Professional Development

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Professional Development (PD) Mini Grants

At GEAR UP Wyoming, we know that a huge part of investing in our participants involves investing in their educators. To this end, GEAR UP Wyoming works to deliver and support quality professional development (PD) initiatives across the state that help teachers and schools foster the success of GEAR UP students.

We are flexible in what PD sponsorship can look like for Wyoming schools. In the past, GEAR UP Wyoming PD has taken many forms:

  • Workshops delivered by GEAR UP staff or third-party educational PD providers (see list below)

  • Funding for keynote speakers at school building, district, or regional PD events

  • Provision of books or other educational materials to supplement PD

  • Funding for Wyoming educators to attend conferences or other PD events related to serving students like those enrolled in GEAR UP

If you, your school, or school district would like to host a PD event relating to the topics listed above for educators who directly work with GEAR UP participants, you may now apply for a GEAR UP Wyoming Mini Grant. Successful grants will be awarded for up to $5000. Grant applications can be submitted at any time, but please apply several months in advance of the proposed event.

Click here to view the application

Once completed, please submit to gearupwy@uwyo.edu with the subject "GEAR UP Mini Grant Application." You should receive a response within 3-5 business days. 

GEAR UP Online PD Module

We know that the pandemic has made planning live PD difficult. To continue to offer consistent PD to Wyoming educators on topics relating to the success of GEAR UP participants, we have partnered with Literacy Teachers to offer asynchronous online PD. Here are our current offerings:

Strategies to Support Under-Resourced Students:

GEAR UP Wyoming has asked former principal, Erin Silcox, and TRIO Academic Success Associate, Kimberly Kost, to prepare a 15-hour asynchronous professional development module, "Strategies to Support Under-Resourced Students," for Wyoming teachers. Alex Rickert will oversee the completion of this course and serve as the standing instructor.

First, Kimberly Kost will walk us through a 7.5-hour section exploring strategies to better engage under-resourced learners in 7-12th grade. The objectives are to better understand the systems and structures that deprive certain groups of students adequate educational resources to be able to succeed in college, and how to successfully connect them to such resources. Second, Erin Silcox has prepared a 7.5-hour section to better understand what “trauma-informed” means for classroom educators. The global pandemic has brought many traumatic experiences for our 7-12th, and teachers wishing to better support those students will benefit from this section of the course.

GEAR UP Wyoming is offering this course bundle for free. The course can be taken at https://literacyteachersrd.thinkific.com/bundles/strategies-to-support-under-resourced-students.

This course is eligible for 1 PTSB credit (free) AND/OR 1 UW EDCI 5959 credit (for a UW-levied charge of $60/credit). Teachers interested in receiving this credit should email gearupwy@uwyo.edu for further instructions.

Past GEAR UP Professional Development:

ACT Data Interpretation Workshop:

This data interpretation workshop will support educators’ analysis of the ACT. ACT expert consultants work with educators face-to-face to analyze data and identify implications for curriculum and instruction. The interactive instructional Support workshop is designed to help educators improve student learning by using ACT solutions to make data-informed decisions. Educators will learn how to find key data points in their ACT solutions reports, translate data into insights about curriculum and instruction, and improve teaching and learning.

LifeBound Academic Coaching:

Research shows Academic Coaching helps students make connections between cognitive and non-cognitive skill sets, improves retention, supports online learning environments, and has positive effects on students with executive function disorders, like ADHD. Research also shows students who receive proper direction and feel connected to the campus community are more likely to graduate.

In LifeBound’s Academic Coaching training, teachers, professors, faculty, staff, and advisors learn how to develop strong student-coach relationships and coach students to develop the non-cognitive skills they need to be successful in school, career, and life. 

Aha! Process, Inc. ‘ A Framework for Understanding Poverty’:

This workshop gives you in-depth information to help you understand class differences and 10 actions you can implement the next day in the classroom to achieve impact. This workshop is based on the book A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D.

Aha! Process, Inc. ‘College Achievement Alliance’:

Colleges struggle with retaining and graduating under-resourced college students.  Nationally only one-third achieve a certificate or degree within six years of enrolling.  Campuses have the resources to help students. Why don’t students use them?  Why do these resources work for some students and not for others?

This workshop helps you design a hands-on program for retention and completion tailored to your campus and your students.  Traditionally, many model programs are prescriptive and therefore require significant grants or funding increases to implement.  College Achievement Alliance provides a flexible framework to guide your campus team through the design process in light of current conditions and resources.  The result is realistic plans and action steps that can be implemented without substantial new dollars.


Quantum Learning:

If you’re looking to transform your school or make a significant impact district-wide in creating strong educational leaders, then look no further than Quantum Learning’s comprehensive professional development. Whether it’s our Excellence in Teaching or Administrator and Parent programs, our proven methods assist teachers in achieving the desired goal that students leave high school prepared for success in college and career with strong character and citizenship traits.

 

 

Contact Us

GEAR UP Wyoming

SEO, University of Wyoming

Dept. 3808

1000 E. University Ave.

Laramie, WY 82071

Knight Hall, Room 330

Phone: (307) 766-6189

Email: gearupwy@uwyo.edu

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