This page contains the strand information for the 2018 AVID Australia Winter Institute 2018. Here you will find descriptions of all the strands that are being offered at the Institute this year, and recommendations about the target audience for each strand. When selecting strands, it is best to take into account the needs of the site team at your school. Please note that strands need to attract a minimum number of participants to be able to run.
This is a first-year strand for educators who will be implementing AVID strategies and methodologies in grades 3–6 classrooms. Participants will practice and discuss strategies, lessons, and activities focused on WICOR and student success skills in order to facilitate students’ access to rigorous content across all content areas. In addition, training will include opportunities to provide differentiated instruction to students to help develop a culture of student success, academic achievement, and university and career awareness. Participants will also make connections with the AVID Primary Essentials of Instruction and Culture as they look at implementation both individually and as a site team.
Please note: If you are interested in implementing AVID prior to Grade 3, you can contact AVID Australia at AVID.Australia@vu.edu.au so that we can alert the Staff Developer and accommodate your learning needs.
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum: AVID Elementary Foundations
This strand is for new AVID sites and is written for first-year AVID content teachers, Elective classroom teachers, and AVID site coordinators. This strand focuses on the academic and organisational skills needed to effectively advocate for AVID students and to build the AVID schoolwide focus across a school.
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum: Focused Note-Taking CD; AVID Elective Essentials for High School; AVID Elective Essentials for Middle School
This strand is designed for all subject-area teachers, as it builds a repertoire of explicit teaching strategies so that all teachers feel more confident and have strategies to teach the literacy of their subject. Critical Reading 1 focuses on the explicit teaching of active reading strategies that help students gain a deep understanding of a variety of texts. Participants will engage in activities that demonstrate the proven effectiveness of WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) methodologies.
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum: Critical Reading: Deep Reading Strategies for Expository Texts Teacher Guide
This strand is designed for teachers of any subject-area including business, computer applications, visual and performing arts, health and physical education, and other elective classes. Participants will gain an understanding of how skills development, tertiary and work-readiness can be supported in all subject-areas. Additionally, participants will learn about AVID methodologies and WICOR strategies such as goal setting, focused note-taking, organisation, and time management. This strand will focus on incorporating these university readiness skills into all classes, from physical education to visual arts, across the secondary school curriculum.
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum: The Student Success Path Teacher Guide
This strand is designed for mathematics teachers new to AVID concepts and methodologies. This strand focuses on strategies outlined in AVID’s The Write Path I: Mathematics Teacher Guide (provided to participants), which emphasizes the use of Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading (WICOR) as tools for learning in the mathematics classroom. Participants will also explore techniques for implementing WICOR strategies in mathematics courses, including: Cornell Notes, Philosophical Chairs discussions, and effective collaborative strategies. Participants will also learn about the basics of AVID and how to support the AVID system in their respective schools. Mathematics 1 is organised to reinforce the strengths of vertical team articulation.
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum: The Write Path I: Mathematics Teacher Guide
This strand is designed for English teachers (grades 6–12) who are new to AVID concepts and methodologies. Participants will learn strategies from AVID’s The Write Path English Language Arts: Exploring Texts with Strategic Reading Teacher Guide (provided to participants). A primary focus of the strand is a critical reading process that includes the following strategies: planning for reading, pre-reading, building vocabulary, interacting with the text, and extending beyond the text. Writing, inquiry, collaboration, and organization are included as tools for developing critical reading skills across genres, from the foundational to the advanced levels. Participants will examine strategies for scaffolding students through rigorous texts in the English classroom with an emphasis on preparing students for post-secondary and work readiness.
Prerequisite: None
Curriculum: The Write Path English Language Arts: Exploring Texts with Strategic Reading Teacher Guide
