PRIME TIME HomeRoom is New Professional Development Program

In December 2015, 57 teachers from the Greater New Orleans area gathered at the Humanities Education Center in Turner’s Hall to attend PRIME TIME HomeRoom professional development. HomeRoom is one of the newest offerings from the PRIME TIME programs, and is based on a discussion method adapted for classrooms ranging from preschool through fourth grade. The six-hour workshop, generously funded by Shell U.S., was open to those currently teaching in the Greater New Orleans area.

Turner’s Hall became a discussion incubator as teachers collaborated in small groups to prepare and practice the discussion methods. Examples of dialogues, small group work, and presentations made for an immersive experience. Participants and staff engaged in a lively interchange of ideas and experiences. Educators were awarded six hours of professional development credit and received a stipend.

One teacher with multi-age experience commented, “I found the entire training helpful. Of most note was the small group work. It offered me an opportunity to actually use training and receive help/input from other teachers.” And another teacher added, “The six non-fiction pieces and all the wonderful teaching methods, everyone was so engaged in the discussions. I learned some things I really didn’t know…”

PRIME TIME staff are energized by the feedback, and will implement workshops for Orleans, Caddo, and Lafayette parishes in the spring of 2016. For more about HomeRoom, contact Holly Bell, VP of Education, 504.620.2644.