Common use of Innovative Teaching Methods Clause in Contracts

Innovative Teaching Methods. In the IDVA model, an experienced and certified teacher serves as mentor and team leader to parent team members. Our teachers are charged with overseeing content coverage and ensuring proper delivery of the instructional system. Our teachers assist both responsible adults and students with curriculum questions. They also provide instructional assistance and make suggestions about employing a variety of learning strategies. As a first priority, teachers are assigned geographically to their students and then on a space-available status. Teachers are available by phone, e-mail, and in-person visits to ensure that each child is progressing towards his or her individual goals. Teachers provide direct instruction to students through the use of the web conferencing tool, Elluminate. IDVA Teachers also conduct face-to-face instructional workshops in mathematics and writing for parents and students. Teachers may conduct a virtual class relating to a specific lesson or subject matter through the use of Elluminate. Parents (or other responsible adults) guide children through the daily lessons and help ensure that students are learning. Parents also communicate regularly with teachers and help students manage their time. Attendance logs are maintained to track the minutes and hours of student attendance to meet the school’s attendance requirements. Though our delivery of material is unique, our approach to pedagogy is not. To accommodate the diverse learning styles of children, we employ a variety of teaching strategies, including individualized direct instruction or direct instruction through Elluminate, hands-on exploration, use of manipulatives, practice exercises, and “distributed review”--a method of including previous lesson material in a current lesson for the purpose of reinforcing and reviewing the content. The IDVA program includes detailed instructional guides, clear and intuitive presentation of lessons, a comprehensive on-line help system, technical support, optional challenge problems, and secondary lessons in some subjects. By setting goals, collecting and grading assignments, giving support and advice, and drawing on their years of experience and training, teachers work to ensure student success. Through the use of ongoing lesson and unit assessments, combined with portfolios and anecdotal records, teachers are intimately familiar with each student’s progress.