School/district staff and the WIDE World design team work together to define and understand district goals and culture, and to assess professional development goals. WIDE World then collaboratively designs a plan with coordinated pedagogical development pathways for teachers and administrators. The design stage includes selecting courses, creating a schedule, and organizing logistics, including the recruitment/enrollment process.

Schools/districts often elect to hold an introductory workshop for staff who participate in the professional development pathways. The kickoff with a WIDE World/HGSE consultant may be face-to-face or virtual and focuses on the following activities:

• Understanding how the plan builds on local goals and enhances teaching and learning
• Introducing the performance view of understanding
• Beginning to develop a common language about Teaching for Understanding
• Learning how to use the WIDE World course platform and how WIDE World online courses work
• Organizing learning teams that will participate in online courses
• Scheduling local check-ins

The first coach-supported online course (of two) sets the stage for the year. You will learn how to apply the elements of Teaching for Understanding in your classroom, design lessons that help your students better understand content, and aid students in becoming self- and peer-assessors. As you apply these strategies in your classroom, you receive support from your online coach and collaborate with your peers in your study group.
Individual teachers or small teams with no school/district plan start on step 3.

In the second coach-supported online course you will be able to take the lesson plans you developed in the first course, closely analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and refine them using one or more pedagogical frameworks. During this course, your coach will help you integrate the revised practices into your classroom and review the resulting student outcomes with your online colleagues.

After the second online course you will take a step back from the work of the past year and assess your progress, results, and goals. Then you will decide on your next steps: focusing on classroom practice using your new strategies, participating in the WIDE World online alumni community with colleagues, taking another WIDE World course, and/or participating in the Teacher Leader & Coach Pathway.