Teachers
Project Stretch teachers work in elementary, middle, and high schools in all content areas, including ELA. Our teachers have been identified by their principals due to a passion for education and a belief in technology as a vital resource for effective teaching and learning. Project Stretch teachers appreciate the support and feedback that comes from frequent online and face-to-face meeting with Stretch staff. Participation in the project changes the ways that teachers interact with their students, with technology and with their subject matter. Project Stretch expands the classroom, so that teachers and students can connect with each other and with their subject matter in new and exciting ways. Teachers have reported that many of their students go from failing to excelling as their writing and critical thinking competencies and attitudes toward school improve.
To see some of the work that Project Stretch teachers have done with their students, visit the Sample Work section.
Professional Development
Ongoing professional development provides opportunities for teachers and staff to construct and evaluate a customized curriculum with students. Project Stretch staff members interact with the teachers and students on a regular basis through weekly meetings, classroom observations, and online communication.
Through online interactions in the Stretchmoodle and ongoing face-to-face sessions with the Project Stretch staff, teachers reflect on and analyze their educational practices and clarify their ideas and goals. This process is an important step for teachers in maintaining control over their own professional growth.
At Project Stretch workshops and teacher meetings, teachers develop necessary educational competencies. Teachers from schools throughout NYC become part of a community of educators who share, discuss and transform the integration of technology and education.
Initial Training and Follow-up Training Sessions
The initial training takes place at the beginning of each semester. Teachers, coordinators, and staff from all participating sites meet at the Graduate Center to gain familiarity with Project Stretch's educational framework and the Stretchmoodle on line learning environment and its tools. This training is conducted for about one week, for approximately four hours per day.
During the following weeks, Stretch staff members meet with teachers individually at their schools to begin customizing curriculum and planning activities for students. The curriculum and activities are based upon the teachers' existing practices and classroom content, therefore meeting the standards and requirements of their schools and the Department of Education. At the end of the initial training, teachers have a better understanding of how to begin working with their own students in the Stretchmoodle.
Several times throughout the school year, Project Stretch invites teachers back to the Graduate Center to meet as a group. These meetings serve various purposes such as developing communication between and among the teachers, and further exploring the educational framework and strategies of Stretch.
On-Site Sessions
Throughout the year, on a weekly basis, Project Stretch Staff have follow up sessions with the teacher and students. During these sessions, the staff participates in the classroom activities and spends time meeting with the teacher. They consist of reflection on the ongoing lessons, assessment of the students' work and progress, planning for future lessons, implementing lessons in the Stretchmoodle, and troubleshooting problems related to the use of the moodle software.
Working together with Stretch staff, their students and each other, teachers from various disciplines and grade levels form a collaborative community of educators who develop, reflect on, and share relevant on and offline teaching and learning practices.
Videos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
