Getting Started:
A school must start the nine months of EIRŽ training in August or September. Training continues through April or May. Every cohort should meet for two hours once a month. Forty-five minutes is spent in a large group session, during which the onsite facilitator leads the group through the internet program. Forty-five minutes is spent in small groups (with teachers sharing videos of their own practice starting in November). For the last half-hour of the session, an EIRŽ trainer meets with the cohort via a conference call to answer questions and highlight appropriate concepts and procedures.
The EIRŽ training program costs $500 per teacher. One or more site visits by the EIRŽ trainer can be arranged at an additional cost.
In addition to the cost of the training, teachers will need to have appropriate supplemental books that fit the EIRŽ model. Approximately seven copies of 36-40 titles at the appropriate EIRŽ levels will be needed. Some schools may find that they already have books available which lend themselves to the EIRŽ model. Recommended book titles will be provided as well.
Training materials can be downloaded from the EIRŽ web site, including many pages teachers will want to use with their EIRŽ groups.
Because the EIRŽ training program comes with numerous video clips demonstrating EIRŽ procedures at the different grade levels, users MUST have a working CD-ROM drive in their computers in order to view the videos and hear the audio tracks.