Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools
Research-Practice Seminar Guidelines and Proposal Form
Description/Guidelines
1.A seminar will be created, proposed, and led by a facilitator from within the district.
2.A seminar will have no fewer than five participants, with the maximum number of participants determined by the facilitator.
3.A seminar will use an anchor text or current research with established relevance to teaching and learning, as outlined by the facilitator in the seminar proposal.
4.A seminar will feature a series of online or in-person discussions that are guided, scheduled, and structured by the facilitator.
5.Participants who complete only the discussion component of the seminar will be awarded 12 PDPs.* For PDPs, there will be no requirement to submit your notes/journal. However,please be aware that, if you are audited, you will be asked to produce your notes, according to state recertification guidelines.
6.Participants will be awarded one inservice credit and an additional 12 PDPs for completion of the following work:
•Development of a lesson plan (or comparable product) with tangible connections to the anchor text or current research.
•Solicitation of feedback on the plan/product from the facilitator and completion of changes, if appropriate.
•Implementation of the plan/product in the classroom (or comparable professional environment).
•Either: Observation of the plan/product by the facilitator or another seminar participant (as approved by the facilitator) and solicitation of feedback from the observerwithin one calendar year of the completion of the discussion component. Several options for observation forms are available in the About: Appendix: Observation Forms section of the SmartEDU program.
Or: Submission to the facilitator of a 1-2 page reflection on the plan’s/product’s strengths and weaknesseswithin one calendar year of the completion of the discussion component.
7.Participants will submit an evaluation of the seminar to the facilitator and to the Director of Curriculum & Assessment.
8.Inservice credit will be awarded when all work has been completed faithfully, documented and approved by the facilitator, and approved by the Director of Curriculum & Assessment.
9.Facilitators will receive the following compensation for their work:
•$70 for being the facilitator – upon receipt by the Director of Curriculum and Assessment of either the attendance at the meeting or the log of online participation.
•$20 will be paid to the facilitator for each participant who does the additional work to receive inservice credit. This must occur within one calendar year after the completion of the discussion component.
*All participants will register for PDPs only. This will be changed to “PDPs/Inservice Credit” for those who complete the additional requirements within the time allotted. (See #6.)
Research-Practice Seminar Proposal
Please type in the boxes provided. (The boxes will expand as needed.)
School Year:Date of Proposal:
Primary Proposer/s:
Facilitator (if other than Proposer):
Title of Proposal:
Workshop format (face-to-face, online, blended):
Participant Categories (teachers, special educators, assistants, etc.):
Grade Levels:
Proposed Dates and Times:
Maximum # participants (min. 5):
Seminar Description (one paragraph):
Title/Description of anchor text/s or current research, including relevance to teaching/learning:
What need will this research-practice seminar address?
What is the proposed impact on student learning?
In what way is collaboration structured into this workshop?
Seminar Timeline outlining discussions and sharing of lesson plans/ reflection/observation time:
Please estimate participant time expectationsHow much time?
Time for formal instruction/discussions:Please estimate time expectation for the lesson inservice work required:
How will you solicit feedback from participants?* (A variety of options are available in theAbout:Appendix:EvaluationForm section of the SmartEDUprogram.)
* The feedback will be turned in to the facilitator, who will submit it to the Director of Curriculum.
Research-Practice Seminar Guidelines/Proposal Formpage 1