & Campbell, 2016). The STEMSS PD project set out to initiate change in how English learners are served across Arizona. By building a sense of community, valuing the knowledge and expertise the teachers brought to the training, and integrating curriculum development and family engagement foci, teachers, many of them bilingual and teachers of color, were identified as potential teacher leaders and then provided opportunities to engage in that role within the program.
In this session, Karen Guerrero, will investigate effective teacher leadership development strategies, current research, and discoveries, and provide an opportunity to participate in a discussion on teacher leadership and ways to strengthen geography education across disciplines. In addition, voices from the field and freely accessible resources will be shared to address the following content and skills:
Understanding of how geography links to other K-12 subjects.
Development of teacher leadership skills through the integration of curriculum to support language learners for teachers of all disciplines.
