We can help you on every step of your journey as you learn effective, inquiry-based strategies to help students read for deeper comprehension, think critically about what they read, and share their insights in collaborative discussions, as well as in writing. Whether you are seeking training for yourself or for an entire district of educators, we can tailor professional development to meet your needs.
Consider these options as you round out planning for the rest of school year 2022–2023:
Introductory Training
We now offer several options for educators to complete our introductory course and qualify to lead Junior Great Books® in the classroom. Choose the one that best suits your needs!
NEW! Shared Inquiry Essentials On-Demand • Register
Educators can complete this all-asynchronous course whenever they have time! Delivered in short video modules, the course takes about 10 hours to complete. Participants submit required coursework and reflection, including a lesson plan and classroom reflection after conducting a story unit with their classroom.
Expert trainers deliver lively, easy-to-understand lessons in our On-Demand video modules.
Shared Inquiry Essentials Online Training • Register
The first six hours of this course are taught in three live, two-hour webinars. The remainder of the course is asynchronous and covers several key areas of the Shared Inquiry™ method.
Shared Inquiry Essentials In-Person Training
This course consists of two consecutive days, with five hours of training on each day. Participants benefit from live interaction with the Great Books trainer and with other participants. To arrange live training, contact your Great Books K–12 partnership manager!
Intermediate- and Advanced-Level Training
Depending on your interests, area of expertise, and goals for your Junior Great Books program, we have several courses to meet your needs. Each of these special courses delivers two hours of live, online instruction and costs only $95! New dates for each course are scheduled continuously.
Implementing Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry Online Training • Register
This two-hour live webinar introduces the Shared Inquiry method of reading and discussion and prepares participants to use Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry materials effectively in the classroom.
Our intermediate and advanced-level online courses are convenient, focused, and inexpensive!
The Power of Student Questions • Register
This course will help you teach students how to pose better questions, identify different kinds of questions, and focus on the questions that will best help them build their understanding of a selection. You will learn how to stimulate students’ initial curiosity about a specific text and guide them to become active partners in inquiry.
Interpretive Thinking for Grades K–1 • Register
This course will help you achieve realistic goals, such as helping very young students listen to a story, make sensible comments about it, and ask relevant questions. You will explore ways to use simple forms of drama, drawing, and writing to help students connect with a story and to begin their interpretive thinking about it. The course materials cover basic principles underlying effective Shared Inquiry strategies for younger students and include worksheets to help you plan activities for your own class.
Shared Inquiry Advanced Review • Register
Participants will review the essential elements of a Shared Inquiry discussion and the Great Books interpretive reading activities that enable students at all levels to participate successfully. Through active engagement in an instructor-led demonstration and/or video of students in discussion, teachers will solidify their understanding of their role as leader and how Shared Inquiry connects to state and district standards.
Coaching and Consultation
Our coaching gives teachers the personalized, specific feedback they need to apply what they have learned and to become highly proficient in inquiry-based teaching skills. Choose one or multiple days when our trainers will consult with your teachers to offer support where it is most needed. Our trainers can:
- Colead Shared Inquiry discussion
- Demonstrate Shared Inquiry discussion with your students
- Meet with your team of teachers who are implementing Junior Great Books to discuss your implementation
- Consult with you for any support you need
We can deliver coaching and consultation online or in-person. Just get in touch with your Great Books K–12 partnership manager to plan your customized training!