Responding to Students’ Mental Health Challenges with SEL(6-12)
This online course for teachers is specifically designed for educators in grades 6-12 who are looking to dig deeper into how these challenges impact mental health and how effective social-emotional strategies such as empathy, coping, problem solving, decision making, emotional resilience, and effective communication can make a difference. Teachers will be provided with thorough background information on each mental health challenge. The foundations of equity and equality in education will be discussed, as well as strategies for helping students who have suffered from trauma. Specific culturally-responsive social-emotional strategies will also be shared so teachers can be more effective working with students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Finally, teachers will learn how to explicitly teach self-advocacy — a skill that all students can benefit from, regardless of the challenges they face. By the end of this continuing education course, teachers will be well prepared to teach critical SEL skills that directly relate to mental health.
For more information, visit the website.
Best Practices for a Successful Classroom
| *4 courses offered to cover different grade bands
This online course for teachers covers strategies for implementing the grade level standards, while managing time so that all content is covered. Common issues are covered along with overall classroom management techniques. Teachers learn how to maximize the resources which are available to them as well as find innovative ways to gain more resources at little-to-no cost. This course also explores successful strategies for gaining students’ attention and interest, and truly engaging them in lessons. Teachers will also learn how to respond to a variety of teaching challenges, including how to effectively reach their most at-risk populations such as students with special needs and those living in poverty. Mainstreaming English language learners and techniques for differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all students is covered as well. Finally, tips for working with parents are also shared. By the end of this continuing education course, teachers will feel better prepared to successfully manage their classroom. For more information, visit the website. |
Solving Core Executive Function Challenges
This online professional development course for teachers takes a deep dive into the three core executive functions of working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition control so that they can better guide their students to sustainable learning. The course begins by examining both the metacognitive and social-emotional strands of executive function, including the important role that motivation plays in it. From there, the course takes a deep dive into the three core executive functions, where teachers examine the pivotal role that working memory plays in learning and how attention issues can diminish its impact. Next, teachers explore how flexible thinking leads to metacognition, self-regulation, and self-evaluation, all important executive function skills. Specific strategies to strengthen students’ inhibitory control are explored next, as this can improve classroom management struggles. The importance of organization is also explored, including several strategies to boost students’ time and task management skills. Last, but certainly not least, teachers explore how to support and strengthen their students’ executive functions in the content areas of mathematics, reading, and writing. By the end of this continuing education course, teachers will feel more confident in their quest to leverage best executive function practices as they guide their students to sustainable learning.
For more information, visit the website.
Self-Care Check-in: Guiding Teachers to Wellness (Grades PreK-12)
This online course for teachers is designed to help educators of all grade levels learn how to incorporate more self-care into their lives to improve their wellness. Wellness is a process of self-reflecting routines for a lifetime of continuous growth and improvement. It is critical to school culture, instruction, and students’ academic, personal, and emotional development. Throughout this course, a variety of strategies are shared to help teachers cope with sensitive issues including stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma. Additionally, teachers will be equipped with numerous strategies for organization and time management as they work to establish an acceptable work-life balance.
For more information, visit the website.
Bullying: Awareness, Prevention, and Intervention Grades 4-8
This online course for teachers is designed to help educators understand the myths, facts, research, and current events that surround the topic of bullying. Teachers will be introduced to the most common types of bullying behaviors and become familiar with the various roles involved in bullying. Predictors and contributing factors, as well as assessment and identification of bullying will also be shared. Teachers will also learn about the effects that bullying has on learning in both the short term and the long term. Strategies will be covered to help teachers effectively assess, prevent, and reduce bullying, both in the classroom and throughout the school. Teachers will understand how to properly intervene during incidents of bullying, and they will learn how to develop and implement a variety of activities which are designed to put an end to bullying in the classroom. Teachers will also learn how to integrate character education into their content lessons, as well as how to partner with parents in an effort to end bullying.
For more information, visit the website.
Anti-Bullying Strategies for Primary Grades Grades K-3
| This online course for teachers will help educators understand the myths, facts, research, and current events that surround bullying as well as the major impact bullying has on learning both in the short term and long term. Teachers will be introduced to the different types of bullying and the various roles involved including bully, victim, and bystander. Teachers will also learn the predictors and contributing factors to bullying in the primary grades. Effective strategies will be covered to help teachers assess, prevent, and reduce bullying in the classroom and school. Such strategies include creating positive relationships with students and integrating cooperative learning and character education into the curriculum. Teachers will understand how to properly intervene during incidents of bullying and learn how to create a safe learning environment for students. Importantly, teachers will also learn about their communicating and reporting responsibilities in regard to bullying events that were witnessed. Teachers will also learn how to make parents their partners in bullying prevention.
For more information, visit the website.
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Technology Tools to Amplify Learning Grades K-12
| This online course for teachers is designed to help K-12 educators increase student engagement in the classroom by utilizing popular educational technology tools. Teachers will be introduced to the basics of fifteen effective and engaging educational technology tools and learn how each of them can be used to amplify learning. The course begins with an overview of the different forms of student engagement, and how technology can increase student engagement. From there, teachers are provided with step-by-step instructions on how to use Class Dojo, Kahoot!, Quizlet, Google Forms, Seesaw, Wakelet, FigJam by Figma, Edpuzzle, Nearpod, Book Creator, Padlet, Screencastify, Buncee, Google Slides, and Headspace within an educational context to engage students and enhance learning. Teachers will also learn about app smashing, along with complete instructions, as a strategy to create an engaging learning experience for students. For those interested in building their technology toolbelt, a variety of other available apps are shared for teachers to further explore on their own.
For more information, visit the website. |
Teaching Tolerance and Respect: Preventing Bullying in High School Grades 9-12
| This online course for teachers is designed for high school educators who are looking to discover strategies and initiatives for addressing these bullying behaviors in their classrooms and schools. This course begins by digging into the different types of bullying. Teachers learn how to proactively approach a variety of bullying behaviors so that students’ important social and emotional skills are addressed and nurtured as a way of regulating and resolving a variety of intense emotions. This course specifically addresses research-based approaches to bullying prevention, including the establishment of rules and expectations, teaching recognition strategies to all involved stakeholders, and the various methods of reporting and communicating violent outbursts. At the end of the course, teachers will understand how to best help students penetrate the deep-seated code of silence so that they can transform from bystanders into important and critical upstanders. Teachers will also learn how to correctly respond to incidents of bullying so that victims are taught to refuse to partake in the continuing behavior. By doing so, students are taught how to replace aggression with compassion and kindness.
For more information, visit the website. |
Teaching Critical Social-Emotional (SEL) Skills Using Picture Books Grades PreK-3
This online course for teachers provides the perfect approach by using high-quality picture books to deal with a variety of SEL issues from separation anxiety, kindness, and tattling, to poverty and homelessness, divorce, anger management, childhood health and obesity, teasing and bullying, and others. Teachers will be provided with thorough background information on each topic as well as the implications for the classroom environment and teaching. Then, each topic shares three authentic children’s books, together with lessons for each title. The course introduces lesson plans for forty-seven picture books. An additional list of picture books is shared for every single social-emotional topic presented in the course, as well as links to additional resources, as applicable.
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Supporting Students Using a MTSS Framework Grades 6-12
This online course for teachers is designed for educators in grades 6-12 who want to learn how to use a multi-tiered system to support all their students’ academic, behavior, and social-emotional needs. Universal screening measures are examined as well as using data to guide decisions within the classroom, with a focus on identifying students at-risk for poor academic outcomes. Information on academic supports is shared including universal design for learning, culturally responsive teaching, differentiated instruction, and instilling a growth mindset in students. Specific multi-tiered strategies are introduced to help teachers support students who struggle behaviorally. Teachers will learn the importance of utilizing reinforcement techniques, extinction plans, functional behavior assessments, and behavior intervention plans. A variety of social-emotional strategies are also discussed, including social skills instruction and the impact school climate has on students’ mental health.
For more information, visit the website.