MERIT Professional Learning
Center for Multilingual-learner Education, Research, and Innovative Teaching (MERIT)
MERIT offers a variety of professional learning opportunities for educators throughout the academic school year and summer. Our professional learning facilitators work with district partners across Georgia, across the country, and internationally to meet our shared goals of supporting the teaching and learning of multilingual learners.
Much of our work is grounded in the Instructional Conversation (IC) Pedagogy—a research-based model for collaborative, conversation-based, culturally responsive, small-group instruction—which is ideal for teachers concerned with how to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners. The IC Pedagogy focuses on developing students’ cognitive and language skills by increasing the rate and intensity of their interactions with peers and teachers. The MERIT Team’s model for implementing the IC Pedagogy, the Arch System for Collaborative, Conversation-Based Instruction , provides students with the tools and structures necessary to actively and productively collaborate and engage with the content. Learn more about IC Foundational Institutes .
We also offer a variety of additional professional learning opportunities focused on the practical application of current research regarding cognitive, linguistic, and cultural supports that positively impact the language and concept development of multilingual learners in the classroom. Learn more about our one-day workshops .
Please refer to the upcoming events section for a list of our current offerings and links to more information as well as registration.
Upcoming Events
One-Day Workshops
MERIT offers intensive one-day workshops. These include but are not limited to:
Accelerating Newcomer Academic Language Development
This interactive, 8-hour professional learning day offers educators the opportunity to explore and practice research-based principles and techniques for collaborative, conversation-based instruction to:
- Better meet the needs of newcomers
- Integrate newcomers productively into content classrooms
- Actively develop newcomers’ academic language skills
Integrating Language Goals into Content Instruction One-Day Workshop
This practical, hands-on session introduces educators to the language “functions” embedded in disciplinary content standards. The interactive session moves beyond vocabulary lists and offers educators the opportunity to identify what key language uses (e.g. inform, narrate, explain, argue) are embedded in the content standards and what associated language functions and features the standards ask students to master to demonstrate their conceptual understanding of content.
COST
Regularly scheduled one-day workshops are $250 per participant. For districts that wish to schedule their own workshop, prices vary depending on location and are subject to a minimum number of participants.
REGISTRATION
You may find out more about and register for a particular upcoming workshop by selecting from the upcoming dates or by visiting our online “store”.
Find and register for a course/event
Interested in Additional One-Day Topics? Let us know!
If you are interested in one of these professional learning opportunities but do not see a date or location that is convenient for you, or if your district is interested in exploring other professional learning topics, please email Jodi Weber . We’d love to learn with you!
IC Foundational Institutes
Are you an educator interested in learning an innovative teaching model that has been found to positively impact the achievement of all children, especially culturally and linguistically diverse learners?
Join the Center for Multilingual-Learner Education, Research, and Innovative Teaching (MERIT) for 30 hours of professional learning on the Instructional Conversation (IC) Pedagogy and its application. Teachers who use this pedagogy say they are able to cover more material in greater depth. Research has shown that MLs in classrooms using the IC Pedagogy show statistically significant academic gains on state assessments. Learn how integrating language and content goals into facilitated, conversation-based lessons can support all of your students, particularly culturally and linguistically diverse students.
The 30-hour (4-day) intensive institute is directed at in-service teachers, academic coaches, and administrators. Attending the institute provides educators with two main benefits:
- The opportunity for engaged learning and applied practice in a proven culturally-responsive pedagogy
- Inclusion in an extended professional learning community of IC educators (and school administrators), across Georgia, the U.S., and internationally, to support you as you implement the pedagogy
The main goals of the institute are to give teachers access to:
- Linguistic theories of second language acquisition
- Strategies for integrating language goals into content teaching
- Tools for encouraging collaborative conversations
- Ways to make content and language standards real and relevant for all learners while maintaining rigor
- MERIT’s online IC platform
Anyone who is directly or indirectly involved in the teaching and learning of culturally and linguistically diverse students is welcome, and we highly encourage that personnel who oversee teachers implementing this model to attend!
COST
$850 per participant
REGISTRATION
You may find out more about and register for a particular upcoming institute by selecting from the upcoming events or by visiting our online “store”.
District Follow-Up Support (Post-Institute)
Because research shows that the success of professional learning often hinges on sustained, job-embedded support, MERIT provides a wide range of follow-up professional learning services for those educators who have participated in one of our IC Foundational Institutes.
We often collaborate with districts to customize a plan for sustainability that may include:
- Learning labs
- Online webinars
- In-school staff development
- Day-long workshops
- Year-long leadership team development
Requests for follow-up professional learning services may exceed our capacity, but we regularly form relationships with new schools and districts and are eager to talk with you about that possibility!
For more information about receiving follow-up professional learning services from the MERIT team in your school or district, please email Jodi Weber .
Testimonials
What an amazing experience I had at the [IC] Institute in Athens! It was, without a doubt, the most impactful PL I have ever attended. As someone who facilitates professional learning on a regular basis, I was simply amazed by the way you created such a cohesive learning community in such a short amount of time. Just wow!
Beth McMichael, Instructional Coach, Barrow County Schools
In my experience with [the IC Team], this Summer and throughout the year, I have never been more supported in any moment of my professional career, the graduate school included … From the week this Summer to the webinars, learning labs, observations, and videos with feedback, and renewals. You guys don’t just introduce us to your powerful pedagogy and send us out into the world to use it or not. You are there for us every step of the way, celebrating our successes and cheering us on through the challenges. Thank you for that!
Shelly Salom, ESOL Teacher, Jackson County School System
I just had the privilege of attending the Integrating Collaborative, Conversation-based Instruction into your Classroom Summer [Institute]. It was by far the best professional and personal development instruction I have participated in. To put that in perspective, I’ve participated in many professional development opportunities as a teacher for 10 years, from conferences to our school’s weekly professional learning. It’s like your team has thought, “What doesn’t work for people who are learning new content, skills, and processes?” and then you removed those things from your training.
Andrea Antepenko, Teacher, Franklin County School District
Thank you, thank you, thank you–for making me a better teacher…and a better student! I love what you are doing! You are helping to change the world.
Rita Cevasco, Speech-Language Pathologist, Mason, Ohio
Our Partners
Partner Map
We have grown this professional learning initiative and have had more than 2,500 educators in 55 districts across Georgia complete the IC Foundational Institute since 2014.
Thank You to our Educational Partners
