EDU 526 - 7 Habits of Effective Educators
This course is designed to help educators become more effective in their personal and professional lives, thus enhancing the lives of their students. We will use Stephen R. Coveys, # 1 National Bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as the framework for the course. Concepts of study include: personal growth, interpersonal leadership, empathetic communication, creative cooperation and balanced self-renewal. There will be an emphasis on how these concepts transcend into our classrooms and provide the foundation for how we embrace teaching and learning. We will examine how our habits shape our lives and define our character. We will explore our current level of stress and how our viewpoints on our circle of influence vs. circle of control affect the outcome of each situation. We will examine how continuous learning is part of what keeps us feeling empowered in our relationships and accomplished in our work. Through highly engaging, interactive and reflective activities, this course is bound to transform the lives of each participant, while simultaneously, giving you tools to take back to your
EDU 526 - Adventure Education
Classroom teachers, physical educators, counselors, and administrators are provided with a broad based knowledge of the Adventure Education field. The “hands on” nature of the instruction provides practical experience in the content areas of classroom skills development; trust activities, group initiatives, processing and facilitation skills, safety, and low and high ropes. You will develop a confident style of imparting knowledge to your students implementing this valuable teaching method. Due to the nature of the activities, participants need to be jewelry-free and chewing gum-free throughout the course. Medical situations may preclude a participant from certain activities.
EDU 526 - Adventure Education
Classroom teachers, physical educators, counselors, and administrators are provided with a broad based knowledge of the Adventure Education field. The “hands on” nature of the instruction provides practical experience in the content areas of classroom skills development; trust activities, group initiatives, processing and facilitation skills, safety, and low and high ropes. You will develop a confident style of imparting knowledge to your students implementing this valuable teaching method. Due to the nature of the activities, participants need to be jewelry-free and chewing gum-free throughout the course. Medical situations may preclude a participant from certain activities.
EDU 526 - Advocacy: adult Support for All Students
Looking for a way to create a successful anti-bullying program in your school? Need guidance and time to do it? Need a collaborative group to drive you to success? Want to walk away with a plan ready for implementation? Then this course is for you. Come alone or bring a core group of educators from your building and get it done! This active, experiential, hands-on course is designed to teach you how to plan and implement a program for your unique building situation and culture using best practices and concepts based from Olweus research. Learn how advocacy programs create an atmosphere of success for every student by connecting them socially, emotionally and academically to a caring adult in the school. Learn how advocacy groups focus on consistency and relationship building to generate feelings of safety, respect and responsibility. Learn how to shift adult and student perspective to create a positive culture. This course is taught using the counselor, the teacher, and the administrative perspective for driving success. Whether you’re planning for an individual classroom, grade level, or school, you will leave with an action plan ready for implementation.
EDU 526 - Behavior Management
Teaching the children of today in the classrooms of today with the culture of today demands the retooling of the concept of teacher. Our task in education is a formidable one. We are asked to be teachers, sometime parents, counselors, social workers, and primary care givers. Much of what happens in a classroom must be closely managed and monitored by a caring, trustworthy educator. Balancing structure, social skills, curriculum content and behavior is essential to student success. This class will explore the positive, proactive behavior management skills needed to help all learners succeed.
EDU 526 - Bringing Learning to Life Through Children’s Literature
This course will offer an exploration of children’s and young adult literature written for students in grades K-6. Through interactive discussions and group activities, participants will leave inspired to infuse picture books and novels, both new and classic, into their lesson planning. Each of the 4 sessions will include a presentation of different literary genres paired with meaningful classroom application. Additionally, there will be an emphasis on providing participants with opportunities to find literature that will supplement their existing grade level curriculum, support cross-curricular connections and foster multicultural and character education. Participants will walk away with interactive, hands-on strategies for utilizing children’s and young adult literature to enhance instruction in all subject areas, promote reading and response to literature in the classroom and ignite a passion for life-long learning among students.
EDU 526 - Building a Classroom Community
This course is designed to address the most critical issues in schools today - climate and community. Respect for self and others have been documented by research over the past twenty-five years as being lacking in children with developmental, behavioral and learning problems. It is impossible to teach and learn successfully in an environment that is less than safe. Educators K through 12 are invited to participate in this highly experiential classroom community-building course. We will work through a developmental program designed to identify, model and practice strategies for team, group, and community building, self-respect and social skill building.
EDU 526 - Building a Classroom Community
This course is designed to address the most critical issues in schools today - climate and community. Respect for self and others have been documented by research over the past twenty-five years as being lacking in children with developmental, behavioral and learning problems. It is impossible to teach and learn successfully in an environment that is less than safe. Educators K through 12 are invited to participate in this highly experiential classroom community-building course. We will work through a developmental program designed to identify, model and practice strategies for team, group, and community building, self-respect and social skill building.
EDU 526 - Character Education: Social and Emotional Learning
This Course is designed to help teachers develop students of character using classic pieces of literature, research in social and emotional learning, and character education. Through in-depth mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual study, we will examine the pillars of character education and the great teachers of human history. We will practice and discuss the lessons the wisest of our ancestral scholars have to teach us today. We will read, experience and reflect on the writings (prose, poetry, plays) of some of the greatest hearts and minds of the past centuries. Participants will be asked to be self reflective and involved in all experiential learning.
EDU 526 - Classroom Management
This course has been developed for the classroom teacher. It combines theory and practical application. Participants will be challenged to share their gifts and talents with the class and also examine areas they feel they need to improve.
Teaching the children of today in the classrooms of today within the culture of today demands a retooling of the concept of teacher. Teaching factual information is easy. The true question is – are the students’ actively learning what is being taught? In order to bridge the gap between teaching and learning it is critical teachers possess effective classroom management strategies and techniques.
“Essential Strategies…..” explores every aspect of managing a classroom from kindergarten through grade twelve. We start with the basics and using a variety of teaching and learning strategies we allow participants to develop the necessary skills to be a more effective teacher.
EDU 526 - Closing the Achievement Gap
The course is designed to help teachers, administrators, and support staff eliminate the achievement gap. Our goal is to present a comprehensive K-12 model that ensures racial and social differences in academic achievement are eliminated. The program will focus on the academic, social and emotional learning skills that improve achievement for all students. Our primary philosophy is respect, responsibility and relationships are essential for academics to be relevant to all learners. Until we address the relevance of academics to all learners we can never be successful with academic rigor.
EDU 526 - Communication and Presentation Skills: Maximize your impact in the Classroom!
Communication is the creation of shared meaning. Many of us see it as a one-way path: I give you information; you receive it. We miss the opportunity to be interactive and engaging. As educators, we need to connect in a way that captures and retains the attention of all of our varied audiences: students, parents and colleagues. Knowledge is the first step, the next step is to translate that knowledge in a way that keeps the class/audience engaged. The focus of this four day course is to help you become an engaging and clear communicator. Through various theater based techniques, you will become adept at story telling! We will explore interpersonal communication, as well as design and delivery of formal presentations. By becoming a deliberate communicator, you will be organized, clear, and reach your audiences! communicator, you will be organized, clear, and reach your audiences!
EDU 526 - Communication and Presentation Skills: Maximize your impact in the Classroom!
Communication is the creation of shared meaning. Many of us see it as a one-way path: I give you information; you receive it. We miss the opportunity to be interactive and engaging. As educators, we need to connect in a way that captures and retains the attention of all of our varied audiences: students, parents and colleagues. Knowledge is the first step, the next step is to translate that knowledge in a way that keeps the class/audience engaged. The focus of this four day course is to help you become an engaging and clear communicator. Through various theater based techniques, you will become adept at story telling! We will explore interpersonal communication, as well as design and delivery of formal presentations. By becoming a deliberate communicator, you will be organized, clear, and reach your audiences! communicator, you will be organized, clear, and reach your audiences!
EDU - 526 - Comprehensive Intervention Programming: SAP, IST, RTI /Making it work Together
This course invites K-12 educators to experience what is possible. We will examine participants’ current programs and compare them to well established model programs. Participants’ will identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of what their school is doing to address at-risk issues and develop strategies to effect positive change.
We will focus our school-wide Prevention efforts around the concept of building a district-wide, K-12 community based on Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets (DA) model and on the Positive Behavioral Instruction and Support (PBIS) model. The Intervention level will use the DA and PBIS models to lead us toward “Strength Based Intervention” with individual students.
It isn’t too difficult to identify what is “wrong” with the student. We will look to clearly identify what is “right” with the student. We will practice effective techniques for both identifying what is “right” and develop solid action plans to address what is “wrong”.
Our course will also examine in detail the dynamics that exist within families that might contribute to the student’s behavior or performance. We will practice proven techniques to create a positive alliance with the family to help the student.
EDU 526 - Connecting Environment, Adventure and Curriculum
This course is designed to provide participants with an across the curriculum experience that connects environmental education with adventure education. The course will be highly experiential. It will explore the skills of nature study, belaying, hiking, climbing, stream study, kayaking/canoeing, rappelling, safety, trip logistics and planning. Each activity will focus on the knowledge, skills and abilities required to lead environmental education and adventure trips. Each day’s activities will connect to the four core curricular areas of Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts. Participants will integrate their experiences into an across the curriculum lesson plan for elementary, middle and/or high school aged students. There will be an additional lab fee of $100 to cover the cost of kayak and equipment rental.
EDU 526 - Costa Rica: A Multicultural, Geographic and Environmental Experience
Costa Rica is a unique Spanish/English speaking, democratic Latin American country that has gained international recognition for the preservation of their natural environment and educational system. This course is designed to be experiential for teachers and administrators levels K-12. Participants will interact and have discussions with local people learning about their language, food, culture, government, and educational system. We will explore varied ecosystems contained in mountainous areas, jungles, rivers, and Pacific coastline, as well as the flora and fauna that exists. We will study Costa Ricaʼs geography and philosophy of natural conservation. Time will be spent on development of the whole student, including trust, relationship development, and the need of physical activity for emotional, mental, and physical health. This will be accomplished experientially with guided hiking tours, a two day white water rafting trip, guided bus tours with site visitations, canopy tour one hundred feet in the trees, and horseback riding excursion. Readings will be provided, lecture and discussion time with local presenters is planned. Cost:$1500.00 plus air fare $698.55 plus $700.00 tuition includes: lodging, transportation, meals, and fees for guides, presenters, whitewater rafting trip (picture CD included), horseback riding trip, tips, and all entrance fees. Delaware County Christian School (July 14th for registration)
EDU 526 - - Crafting a Legacy: Making a Difference in Students Lives through Inspired Living
Teachers were born to make a difference. To be a difference maker requires intentional living. Teachers that will sustain, inspire, and leave a legacy in their student’s lives require detailed personal and professional action plans. Written blueprints are necessary if we are to contemplate our purpose and live our lives with integrity. Unwritten goals and dreams are simply hopes. A life blueprint is a detailed, written, fluid document that inspires action. Whether a young professional in need of guidance or a seasoned veteran poised to leave a legacy, the life blueprint is an excellent tool for personal, student, or classroom-wide use. This course will provide the theoretical basis and practical tools for fully engaged living and life blueprint construction interwoven with throughout our lives.
EDU 526 - Cultivating 21st Century Skills: Whole Brain Learning
Success in the 21st century belongs to different learners with a very different kind of mind. The 21st century calls for creators, empathizers, artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, counselors, and big-picture thinkers. This course will help you move your students from the information age, built on logical, linear, computer-like capabilities to the conceptual age which will be built on invention, empathy, and big picture capability. You will be immersed in six essential aptitudes as researched by Daniel Pink and Daniel Goleman: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Project based learning and classroom integration will be emphasized throughout the course.
EDU 505 - Differentiated Instruction Made Easy
In this experiential course you will engage in differentiated practices including choices of course product, process and content. You will subsequently translate those practices to your classroom setting. The opportunity to transform classroom practice will enhance your impact on student achievement and your sense of professional accomplishment. Strategies and tools such as contracts, menus, learning centers and compacting will be explored.
EDU 526 - Differentiated Instruction through Understanding by Design
This course provides helpful, practical, and research based techniques for creation of a stimulating, effective classroom for all students at all levels. Participants will assess their own level of implementation of differentiated instruction, and learn how to use the understanding by design framework to deliver the curriculum to all students. Knowledge of the characteristics of students who learn at different paces and levels will be explored. Participants will study a variety of curriculum options, such as those of content, process, and product and learning styles, that further assists the implementation of differentiated lessons to optimize learning for all students, including ELL, special needs and gifted students.
EDU 526 - Discipline with Dignity
Often times the most challenging piece of education is dealing with the ever changing behavioral concerns that students bring into the classroom. How do we respond to these situations with dignity and respect? This course will assist educators in the area of classroom management through an affirming approach that promotes respect for self and others. The strategies innate to this approach help students make informed choices to behave well. When they do, they become more attuned to learning and to understanding how to use what they learn to improve their lives and the lives of others – with dignity. Particular emphasis will be on practical solutions, strategies and interventions that emphasize relationship building, curriculum relevance, and academic success. We will take a hard look at how to prevent problems by helping students understand themselves and each other. We will also look at how to get them to work well together and develop responsibility for their own actions. This experiential course will challenge participants physically, socially, mentally and emotionally.
EDU 526 - Diversity Awareness in Education -
This course will help educators gain a greater awareness of the racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender and cultural diversity of their school community and beyond. Participants will be involved in insightful and interactive learning that will place a great emphasis on personal world view and the world view of others. In the end, participants will be equipped with the knowledge to create effective strategies for use in any curriculum relevant to your position.
EDU 526 - Diversity Awareness in Education - Level 1
This course will help educators gain a greater awareness of the racial, ethnic, sexual
orientation, gender and cultural diversity of their school community and beyond.
Participants will be involved in insightful and interactive learning that will place a great emphasis on personal world view and the world view of others. In the end, participants will be equipped with the knowledge to create effective strategies for use in any curriculum relevant to your position.
EDU 526 - Diversity Awareness Level 2: How To Make Positive Change
This course is designed to take the knowledge and awareness gained in "Diversity Awareness in Education : Level 1" and put it to use through action. During this course, participants will not only get a deeper understanding of diversity but also be equipped with the tools to successfully facilitate everything from advanced classroom activities to district-wide policy implementation around the topic. Course participants will also leave with the ability to overcome challenges and setbacks that may arise, plus the knowledge and skills necessary to create constructive educational and social change on a scale that can extend beyond the classroom.
EDU 526 - Effective Questioning: Applying Brain Research and Bloom’s Taxonomy (K-12)
How can we engage students and get them to ask the right questions and think about their thinking? Teachers and their students need to be more in tune with the questions they ask themselves and others. When we get students to think about their thinking, they become more active learners. This activity-based course will allow teachers to delve deeper rather than broader in the curricula and will update teachers on several methods of effective questioning, incorporate Bloom’s Taxonomy into the everyday curricula, and manage higher-level questioning with varying student abilities.
EDU526 - Enhancing Brain Development in Children
Are the brains of children different today than they were in the past? According to research and the observations of many educators, the answer is a resounding “yes”. Cognitive neuroscience is finding that today's fast-paced, stressful, multi-tasking, media-driven life is altering the way young minds develop, function, remember, and process information. This course is based on the readings of current research, books and articles and will explore how these changes affect learning, memory and may contribute to social and emotional problems. The ultimate goal of this course is to help teachers, administrators, support staff, and parents understand these changes and what they can do to enhance brain development and counteract the effects of our fast paced society.
EDU 526 - Experiential Education and Facilitation Skills
Experiential Education and Facilitation Skills Experiential education has its roots in ancient history when all students were primarily taught through the modeling and practice of important life skills. This form of learning is an active, creative, “doing” mode of acquiring skills that can and will be used long after the initial individuals role of student has concluded. In this class we will use a “laboratory for learning” format. We will follow an experiential learning cycle with emphasis on experiencing, sharing, processing, learning, and application. We will practice this format for the learning of curricular content and social skill development.
EDU 526 - Fostering Resilience and Building Assets in Our At-Risk Students
This course is designed to move our students from risk to resiliency by identifying and fostering the developmental competencies needed for students to succeed. The course hinges on the belief that resilience is not something you do, but something you are and can become. To that end, the course is designed to guide educators through a paradigm shift away from the Deficit Model toward the Strengths/Asset Model. The attributes seen in resilient students will be identified and specific strategies for fostering these traits in all students will be taught. Drawing on research from Nan Henderson, Mike Milstein, Robert Brooks, and Bonnie Benard , we will generate specific and tangible ways to foster resilience in our students by identifying and strengthening their islands of competence, guiding them through rewriting negative scripts, employing real-time resilience strategies, evaluating iceberg beliefs, and identifying the intelligences needed to achieve high-level resiliency. Further, educators who take the course will immerse themselves in the research regarding the most effective ways to develop the resilient mindset, foster resilience in students, educators, and schools, the difference between constructed and discovered personalities, the necessity of sustaining biphasic traits, the role empathy plays in high-level resiliency, and the central tenets of positive psychology. Ultimately, educators will emerge with a wealth of current and applicable resiliency-building and sustaining activities that will foster a culture of resilience in their classrooms and schools.
EDU 526 - Gifted Education: Strategies for successful 21st Century Learners
This course is designed to challenge educators to consider essential knowledge, practices and skills for the 21st Century learner. Through modeling the participants will learn practical strategies to implement in the classroom. There will be particular emphasis on the gifted learner. We will explore critical thinking, life and career skills and their integration into the classroom.
Participants are asked to bring a laptop if possible as they will experience online research. Synergistic learning, habits of mind, strategies to imbed critical thinking and 21st century skills in the classroom will also be explored.
This class is for regular education teachers who have gifted children in the classroom. The class will also benefit special education and gifted education teachers and anyone who seeks to bring out the giftedness of all learners.
EDU 526 - Helping To Guide Students Through Loss and Life Transitions
This course is designed to help teachers and school counselors understand and support students who are dealing with loss or significant changes in their lives. We will explore the common experience of these students, and how our response as school professionals can help or hinder as they adjust to a new life. Understanding the needs of grieving students and the impact of loss on their academic, emotional, social and behavioral functioning allows us to respond in ways that can significantly help in their healing process.
EDU 526 - Human Spark! Intergenerational Wisdom in Today’s Classroom
As teachers we are called to satisfy the powerful human drive to learn. We motivate children to discover, create, communicate and inspire. In this course we will explore and discuss the process of education through the centuries. We will investigate the unique challenges and opportunities for 20th century teachers in the 21st century classroom. Teaching and learning has evolved over many lifetimes. We will review how methodology and technology has changed; from stone tablets to computers, from papyrus to pixels, from cave paintings to computer animation. We will explore teaching styles, tools, techniques and themes through history. We will identify “best practices” common to master teachers from Buddha, to Jesus, to Aristotle, to Piaget, to you.
EDU 526 - Igniting the Spirit: A School-wide Behavior Management Program Incorporating
Today, most teachers spend enormous amounts of their teaching day disciplining, redirecting, and refereeing students. Is there a way to help teachers refocus their energy to create a safer and healthier school environment for learning? Igniting the Spirit is the answer. This school-wide accountability program empowers educators to concentrate on teaching rather than on disciplining. In this program, educators will learn a creative, simple, and timesaving framework that combines character education with a code of conduct for the school community. Participants will develop their own unique school spirit program incorporating effective tools, techniques, and resources. This spirit program will give educators the support they need to foster a healthy social and emotional environment for all students.
EDU 526 - - Inclusion
This course will prepare participants to balance the ever-increasing responsibilities of educators with the continually changing, diverse learning population. Particular emphasis will be placed on inclusion of various special needs students, including students with physical, emotional, mental and social differences. This will be a highly experiential course so come prepared to be physically, socially, mentally and emotionally challenged each meeting.
EDU 526 - Increasing Student Engagement: “The Heart and Soul of a Successful Classroom”
This course is designed to have participants experience and develop strategies for
improving student engagement in their classrooms. Particular emphasis will be
placed on activities and strategies for developing, maintaining and increasing student engagement and ultimately student achievement. We will examine and adopt a set of total participation techniques and movement activities for the classroom. We will share our individual expertise, explore current research and draw upon our collective experiences and talents to build a collection of strategies that will ensure increased student engagement in your classroom. You will leave this class with a repertoire of strategies that can be used in your classroom at 7:30 AM on Monday morning.
EDU 526 - Life Skills: Respect, Responsibility and Relationships - Integrating Academic and Social Emotional Learning K-12
Course costs $700.00 for Neumann Credit and $250.00 for Conference costs (Room and Meals)
For our children to be successful in school and life, they must have committed teachers and high quality instruction in curriculum content. Current research shows that social emotional factors have a significant impact on academic performance. Social emotional learning is the process of integrating fundamental social emotional competencies essential to success in school, work and life. These skills include: recognizing and managing emotions, developing care and concerns for others, building positive relationships, making responsible decisions and handling the demands of a stressful and complex society. The social emotional skills are both preventative and interventative in the areas of bullying, peer pressure, disrespectful behaviors, risk taking issues of sex, alcohol, and drugs. Current research shows satisfying the social and emotional needs of students does more than prepare them to learn. It actually increases their capacity for learning. Social and emotional learning has been shown to increase mastery of subject materials, motivation to learn, commitment to school and time devoted schoolwork. It also improves attendance, graduation rates and prospects for constructive employment while at the same time reducing suspensions, expulsions and grade retention (Hawkins et al., 1999; Malecki &Elliott, 2002)
EDU 526 - Making Diversity Work: Through Critical Thinking and Healthy Dialogue
The fear of conflict and an inability to initiate healthy dialogue are frequently the reason
why diversity initiatives fail in schools. This course is designed to introduce educators to
the concepts of initiating healthy dialogue, utilizing conflict resolution strategies, and
enhancing critical thinking skills in students as they directly relate to the broad topic of
diversity. Subsequently, participants will complete this course confidently equipped with
skills and strategies to make the classroom and their personal lives an environment eager
for peaceful and productive outcomes.
Our culture has changed a great deal in the last twenty years. Part of this change includes
the reduction of unstructured playtime in the lives of youths in America. In 1981 a child’s
day included 41% of unstructured playtime. In 2001 this statistic dropped to 17% of a
child’s day. The significance of this data is that unstructured playtime is the primary way
that a child learns how to peacefully resolve conflicts and to accept differences in others.
As a result, the need for educators to model healthy conflict resolution skills and to have
an awareness of diversity is of the utmost importance. This course can provide strategies
for educators to enhance their skills for initiating healthy dialogue and to resolve conflicts
relating to diversity without invasive methods for minimizing classroom instruction.
EDU 526 - Making Schools Safe For The Invisible Minority (GLBT Youth)
As educators, we are honored and obligated to meet the needs of all students. Research shows students who are gay, lesbian or perceived to be gay or lesbian experience a greater risk of suicide, substance abuse, dropping out of school and are often targets of violence and bullying. This course is designed to help teachers understand the backgrounds and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students and staff. We will also develop strategies that insure a safe and productive environment for all students.
EDU 526 - Multiple Intelligences: Real Genius at Play
This course is designed to have participants experience the multiple intelligences as researched by Gardener, Armstrong and Buzan. Particular emphasis will be placed on activities, experiential learning and strategies for developing logic, linguistics, music, spatial, kinesthetic, natural, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence. The course will include assessments, resources and challenging growth opportunities. We will celebrate intelligence strengths and provide interventions in areas of weakness. We will also explore the human characteristics of genius and draw from ten historical figures as role models for our class discussions.
EDU 526 - Personality Styles at Work: The Impact on Students and Teachers
In this high-energy course, we will focus our exploration on the personalities that surround us every day. Personalities influence everything we think, believe and do. Have you ever stopped to think about “who” is in your world? Think about your students, your colleagues, and even your friends and family, do you ever wonder why they do what they do? In this course, we will look at the personality styles that are at work in our lives. By examining and understanding these predispositions, we will learn to appreciate each others’ differences without judgment. Some of our biggest needs in life are to be loved, accepted and understood. All people think and behave differently, and there is a reason for it. Understanding these fundamental differences will undoubtedly transform your relationships whether at school or at home and everywhere in between. The infusion of this information in your professional and personal lives will create a greater sense of peace and joy in your lives.
EDU 526 - Rights and Responsibilities for Students and Schools
The rights and responsibilities of students and schools speak directly to the civic
mission of a school as well as to the concept of compulsory education. This course takes a highly interactive approach to better understanding the issues related to creating a school climate that is inclusive and safe for everyone. Major topics examined include concepts of fundamental rights, searches and seizures, bullying prevention, and diversity.
EDU 526 - Strategies for Gifted and Struggling Learners
This course is designed to challenge educators to consider essential knowledge, practices and skills for the wide range of student abilities in today’s classrooms. Through modeling and hands on activities, the participants will learn practical strategies to implement in the classroom. There will be particular emphasis on the gifted learner, often overlooked as teachers attempt to meet the needs of struggling learners. We will explore critical thinking, habits of mind and additional strategies to help challenge all learners. This class is for all K-12 educators who wish to bring out the giftedness for all learners.
EDU 526 - Stress Management: Specific Solutions for Educators
Stress Management: Specific Solutions for Educators The course is designed to help teachers, administrators, and support staff assess their stress levels, identify primary causes of excess stress in both their professional and personal lives, and learn specific, realistic stress reduction strategies. Participants will learn how and why stress levels, burnout, and job dissatisfaction are disproportionately high in the educational field. Educators will explore the most appropriate and necessary choices facing anyone in high stress occupations: change your skills, change your position, change your attitude, or change jobs. Participants will learn and practice relaxation and visualization techniques, safe and simple exercise options. and other strategies that are under their control.
EDU 526 - The First Amendment in Schools.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution includes some of the most
important fundamental rights guaranteed to citizens and residents of this country. These
topics can also prove highly divisive within our society. Teachers and even school
administrators too often have limited understanding of these rights and corresponding
responsibilities. This course works with educators to better understand basic principles of
the First Amendment, critical Supreme Court and federal court cases, and ways in which
they can create a classroom and school community that honors and celebrate s the First
Amendment.
EDU 526 - The Reality of Bullying and Hazing in Schools: Awareness and Intervention Strategies
While bullies continue to plague K-12 campuses, the hazing rampant among sports teams, clubs, and student organizations remains an underappreciated issue. The Reality of Bullying and Hazing in Schools analyzes the dynamic relationships between victim, bystander, and perpetrator, along with the organic and inorganic systems that support the continuation of bullying and hazing behaviors. This course combines the latest adolescent psychological theories and science with practical intervention strategies administrators and teachers can implement immediately.
EDU 526 - Transformational Education: Effectiveness to Greatness
Education continues to face significant change. The challenges and complexity we face in education ranges from high tech to high touch (relationship) responsibilities. We seek to make our classrooms and curriculum relevant and effective. Being effective is no longer optional it is mandatory. The needs to thrive, innovate, excel, and lead call for greatness. We must transform education and tap into new dimensions of human genius and motivation. In this inspiring course you will be given the tools to explore your voice, your creativity, new mindsets, new skills, and new habits. You will find your voice and inspire your students to find theirs.
EDU 526 - Understanding and Intervening with At Risk Youth Behaviors
This course will examine in great detail the most significant at-risk behaviors involving young people today. We will explore the physical, psychological and social implications of these potentially destructive behaviors.
Topics will include current trends in the use/abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by young people today. We will look in depth at concerns around childhood and adolescent depression and suicide. We will examine grief, trauma and loss and the effect on learning.
Another area of concern for educators today is violence and bullying. It is critical we understand the causes, markers and strategies that work to mitigate this pressing issue. Self-injury and eating disorders also affect some young people today. We will explore the signs and symptoms and what educators can and can’t do.
Intervention efforts with each area of concern and with each individual student will be based on Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets (DA) model and on the Positive Behavioral Instruction and Support (PBIS) model, which we will label and understand as “Strength Based Intervention”.
Each topic will be addressed through large group instruction, large and small group discussion, video clips and personal reflection. Plans will be developed by participants so they may be better prepared to identify and address at-risk behaviors they suspect in their students. We will stress the fact that educators are not treatment providers but by having a working knowledge of at-risk behaviors they are better prepared to identify and refer to the proper resources.
EDU 526 - Understanding and Teaching Children Affected by Poverty
This course is designed so that educators can better understand children coming from poverty. Poverty will be discussed from a variety of viewpoints; including: financial, emotional, mental, spiritual and physical. We will examine the critical role that support systems, resources, relationships and role models play as interviewing factors. We will explore the hidden rules and habits of poverty situations. Some key beliefs of this course are: poverty is relative, poverty occurs in all races, economic class is a continuous line not a clear cut distinction, there is a difference between generational and situation poverty. Participants will experience research-based strategies to assist children affected by poverty.
EDU 526 - Weaving Social Emotional Learning into Reading/Writing Across the Curriculum: Making the Implicit Explicit
This course is designed to guide teachers in shifting from implicit conversations about character to explicit strategies for weaving the Six Pillars of Character into Language Arts activities across the curriculum. Teachers will create lessons that challenge students to examine a text and character in authentic ways and ultimately transfer that learning tangibly beyond the classroom community. Using the Backward Design Model, the course will guide teachers in creating lessons that explicitly teach Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Justice and Fairness, Caring, and Civic Virtue and Citizenship through the Language Arts Curriculum.
The course defines “text” as anything that can be read and “reading” as the act of making sense of something or gaining an understanding from it. With these definitions teachers will recognize that virtually anything can be viewed as text for teaching character. Teachers in this class will become proficient in learning how to use a wide variety of texts (novels, plays, short stories, poems, quotations, lyrics, advertisements, paintings, film, television, any text in their content area, etc) as a vehicle for fostering character education in their students.
EDU 526 - Wellness: K-12 Practices, Research and Strategies
There is a growing body of research noting correlation between academic success and the emotional/physical health of students. Given the growing importance of attending to the whole child, this course has been developed to increase K-12 educators’ knowledge of health and wellness practices and research. The course will ask participants to assess their own beliefs and practices in health and wellness and will encourage a self-change model. The course is based on two theoretical structures: one being that wellness is composed of physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual health. The second structure is Erickson’s stages of development and their usage in directing our choices for growth throughout our lives.
EDU 526 - Wellness: K-12 Practices, Research and Strategies
There is a growing body of research noting correlation between academic success and the emotional/physical health of students. Given the growing importance of attending to the whole child, this course has been developed to increase K-12 educators’ knowledge of health and wellness practices and research. The course will ask participants to assess their own beliefs and practices in health and wellness and will encourage a self-change model. The course is based on two theoretical structures: one being that wellness is composed of physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual health. The second structure is Erickson’s stages of development and their usage in directing our choices for growth throughout our lives.
