Class Norms

This page will help you plan for your PreAL institute, as well as inform you of norms for the start, during and end of class. We have also included info related to breaks, lunch, as well as considerations for wellness.

All students, presenters and PreAL staff will be on Zoom.

Presentation Materials – use 20 point font or greater

Planning Your Content

  • Audience: Present the material from the perspective of a school leader.
  • Differentiate: Address content from multiple perspectives (i.e., elementary vs secondary, urban vs. rural, large district vs. small district).
  • Equity: Explain how issues of diversity and/or equity relate to this content.

Zoom Chat: During class, our PreAL students use a chat feature on Zoom for informal “on-topic” discussions. The Co-Director on staff, as well as our GE, Julie, will monitor the chat. You will also be able to see and/or add your comments to the chat, if you like.

Start Institute with the following:

  • Clearly specify the objectives (i.e., intended take-aways, learning outcomes) for the institute, and what students can expect over the course of your institute.
  • If you are assigning an out-of-class assignment, describe the assignment at the beginning of class.

Note about introductions: While we do not use class time for introductions (i.e., students share their name, school, district, or title), we do provide a cohort list with this info. Also, you are welcome to plan an introductory activity that helps you better understand students’ familiarity with a topic or set of topics, or one that has an instructional purpose. You can also issue a pre-class survey to students prior to class to gauge their familiarity with various topics (advance planning required).

During Class

  • Share your interest and enthusiasm for the subject matter with PreAL students. Convey to them why this topic matters in their future as a school leader.
  • Plan 2-3 application activities for every four (4) hours of instruction.
    • Keep information/content in brief segments interspersed with collaborative activities focused on authentic problems of practice and application exercises related to the topic. The collaborative activities can be completed as a class or in small groups.
  • During small groups, have someone be the reporter (the person who will share out with the rest of the class). The person in this role can change throughout the session.
  • Evaluations suggest that students prefer group work, practical applications, real world examples, scenario and mock interviews. Please use authentic data, tools, or documents whenever possible, and presentation, activities and materials should reflect current best practices.

Breaks/Lunch: Follow class norms for breaks and lunch to the greatest extent possible:

  • On Fridays (4:30-8:20pm): One [1] 15-minute break around 6:15-6:30pm.
  • On Saturdays, or weekdays during the summer (8am-3:50pm)
    • One [1] 15-minute break around 10am for the morning session
    • Lunch is typically scheduled from 11:45 am until 12:30 pm
    • One [1] 15-minute break around 2pm for the afternoon session

For reasons of well-being, especially when all students are on Zoom, please consider incorporating some opportunities for movement during your institute. We have found that some movement during a 4-hour class (after a long work day), or an 8-hour class day, helps to maintain alertness and engagement (i.e., take 1-2 minute stretch/movement breaks every hour or so, or have students stand up during a discussion or activity). 

Closure & Application:  At the end of class, provide some form of closure on the topic:

  • Key takeaways
  • Make clear how this content can be applied to the students’ practicum or leadership work.
  • If issuing an assignment, review the assignment and ask if there are any questions.
  • Consider finishing your content about 15 minutes before the scheduled end time for your institute, and then using the last 15 minutes for students to ask questions, etc.

Breakout Sessions

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