In-Service Workshops

UnboundEd’s dynamic, hands-on workshops build educator capacity by focusing on timeless, cross-disciplinary instructional moves that drive effective instruction, rigor, and student empowerment.

Unlock the Power of GLEAM®: In-Service Learning Workshops for K–12 Educators

Step into a transformational professional learning workshop designed to equip K–12 teachers, coaches, and leaders with high-leverage instructional practices anchored in the Grade-Level, Engaging, Affirming, and Meaningful — GLEAM® — instruction.

These dynamic, hands-on workshops build educator capacity across grade bands — K–5 and 6–12 — by focusing on timeless, cross-disciplinary instructional moves that drive effective instruction, rigor, and student empowerment. Participants will dive into the “how” of GLEAM Instruction by exploring and applying skill-based practices.

Participants leave equipped with GLEAM-aligned strategies ready to embed in daily instruction — cultivating classrooms that are rigorous and empowering for every student.


UnboundEd’s In-Service Learning Workshops equip educators with critical skill-based practices, including:

  • Scaffolding with Purpose: Design supports that maintain cognitive demand while ensuring access for all learners
  • Discourse and Debate: Facilitate meaningful academic conversations that build knowledge, agency, and critical thinking.
  • Metacognition and Visible Thinking: Make student thinking visible and foster reflective learners who own their process.
  • Authentic Learning: Connect classroom content to real-world problems and culturally relevant contexts.
  • Asset-Based Instruction: Center student funds of knowledge, language, and lived experiences to affirm and uplift every learner.

Who should attend UnboundEd’s In-Service Workshops?

UnboundEd’s In-Service Workshops are for K–12 teachers, instructional coaches, and school or district leaders committed to delivering effective, grade-level instruction.

Each workshop is three hours total. Choose any two 3-hour workshops for a full day of professional learning. Available in-person or virtually.

assignment

GLEAM® ELA Instruction One-Day Workshops

  • GLEAMing Insight: Unpacking Complex Text with Confidence

    Feel uncertain about what “complex text” really means or how to navigate it with all  learners? This session offers practical tools and a shared language to help educators feel confident and calibrated in planning with grade-level complex text. Participants  leave with a clear understanding of text complexity and how to identify instructional implications for every student.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Define the three aspects of text complexity (qualitative, quantitative, and reader/task considerations)
    • Explain how each aspect of text complexity impacts instructional planning.
    • Practice evaluating a grade-level complex text to identify instructional implications.

    This workshop is for K–12 ELA classroom teachers and instructional coaches seeking to strengthen their understanding of text complexity.

  • Entry Points with a GLEAM Mindset: Making Complex Text Accessible

    Do you have students who aren’t quite ready to independently read complex texts? This session helps educators to identify and develop effective entry points for all students. Learn to make grade-level texts accessible.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Analyze text complexity to determine entry points for grade-level and engaging instruction.
    • Identify supports aligned for specific components of text complexity to provide entry points for students.

    This workshop is for K–12 ELA classroom teachers and instructional coaches seeking to learn more about how to create entry points into complex texts for all learners.

  • Asking Better Questions—Affirming and Meaningful Learning with Text-Dependent Questions

    Worried that text-dependent questions might frustrate your struggling readers? This session focuses on developing educators’ ability to use text-dependent questions (TDQs) to support all students in building deeper understanding of grade-level complex text. You’ll explore how to strategically create and use different TDQs to guide students through productive struggle and meaningful discussion around the text, ensuring every learner can engage effectively.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Explain the role of TDQs in supporting standards-aligned instruction.
    • Develop TDQs aligned to specific grade-level standard(s).
    • Develop TDQs that affirm student knowledge and make the context of the learning meaningful.

    This workshop is for K–12 ELA classroom teachers and instructional coaches seeking to learn more about how to develop text-dependent questions that are affirming and meaningful to students.

  • Crafting an Effective ELA Instructional Vision

    Does your school community have a clear, shared picture of what effective ELA instruction truly looks, sounds, and feels like? This session focuses on refining educators’ ability to name those essential elements. Participants will begin to draft a tailored instructional vision that directly meets the needs of your diverse learners, ensuring everyone is working toward the same impactful goals.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Define the key elements of effective ELA instruction.
    • Develop an ELA instructional vision specific to the needs of your school community.
    • Collaborate with peers to review and refine ELA instructional vision.

    This workshop is for K–12 ELA school leaders and district office staff (who are accompanied by their teachers and instructional coaches) seeking to ground teams on a clear definition of effective ELA instruction.

  • Observing for GLEAM ELA Instruction

    Do your observations truly capture the nuances of GLEAM ELA instruction? This session dives deeper into GLEAM through powerful video analysis. You’ll gain dedicated space to practice identifying exactly what GLEAM instruction looks like, sounds like, and feels like in action, while pinpointing specific areas for growth and refinement.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Review each component of GLEAM instruction.
    • Unpack standards during an Observation Pre-Meeting.
    • Practice observing for GLEAM ELA instruction using low-inference notes.
    • Use evidence to support claims about instructional decisions.

    This workshop is for K–12 ELA instructional coaches and district staff seeking to sharpen their lens for identifying GLEAM instructional practices in their context.

  • Unlocking Language: Building Strong Readers through Syntax

    Do your students struggle to truly grasp complex texts, or to express their thinking using academic language? This session dives deep into leveraging a powerful instructional protocol to amplify language and engage students in reading, writing, and speaking about grade-level texts. You’ll explore how sentence deconstruction enhances comprehension and bolsters writing development as students build critical literacy skills.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Define syntax and morphology, and explain their role in reading comprehension and language development.
    • Name how sentence deconstruction advances reading and writing.
    • Practice scaffolds that address the discrete language and structure demands of complex text.

    This workshop is for K–12 ELA teachers and instructional coaches seeking to address fluency, comprehension, and writing.

assignment

GLEAM® Math Instruction One-Day Workshops

  • Beyond Remediation: Unlocking Grade-Level Math

    Feeling like your math students are constantly playing catch-up? In this hands-on session, educators will master a systematic four-step protocol to effectively address unfinished learning, ensuring all students can access and succeed with grade-level content. Learn to identify critical prerequisite skills, assess readiness, and provide targeted support that keeps learning moving forward.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Apply the four-step Coherent Content in Context protocol when lesson planning using your curriculum.
      • Identify and prioritize prerequisite skills and knowledge essential for student success in a grade-level lesson.
      • Design formative assessments that reveal current student understanding.
      • Select curricular supports that bridge learning gaps while maintaining lesson coherence.

    This workshop is for K–12 math classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and district/school leaders seeking to strengthen lesson design practices to improve student access to grade-level content within their adopted curriculum.

  • Talk the Talk: Sparking Rich Math Conversations

    Wish your math classroom buzzed with richer, more balanced conversations? In this interactive session, educators will dive into Math Language Routines (MLRs) – powerful tools to spark student talk, deepen content understanding, and boost academic language, especially for multilingual learners. Learn how MLRs amplify student thinking and provide consistent structures for purposeful discourse, leaving you equipped to foster meaningful participation for every student.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Explain how MLRs support mathematical discourse and content understanding simultaneously.
    • Analyze their current curriculum materials and create concrete plans for integrating specific Math Language Routines into upcoming lessons, selecting appropriate routines based on the mathematical content and language demands of their tasks.
    • Practice and implement at least 2-3 of the eight MLRs through peer teaching, gaining confidence in facilitating routines that cultivate conversation, optimize output, and support sense-making in their classrooms.

    This workshop is for K–12 math classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and district/school leaders seeking to strengthen mathematical discourse for all students, especially their multilingual learners.

  • Real-World Math Tasks: Igniting Purpose in Your Lessons

    Tired of hearing, “When will I ever use this?” from your math students? In this interactive session, educators will go beyond simply tweaking tasks. You’ll master a full-cycle planning process to ensure every meaningful math task is launched with purpose, facilitated with intention, and synthesized for deeper student learning. Collaborate to adapt your current curriculum using students’ lived experiences and community contexts, leaving with a ready-to-use transformed task and a clear implementation plan.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Understand what meaningful math instruction is and how to plan for it in their classroom.
    • Analyze and evaluate existing curriculum tasks to identify opportunities for incorporating students’ backgrounds, interests, and community contexts.
    • Design and adapt at least one mathematics task that authentically connects required content standards to their students’ lived experiences and relevant community issues.

    This workshop is for K–12 math classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and district/school leaders seeking to make math instruction more relevant and meaningful by incorporating their students’ lived experiences, interests, and real community issues.

  • Cultivating Math Confidence: Building Affirming Classrooms

    Do your students ever say, “I’m not a math person?” In this interactive session, you’ll uncover how mathematical identity takes root and thrives (or falters) in the classroom. We’ll analyze real scenarios to pinpoint pivotal moments that shape students’ relationships with math, all while reflecting on your own math journey and its impact on your teaching. You’ll leave with concrete, research-backed strategies ready to foster an affirming culture, address math anxiety, and ensure every student sees themselves as a capable mathematical thinker.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Analyze classroom interactions and student behaviors to identify moments where math identity is being shaped (positively or negatively).
    • Examine and reflect on our mathematical autobiography and teaching practices to identify personal experiences that may impact students’ math identity development.
    • Explore research-based strategies for creating affirming math environments and develop specific techniques for integrating identity-affirming practices into their mathematical instruction. This includes how to address math anxiety and promote a growth mindset.

    This workshop is for K–12 math classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and district/school leaders seeking to promote a positive math identity in their students and staff.

  • Unleashing Math Thinkers: Student-Centered Classrooms with the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs)

    Session Description (for marketing materials): Do you want to move beyond procedural teaching and truly empower your math students? This professional learning experience guides educators in leveraging the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs) to foster student agency and deep mathematical thinking. You’ll explore practical strategies to adapt your curriculum, design engaging tasks, facilitate rich student discourse, and create an environment where learners own their reasoning and problem-solving processes. Leave with concrete tools and techniques to implement student-centered practices aligned with the SMPs.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Examine the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice and develop strategies for integrating them into daily instruction.
    • Create and adapt mathematical tasks from your curriculum that position students as active problem-solvers and mathematical thinkers, incorporating multiple SMPs.
    • Practice facilitation moves and questioning strategies that support student-led mathematical discussions, encourage multiple solution pathways, and help students develop mathematical arguments while maintaining focus on the SMPs.

    This workshop is for K–12 math classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and district/school leaders who want to equip educators with concrete tools and techniques for implementing student-centered practices that align with the SMPs.

  • Beyond the Algorithm: Building Mathematical Understanding Through Multiple Representations

    Are your math students relying too heavily on memorized procedures without truly understanding why? This session equips educators to use multiple mathematical representations (concrete, pictorial, symbolic, verbal, and contextual) to build deeper conceptual understanding for all learners. You’ll explore how to strategically select and connect different representations, developing the instructional moves needed to facilitate rich student discourse around representational thinking. Leave with practical tools to make abstract math ideas accessible and meaningful for every student.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Articulate a clear vision for how multiple mathematical representations support deeper conceptual understanding.
    • Analyze the mathematical content knowledge required to effectively select, sequence, and connect multiple representations within specific mathematical concepts and identify common student misconceptions that arise when moving between representations.
    • Design and rehearse instructional moves for facilitating productive mathematical discourse as students work with and move between different representations, including questioning techniques that help students make explicit connections across representational forms.

    This workshop is for K–12 math classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and district/school leaders who seek to strengthen mathematical understanding and discourse for all students by using multiple representations.

assignment

Leading for GLEAM® Instruction One-Day Workshops

  • The Calm in the Storm: Leading with Emotional Intelligence

    Build the emotional intelligence and relationship skills that create the psychological safety and trust necessary for high-quality instruction and teacher risk-taking. Addresses: SEL/belonging, mental health focus, and relationship-based instructional culture.

    • Skill: Emotional Self-Regulation
    • Tool: Specific techniques and prompts to pause, reflect, and respond (rather than react) in ways that help filter through all of the noise and maintain instructional focus

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Recognize personal emotional triggers and patterns that impact instructional discourse.
    • Apply specific pause-and-reflect techniques to maintain focus during stressful situations.
    • Respond intentionally rather than react impulsively when faced with challenging instructional decisions.
    • Create emotionally safe environments that encourage teacher risk-taking and growth.

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals, Asst. Principals, Dep. Heads, Instructional Coaches, and District Leaders.

  • Beyond Burnout: Creating Sustainable Systems for Teacher Growth & Retention

    Stop the revolving door of teacher turnover by redesigning the collaborative systems that either drain or energize your staff. Build sustainable structures that reduce teacher overwhelm while increasing meaningful professional growth, creating a workplace culture that makes teachers want to stay and excel.

    • Skill: Tightening up the Collaborative Planning Structures (Assess current collaborative planning effectiveness)
    • Tool: The Collaborative Planning Audit & Design Framework – Diagnostic tool to evaluate current planning structures for efficiency and effectiveness, then redesign collaborative systems that reduce teacher overwhelm while increasing meaningful professional interaction and support.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Identify inefficiencies causing teacher stress.
    • Redesign structures that support rather than burden teachers.

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals, Asst. Principals, Dep. Heads, Team Leaders, Curriculum Coordinators, Instructional Coaches, and District Leaders.

  • From Evaluation to Elevation: Feedback That Transforms

    Turn routine observations into powerful coaching conversations that teachers value and seek out. Master the GLEAM Instructional framework for delivering feedback that builds confidence while driving real instructional improvement, transforming your role from evaluator to growth partner.

    • Skill: Measuring What Matters for Observation/Feedback and Coaching Conversations
    • Tool: Leading for GLEAM framework – Structured framework for conducting classroom observations and delivering feedback conversations that focus on GLEAM instructional practices and structured coaching conversation protocol

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Conduct classroom observations using the GLEAM Observation and Feedback framework to identify specific instructional strengths and growth areas.
    • Deliver structured coaching conversations that build teacher confidence while driving improvement.
    • Use feedback protocols that focus on instructional practices rather than personality or compliance.
    • Create action plans with teachers that connect observations to measurable instructional goals.

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals, Assistant Principals, Instructional Coaches, Department Heads, and District Leaders.

  • Building Data-Driven Instructional Systems That Scale

    Escape the operational trap that keeps you from instructional leadership by creating systems that work without constant oversight. Learn to clarify roles, streamline processes, and protect time for classroom visits and coaching conversations that actually improve student outcomes.

    • Skill: Organizational Role Clarity and Time Management
    • Tool: Time & Role Audit to (1) map all data and operational tasks using RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) for clear role definitions, and (2) identify which tasks can be systematized, automated, or delegated to free up leader time for classroom observations and instructional coaching.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Map organizational roles using RACI methodology to eliminate confusion and duplication of effort.
    • Identify which operational tasks can be systematized, automated, or delegated to others.
    • Design time-protection strategies that prioritize classroom observations and instructional coaching

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals, Assistant Principals, District Leaders, and Operations Managers.

  • Building Capacity from Within: Scaling Impact Through Others

    Multiply your instructional impact by developing the teacher leaders already in your building. Learn to identify hidden leadership potential and systematically build the distributed expertise that scales improvement across every classroom and content area.

    • Skill: Strategic Leadership Development
    • Tool: People Audit or Leadership Readiness Matrix to identify teachers (and other staff) ready for leadership development and match them with specific leadership opportunities based on their strengths and school needs outside of the “normal” functions

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Assess teacher readiness and capacity for leadership roles using systematic evaluation criteria.
    • Match teacher strengths and ILT with specific leadership opportunities beyond traditional responsibilities.
    • Develop initial leadership assignments for identified teacher leaders.

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals and Assistant Principals.

  • The Strategic Edge: Aligning Resources with Results

    Make every decision count by aligning resources with instructional impact. Master the frameworks that help you navigate tight budgets while protecting the investments in people, time, and programs that directly improve teaching quality and student learning.

    • Skill: Strategic Resource Decision-Making
    • Tool: Instructional ROI Audit/Crosswalk to evaluate resource allocation (time, money, people) against its potential impact on teaching quality and student learning.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Evaluate all resource decisions (time, money, people) through an instructional impact lens.
    • Prioritize resource allocations that directly support teaching quality and student learning.
    • Apply our resource allocation framework to current decisions.
    • Identify key metrics for measuring instructional ROI.

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals, Assistant Principals, District Leaders, Business/Operations Managers, and Superintendents.

  • AI Literacy & Strategic Implementation

    Get ahead of the AI curve with the foundational knowledge and strategic planning skills to lead effective tech integration. Build the literacy and implementation frameworks that ensure technology enhances rather than replaces learning.

    • Skill: AI Literacy Development and Strategic AI Implementation Planning
    • Tool: Diagnostic tool to assess current AI knowledge, build foundational literacy, and evaluate organizational readiness

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Assess personal and organizational AI knowledge gaps and readiness for implementation.
    • Develop foundational AI literacy necessary for informed educational decision-making.

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals, Assistant Principals, Instructional Coaches, Department Heads, Teacher Leaders, Curriculum Coordinators, District Leaders, and Technology Integration Specialists.

  • Leading AI-Enhanced Critical Thinking: From Answer-Getting to Deep Learning

    Guide your teachers and students beyond AI shortcuts to AI that actually deepens learning. Master the prompts and coaching strategies that help educators use AI to enhance critical thinking rather than bypass it.

    • Skill: Instructional Coaching – Prompt Structures
    • Tool: Critical Thinking Prompt Audit – Framework for evaluating and coaching teachers on AI prompts that promote analysis, synthesis, and evaluation rather than simple answer-retrieval, aligned with GLEAM principles

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Evaluate AI prompts and applications for their impact on critical thinking development.
    • Coach teachers to design AI interactions that promote analysis, synthesis, and evaluation
    • Create systems for monitoring and improving AI integration in classroom instruction.

    This workshop is for K–12 Principals, Assistant Principals, Superintendents, District Leaders, Curriculum Directors, and Instructional Coaches.

assignment

Planning For GLEAM® Instruction One-Day Workshops

  • Prioritize With Purpose: Planning and Teaching What Matters Most

    Feel overwhelmed by packed lessons or unclear pacing guidance? In this session, educators learn to unpack standards, break down a lesson into clear, transferable goals, and strategically decide where to focus instructional time. Whether building lessons from scratch or using HQIM, this workshop helps participants plan with clarity and teach with impact.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Unpack standards to identify essential grade-level learning.
    • Write a clear, student-facing objective using a transferable skill frame.
    • Label and sequence lesson components as essential or assisting.
    • Reallocate time and emphasis to maximize rigor and student access.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Building or District Leaders who work on curriculum.

  • Scaffold With Intention: Make the Complex Accessible

    Struggling to support students without watering down your content? This session helps educators design and deliver tasks that maintain grade-level expectations while reducing overwhelm. Learn how to scaffold tasks based on evidence, not assumptions — so every student can access grade-level content and, most importantly, succeed.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Evaluate tasks using cognitive load theory.
    • Design scaffolds that preserve rigor and reduce cognitive overload.
    • Apply scaffolding strategies for individual lesson tasks.
    • Use planning tools to match supports to real student needs.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Building or District Leaders who work on curriculum.

  • Center the Work Around Students: Design for Voice, Choice, and Agency

    Too many lessons feel like students are just filling in the blanks. In this session, you’ll learn how to build tasks that give students an authentic role in learning through choices, relevance, and reflection. We’ll explore practical strategies for increasing student thinking, ownership, and creativity, using planning moves like discussion scaffolds, collaborative routines, and reasoning prompts. Let students do the heavy lifting in ways that feel personal and powerful.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Identify student-centered features in a task by examining grade-level expectations, reasoning demands, and opportunities for collaboration and creative thinking.
    • Revise lessons to embed student-led discussions, reflection prompts, and peer-to-peer teaching moments.
    • Balance student voice and choice with academic rigor by maintaining grade-level standards while increasing student independence.
    • Design lesson checkpoints that support student reflection and ownership through self-assessment, collaborative feedback, and opportunities to surface their thinking.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Building or District Leaders who work on curriculum.

  • Teach Who’s in Front of You: Planning With Students’ Funds of Knowledge

    You know your students bring rich lives and experiences into the classroom, but how do you use that in planning? This session helps educators connect grade-level content to students’ home, community, and heritage in ways that deepen relevance and affirm students’ lived experiences.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Define “funds of knowledge” and distinguish them from prior knowledge.
    • Identify assets from students’ lived experiences.
    • Make meaningful connections between student assets and unit objectives.
    • Adapt tasks to reflect and affirm students’ lived experiences.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Building or District Leaders who work on curriculum.

  • Make Struggle Work: Structure Lessons That Build Student Thinking

    You want your students to grow, but when the work gets hard, it can fall apart. This session helps you plan lessons that challenge students in the right ways, with the right support, so struggle becomes a driver of learning, not a roadblock.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Define productive struggle and identify where it fits in your lesson.
    • Plan “You Do, We Do, I Do” lesson arcs that promote thinking.
    • Anticipate student responses and misconceptions.
    • Design structures for peer and teacher support.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Building or District Leaders who work on curriculum.

  • Bring the Work to Life: Add Meaningful, Real-World Connections to Your Lessons

    When students ask, “Why are we learning this?” do you have a good answer? This session helps you build lessons that connect academic standards to students’ communities, questions, and real-world issues. It’s about making learning matter more without doing less.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Identify entry points for meaningful, community-connected content.
    • Adapt lesson objectives to include real-world relevance.
    • Design tasks within a lesson that engage students in authentic learning experiences.
    • Evaluate developmental fit for authentic learning experiences.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Building or District Leaders who work on curriculum.

  • Beyond the Last Box: Making Formative Assessment Matter in Your Lessons

    In this session, educators using high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) will learn how to plan with formative assessment in mind. You’ll explore how to interpret end-of-lesson data, anticipate student thinking, and adjust your next instructional moves without straying from the curriculum. The result: instruction that stays on track while responsive.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Identify the role of formative assessment within HQIM lesson structures.
    • Interpret end-of-lesson assessments to clarify learning goals and success criteria.
    • Analyze student responses to inform next-day decisions while maintaining pacing.
    • Plan daily instruction that integrates formative data into what comes next.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and leaders who work on curriculum.

  • Start Strong: Unpack the Unit, Plan With Purpose

    In this session, educators learn how to unpack their curriculum’s unit assessment, identify essential knowledge and skills, and make strategic decisions about lesson pacing and scaffolding. The result: instruction that’s focused, responsive, and aligned with what students need to succeed.

    Learning Outcomes: 

    • Analyze a unit assessment to identify key standards and success criteria.
    • Break down priority standards into transferable knowledge and skills.
    • Map lessons to essential learning goals and plan for aligned scaffolds.
    • Use the unit overview as a foundation for responsive instruction that meets student needs and builds towards mastery.

    This workshop is for K–12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, and Leaders who work on curriculum.

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