Dr. Leisa Morton-Standish

Director of Elementary Education

Dr. Leisa Morton-Standish is the Director of Elementary Education at the North American Division. She has taught  in small rural schools as well as in large urban schools. She has taught on the east and west coasts of the U.S, both in and out of the Adventist education system, and overseas. She has also spent a considerable part of her career teaching at universities, including the University of Maryland, Washington Adventist University and Macquarie University. Leisa holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, an MA in Education from California State University and a Diploma in Education from Avondale College. Leisa is committed to Christ and the ideals of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her first love is the classroom where she can share her passion for learning and her love for Jesus.

elf-Directed
Professional Development

Educators have a vast array of options available in keeping abreast of the latest trends in education and to develop professionally. Traditionally we have read the latest literature in academic and professional journals, attended face to face interactive workshops or taken classes for academic credit. However, we are now seeing an increase in self-directed professional development (PD) for educators. The Adventist Learning Community is committed to providing interactive professional development content for teachers and administrators. Their resources include self-directed, online modules, courses that can be taken for academic credit and the Simple K12 course collections on over 2,000 education related topics. Visit adventistlearningcommunity.com.

Collaborative Learning

New applications are making it easier for classroom teachers to be both innovative and interactive, and this trend is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. From interactive whiteboards to new applications that create quizzes and activities, this is an exciting time for collaborative learning in education. A selection of educational applications worth highlighting include: Kahoot, Quizlet Live, Classcraft, Plickers, Poll Everywhere, Padlet and Noisli. Easy for educators to download and install, in a matter of minutes teachers or administrators can design or use existing fun quizzes, brainstorming tools, voting platforms, assessment tools and learning activities to enhance student engagement.