Courses

This course examines bullying and other forms of harassment and the social, emotional, and physical impact it has on P-12 students. Development of strategies and interventions that decrease bias and prejudice in school settings will be explored. The course will also refine teachers’ core beliefs related to human rights for all children by exploring bias/prejudice issues, legal perspectives, and school violence.

This course examines the potential impact of contemporary culture and the environment on the emotional development of boys. The course will facilitate student exploration of the societal factors that can lead some boys to lives of isolation, anger, shame, and helplessness.

This course examines the thought that the secret to outstanding achievement is not based on talent, but a combination of persistence and passion known as “grit.” The course will facilitate participant exploration of the caveats of labeling students gifted and talented but instead how grit can help students succeed. Participants will research such ideas through stories and writings of successful students, athletes, musicians, scientists, doctors, and other successful people who have displayed the qualities associated with grit to reach monumental success.

This course examines issues facing educators and parents raising and educating children in a fast-paced and performance-oriented culture and society which rarely allows for mistakes or failure. The course will facilitate student exploration of the societal factors that impact student achievement in a world that often overlooks the process rather than the product.

In teenagers, powerful emotions come with the territory. And with so many of today’s teens contending with academic pressure, social media stress, worries about the future, and concerns about their own mental health, it’s easy for their parents and teachers to feel anxious and overwhelmed. Course participants will research and discuss adolescent emotional development as well as develop and share strategies to support teens who feel at the mercy of their emotions.

Teachers examine and evaluate Howard Gardner’s five kinds of minds: the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, the creating mind, the respectful mind, and the ethical mind. Strategies to develop each of the five minds in order to prepare teachers and students for the opportunities and challenges they are likely to face in the future will be a focus.

This course examines the differences between a growth and fixed mindset and the connections to learning. Educators will explore strategies for creating a culture of growth within their classroom. Concepts of effective feedback, powerful failure, perseverance, and process learning will be discussed.

This course’s main theme and objective is to investigate and discuss strategies to honor each learner as a distinctive and irreplaceable student and HUMAN BEING.  Such topics discussed include building a community rather than just a classroom, cultural humility, habits of mind and developing joy in learning. Course participants will research such ideas through readings, stories and participant dialogue.

The role of pre-adolescent/adolescent females in today’s schools and society, with emphasis on the developmental transitions from elementary to middle school, and middle school to high school, will be examined. Issues relating to young females and their self-esteem, self-respect, and self-awareness is explored.

This course explores recent American educational reforms related to globalization and technology. Participants will review myths, fears and the evolution of accountability. Course participants will discuss the understanding of technology knowledge and skills needed to be successful teachers in the 21st century.

Course participants will examine the life and work of seven historical figures and how they utilized social and emotional intelligence to make a difference in their world and the lives of millions. These seven individuals exhibited such traits as empathy, listening, persuasiveness, self-expression, motivation, and self-awareness. Participants will explain educational implications from the lives and stories of these individuals as well as develop teaching strategies to enhance social and emotional intelligence with their students. This course will examine the lives and work, in the realm of social/emotional intelligence, of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Lewis, Fred Rogers, John McCain, Josse Antonio Abreu, Robert Kennedy and Malala Yousafazi (subject to change).

The Civil Rights Movement dramatically altered the nation’s culturally entrenched footholds and anchors dictating the treatment of minorities. Through stories, participants examine the lives of many people and the events that helped transition the United States from a society of exclusion to one of greater inclusion. Participants will explore how issues brought to the attention of not only Americans, but the entire world, can and will help young people point their compass in a positive direction in their own moral, emotional, and ethical development.

This course examines challenges faced by educators in today’s post pandemic and often divided world. Today more than ever student well-being is moving to the forefront of education as social and emotional learning becomes paramount. Well-being and social and emotional learning are becoming more important as post-pandemic students often struggle with anxiety, depression, lack of learning preparedness, anti-social behaviors and attention deficits. Course participants will research and discuss such learning barriers and challenges as well as develop and share strategies to meet the well-being and SEL needs of their students and children.

Challenging student behavior is one of the most significant and difficult issues educators face. This course will allow participants the opportunity to learn to utilize the ideas of love, inclusion, acceptance, creativeness, and heart in the areas of student behavior and discipline. This course will examine the paradigm shift from a punitive mindset to a strength-based, loving approach and encourages the radical act of creating more inclusive and caring schools.

This course examines issues facing educators and parents during the “Me, Me, Me Epidemic.” Topics such as entitlement, student empathy, humility, humbleness, expectations, and reasonable praise, needs of others and developing moral compasses will be researched and discussed. Course participants will discuss and develop strategies for use in their own classrooms and schools.