Manatee County School District in-service day offers array of training

BRADENTON -- A day before Manatee County schoolchildren return to classes, their teachers, aides, principals and other district employees will participate in various training sessions.

Keynote speaker is Diane McKee, the reigning Florida teacher of the year. McKee, an English teacher at a magnet middle school in Hillsborough County, will address teachers in two sessions Jan. 4.

"We're pretty excited to have her here," said Paul Hockenbury, district coordinator of leadership development, who helped organize the event.

McKee will talk about "the growth mindset" and how teachers can implement strategies in the classroom to help all students move forward, regardless of background and academic level. Attendees will be able to ask McKee questions.

The long-running tradition is part of the teacher contract. Hockenbury said the district tries to build a range of sessions for employees. Sessions tend to focus on instructional employees, he said, but all employees can attend training.

"They can find something of interest to them," he said.

Most sessions run three hours, giving employees a chance to attend a morning and an afternoon session. Few sessions are mandated for teachers to attend, he said.

Hockenbury said the district tries to capitalize on emerging trends for training, but teachers are also able to indicate areas where they want more training, he said.

A hot training topic this year: the ins and outs of Microsoft Office, as the district switched over last year. People are still trying to figure out the best ways to use the system, he said.

"That's a big deal for us right now," he said.

Other sessions include introducing teachers to different computer or tablet-based programs or apps to incorporate into classrooms.

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is involved in leading and providing help for a few sessions.

A grant program through the Tampa Bay Lightning will help train elementary level physical education teachers in the rules and regulations of street hockey, as well as providing some equipment.

Students return for classes Tuesday.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter@MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Manatee County School District in-service day offers array of training ."