Graduate and Recertification Classes
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Achieving Rapport in the Classroom EDU501 – 3 semester hours
This course guides the participants through the techniques involved with building rapport with students that help create conditions conducive to learning. Rapport increases motivation, builds comfort levels and enhances communication as well as contributes positively to learning.
Appreciating Differences in the Classroom EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course provides theory and practical strategies how teachers and students can better communicate and learn in today’s culturally diverse classroom. Educators are offered background information and resources for increasing sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of students of different cultures and enriching their students’ curriculum by infusing it with a multicultural perspective.
Assessments for Success EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course explores how assessment of student work serves a number of different purposes including structuring, guiding and enhancing student learning, certifying student achievement and admitting students to subsequent learning opportunities. Participants will learn how evaluation of student performance is an essential part of the teaching and learning process as well as how student evaluations are important mechanisms for communicating to many stakeholders – including parents, administrators, and students themselves.
Bring Content to Life EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course explores how content can be made meaningful to students and how different teaching methods meet the different learning styles of students. This course identifies active learning strategies and creative tools available to teachers. Through reflection, readings, projects and application of strategies, participants will gain knowledge, skills and proficiency in engaging and involving students.
Communication Skills and Strategies EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course explores verbal and non-verbal communication barriers to effective communication and factors that can impact the success of accurate reception of messages. Through interactive activities, students will identify and evaluate effective responses and practice listening skills. Participants will learn about the significance of utilizing appropriate responses and understanding the value of intention. Participants will gain knowledge and skills in utilizing effective communication in the classroom.
Developing Trust-Based Relationships EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course focuses on developing a learning community that is established on teacher-student trust and student-student trust. This course will show how improving students’ relationships with teachers has important, positive and long-lasting implications for students’ academic and social development. Students who have close, positive and supportive relationships with their teachers will attain higher levels of achievement.
Dynamic Principles of Anger Management EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course explores the unhealthy expression of anger and how it disrupts instruction, creates a hostile environment and negatively impacts the relationships and emotional well-being of educators, students, and parents. Participants will learn knowledge, skills, and principles to help them become more aware and confident in managing and responding to anger, and become better equipped to teach students, colleagues, and parents effective ways to be in charge of their own anger.
Educating with Contingency Management Methods EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
Contingency management has the advantage of helping lead students toward longer-range goal accomplishment and ultimate self-management through successful attainment of a series of short-term goals. Participants will realize that positive learning reinforcement works better than punishment, especially where the management of events can capitalize on the students’ desire to be right, to enhance self-esteem, and to win approval of the instructor and their peers.
Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course provides material and exercises to help teachers involve their students in learning. This focus is a subtle shift from “teaching skills” toward “learning strategies.” Problem solving, cognitive behavior modification strategies, affective development, writing, humor, the benefits of creative perspective and practical class activities are explored. Common blocks to creative thinking are identified, (emotional, cognitive, intellectual, expressive, perceptual and cultural) and alternative approaches are included.
Guide to Individualizing Instructional Programs EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course is designed to provide teachers with the skills to increase students’ success by designing a learning environment that meets diverse needs. The course provides the participants with an understanding of the components of differentiated instruction (content, process and product). Participants learn about the varied needs of students and determine the best strategies to differentiate by learning style, language proficiency, special needs, cultural influences, and brain development.
Implementing a Classroom Discipline Plan EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course explores a theory of assertive discipline and provides participants with opportunities to reflect upon and apply a discipline plan in the classroom. Through activities, discussions and assigned readings, participants will gain knowledge in topics of classroom rules, re-directing off task behavior, positive reinforcement and consequences.
Keep Your Wits About You EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course provides opportunities to assess professional and personal temperament though the use of the Kiersey Temperament Sorter. The focus is to provide teachers with tools to recognize their personal strengths. Character strength surveys and emotional intelligence theories also provide knowledge and insight into teaching styles, problem solving with students and classroom management.
Meaningful Purpose in the Teaching Profession EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course will explore a variety of methodologies in order to help teachers define and renew their purpose as educators. Abraham Maslow’s The Farther Reaches of Human Nature and his concept, “self-actualizing people,” as well as his Hierarchy of Needs are utilized to identify personal focus. Students will be introduced to Viktor Frankl’s psychology called Logotherapy.
Mutual Respect and Cooperation in the Classroom EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course is designed to provide teachers with the skills to create classrooms where young people are treated with respect and have the opportunity to learn the skills they need for a successful life. Participants will learn strategies to help students feel empowered and learn from their mistakes in a safe environment. The focus of the class is on creating a feeling of community in the classroom in which students respect and help each other by using class meetings and other communication and problem-solving skills.
Organizing Your Classroom Space EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course explores the importance of physical space, work style and how the classroom’s structure, ambiance and organizational setup can either enhance personal energy and learning or detract from it. The participants will examine the areas of classroom environment, routines and management and the most effective ways to plan a setting that is effective, successful, and productive for students.
Perceptions, Attitudes and Learning EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course seeks to increase participants’ understanding of how positive attitudes, and perceptions increase learning proficiency. Participants will explore and identify mental blocks to creativity. Creative thinking allows the classroom teacher to search for ideas and utilize knowledge and experience that maximizes student learning.
Principles of Classroom Success EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course provides theory, techniques and exercises to help teachers involve their students in learning and maximize student involvement. This course is designed to aid teachers in identifying and utilizing the key principles of teaching and learning that help achieve success in the classroom. Participants will understand the meaning of intuition, innovation and paradigm shifts.
Resolution Skills and Strategies EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course provides materials and exercises to assist teachers with management of conflict. Topics include conflict skills, conflict strategies, empathy, assertiveness, managing emotions, win-win approaches and co-operative power. Conflict strategies that produce desired outcomes will be explored. Emphasis is on effectively integrating theory and practice.
Solutions and Consequences EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course, based on the work of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs, focuses on solutions in the classroom instead of punishment.
Theories of mutual respect, logical consequences and positive discipline are explored. Solution-oriented methods are presented as well as programs that encourage the development of emotional intelligence and life skills for students.
Stress Management for Teachers EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills needed to teach students about the detrimental effects that are associated with excessive levels of stress and tension. Participants will also learn how to manage a stress-free classroom to improve the learning experience. Stress reduction techniques will be presented which are designed to acquaint the participant with theory, and teaching skills to deal with stress from a physical, emotional, and environmental perspective.
Teaching Values Activities EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
The course discusses values classified in the affective domain that include the development of principles, interests, and attitudes. The participants will learn that values activities are particularly useful to promote personal awareness and self-esteem. These activities can help students identify and express feelings and preferences, become aware of their own values, and develop their sensitivity to and acceptance of other people’s values.
The Use of Story in the Classroom EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course explores how stories reveal universal truths about the world, and participants will learn techniques to help their students share a variety of personal experiences, values and ways of understanding. Participants will recognize that storytelling is a means of reaching out and connecting with other people, and provides a common thread that can help unite cultures and provide a bridge across the cultural gap. Teachers will acquire skills in order to incorporate storytelling into their teaching which encourages free thinking and the formation of innovative ideas.
Twelve Rules for Building Self-Confidence EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course enables participants to explore the basic principles of self-esteem and self-confidence. Participants will review definitions of self-esteem, self-confidence and twelve tips for building self-confidence. The course includes a survey of theories and philosophies by Nathaniel Brandon and Matthew McKay, providing comprehensive guides to building self-esteem. Resources and exercises to deliver a supportive and positive classroom environment are provided.
Understanding Mistaken Goals of Behavior EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course includes the topics of classroom management, motivation, building self-esteem, positive discipline strategies and social and emotional development as well as brain-based education. Participants will explore mistaken goals of undue attention, misguided power, revenge, and assumed inadequacy. Participants will learn techniques to help children find success in their day-to-day lives and overcome mistaken goals.
Unscramble the Teaching Puzzle EDU 501 – 3 semester hours
This course examines the theory of multiple intelligences and how it relates to cognitive, behavioral, and humanistic theories of learning. Participants will learn to identify students’ uniqueness and apply teaching styles to enhance student learning, enrich lesson plans and create learning experiences for all types of learners. The instructional process combines knowledge acquisition with reflective evaluation and purposeful application, and provides participants with techniques to teach through multiple intelligences.