Welcome to the Collaborative Teacher Network The Collaborative Teacher Network is designed to enhance middle school teachers' content area reading instruction to improve the achievement of students with disabilities.

Professional Development The Collaborative Teacher Network provides a series of professional development sessions that are designed to provide a comprehensive learning experience that encompasses research, practice, collaboration, and technology. The focus of the professional development is to enhance the content reading area instruction (math, science, social studies) that middle school students receive. This one year professional development for general and special teachers consists of sessions designed to provide hands on, interactive, supportive, and applicable discussions and strategies to enhance content area reading instruction. The sessions focus on four domains (4 sessions each) that are equally important to enhance content area reading for all middle school students including students with disabilities included in general education classrooms: Domain Topics: Word Knowledge and Vocabulary Development         Dates: September 26, October 13, October 27 Comprehension: Pre-reading Strategic Knowledge and Skills         Dates: November 21, December 8, January 12, January 30 Comprehension: Reading and Post-reading Strategic Knowledge and Skills         Dates:  February 9, February 23, March 6, March 16 Meeting Individual Needs: Assessment and Modification of Literary Resources         Dates:  April 10, April 27, May 15   Teachers need to be available to attend all the dates listed above. Tuesday sessions are scheduled from 4:30-7:00 and Saturday sessions from 10:00--12:30 (except for the first and last session which meets until 3:00). Teachers will be have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from the same school and across the city, examine their own instruction, study their students’ work, and discover strategies that can be implemented to enhance achievement. Over the duration of the project, each teacher will: Receive resource books Access online resources and videos Partner with teachers from across the city to discuss and share ideas Review their students’ work samples and assessment data to inform instruction Communicate with teachers about their instruction through e-mail and discussion boards Receive a $800 stipend and 64 CPDUs Participate in a limited number of research activities including allowing the project staff to visit their classroom twice a year   The professional development sessions begin in fall 2009, so contact us now to determine if you are eligible for the program and to reserve a place in our upcoming orientation session. Return to the prvious page. University of Illinois at Chicago