Do you have teachers that need to be brought up-to-speed on the requirements of the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC)? Do your teachers have a full understanding of the High School Content Expectations and their connection to the MMC? In an attempt to assist school districts and their teachers to gain a better understanding and grasp of these new requirements, Michigan LearnPort® has designed nine new online courses.

Each course provides an overview of the new High School Content Expectations (HSCEs), identifies “challenging concepts” in each of the core content areas (English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies) and includes significant elements for teachers to incorporate into their classrooms instruction.

Michigan LearnPort offers these MMC courses on a bi-monthly basis beginning next month. Courses that will begin new online sections on December 1, 2008 are:

• Algebra 1
• Algebra 2
• Geometry
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• U.S. History & Geography
• World History & Geography, and
• English Language Arts, 9-12

Each of the courses is content specific and is for all teachers, not just online teachers. In addition to emphasizing the relevant HSCEs, these courses reveal how technology enhances content and how teachers can engage students when technology is used to help deliver course content. These online professional development courses will help teachers gain a deeper understanding of the new High School Content Expectations so that they are better equipped to assist their students.

Another course starting on December 1, 2008 is Integrating Blended Instruction into Your Classroom. Blended instruction is an instructional strategy that combines the interactive learning environment of the face-to-face classroom with the content-rich resources of the online environment. Using CareerForward ® as an example course, teachers will learn what blended instruction is about and have the opportunity to create a lesson plan based on blended instruction strategies.

Since Michigan LearnPort ® is supported by MDE Professional Development funds, there is no cost for these MMC online courses which are taught by experienced, Michigan certified teachers. Participants may earn from 2.5 to 3.5 SB-CEUs, depending on the specific course.

Interested educators who wish to enroll in one of the MMC online courses should log into Michigan LearnPort®, www.learnport.org, and search for “MMC” in the Courses Catalog. By selecting one of the courses one may get more specific information about the course content and when the course will be offered. Michigan LearnPort® is a partnership of the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Virtual University.