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*New Course Spring 2025 Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com In-Service Class – 3 Credits – 45 Hours Course Description: Understanding the ways in which students’ learning is maximized is key to education today. Having an awareness of the various learning styles facilitates student/teacher interaction, effective accommodations, and analysis of individuals’ critical thinking skills. This course will focus on the work of American psychologist, Howard Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences and the ways in which his profound analysis ties directly into 21st century learning. Teachers will leave with a knowledge of the eight different intelligences and the intertwining of creative components of each. Innovative components of the intelligences will be learned as well as how to tie them into all disciplines and age groups. *A must for all K-12 Educators*

*New Course Summer 2025

Instructor:  Kim Kittredge  kkittredgeliips@gmail.com

3 Credits In Service Course (45 Hours)

Cousre Description:

Being a mentor and mentoring are both important roles for an educator.  This course will delve into what it is like to be mentor to another teacher.  We will go through the strategies and skills that should be shared from a seasoned teacher to a newer teacher.  We will also discuss how when you a mentor a student in class he help them to become the best version of themselves.  Mentors in all roles are here to guide and provide.  Educators will leave this course with a better sense of how to work with teachers and students to be the perfect mentor for today. This course is a must for educators K-12.

Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com Short texts are everywhere, and so are the readers who love them. Many short texts serve as opportunities to learn valuable skills and connect deeply with students. Short text can be found in a myriad of contexts such as tweets, chat messages, search queries, product descriptions, or online reviews. Within this course, teachers will learn how to select, plan with, and use short texts as mentors that instruct valuable skills and strategies, increase reading volume and inspire opportunities for writing across content areas. Links to ideas and concepts as well as interdisciplinary modules will be provided. Teachers will emerge with a toolkit for reshaping shared reading that can be put into immediate usage in the classroom. A must for K-12 classrooms!!

Course #L939 Course Description: This course will implement strategies for a mindful classroom. Teachers will discuss encouraging students to be mindful while being aware of how mindfulness helps us cope in the classroom. A 1-credit course for educators of all subjects and grade levels K-12. **not eligible for any discounts

Course # PDLI9100 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Instructor: Kim Kittredge kkittredgeliips@gmail.com Course Description: This course will discover the benefits of teaching proper mindsets to students and educators.  We will also work on teacher mindsets and how balanced teaching will help with the balanced classroom.  Educators will discover how de-stressing helps in the success of learning.  Teachers will discuss fixed vs. growth mindsets, assessments and communication strategies for all.

 It is the goal of every educator to best meet the needs of all students. In specific instances, it can be more difficult to achieve success with an at-risk student. This course will look closely at ways to help all learners grow and achieve. Course participants will learn about ways to work effectively with students who may need extra support or who are in need of alternative strategies to succeed in an academic setting. This course is suitable for all educators, K-12. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

Under the new Common Core rigors, student assessment can be a tenuous task. Providing students with accurate feedback and substantial strategies for learning is tantamount to growth. Addressing students’ learning and performance as well as clarifying expectations is synonymous with excellence. In this course, teachers will learn to utilize tools of the trade in order to elevate students’ self-esteem, improve their writing, assess their individual and group assignments. Various modalities of learning and assessments will be covered for all disciplines. Proper practices will be addressed in order to raise the bar of student growth. In the end, teachers and students alike will develop successful instructional strategies that move beyond the basic rubric. A must for all educators!!!! ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-Service Credit only

*New Course Summer 2025

Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com

Course Credits – 3 Credits/45 Hours

Course Description:

The goals of a multicultural education include celebrating all cultures and challenging all forms of discrimination. Shaping our students’ ability to recognize the beauty of other traditions is essential to their learning. This course will explore the vital aspects of diverse learning and the ways in which educators can inculcate multicultural values into their repertoire. Studies on diversity, equity, and twenty-first century pluralistic learning will be covered.

*A Must for K-12 Educators*

Kkittredgeliips@gmail.com

Ways to save the environment are all around us. So, how do we share this with our students, our classroom, our school community? This course is designed to offer educators insight into creating the most environmentally friendly spaces. Educators will be offered strategies for their classrooms and lessons for their students to help them be more environmentally conscious. Teachers will be able to make healthier choices for their students, their classrooms, and school community which will help them and our planet. This course will analyze the effect of the daily choices we make, technological advances, gardening energy consumption, global warming and the effect of pollution and agriculture. Students will examine these choices and their effects on our worldwide ecosystem. Additionally, students will be asked to examine their own behaviors and actions and find a way to make better choices for themselves, their school community and their world.

This course is a must for all educators of all grades K-12.

(Online, In-Service, 3 credits) Instructor: Danielle Sukoff daniellesukoff@gmail.com Course Description This course explores Real-time insights into student understanding through interactive lessons, interactive videos, gamification, and activities — all in a single platform. Participants completing this course will:

•    Receive materials, readings and research relevant to nearpod
•    Learn how to develop nearpods
•  Learn how to utilize the Nearpod library
• Gather practical tips to try in your classroom right away

Course #PDLI 9170 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Instructor: Kim Kittredge kkittredgeliips@gmail.com Course Description: A self-directed learner is someone who takes initiative and responsibility for their own learning process by identifying their needs, setting goals, and finding resources to achieve them. This includes managing their own time, monitoring their progress, adjusting their strategies as needed, and evaluating their own learning outcomes. As educators, to help our students become self-directed learners, we must guide them in setting their own goals, provide opportunities for them to take ownership of their learning, and teach them metacognitive skills like self-reflection and monitoring progress. This course will provide educators with crucial ways to build a classroom culture that encourages autonomy, provides regular and constructive feedback, and connects learning to personal interests. In this course participants will learn specific strategies and techniques to build their students to becoming self-directed in the next generation.

“It is the interaction, the transaction, between the reader and the text that not only creates meaning, but creates the reason to read.” – Notice and Note. Completely absorbing oneself in a text with deep engagement and insight is the ultimate goal that we have for our students. Being able to independently ponder the text with rigor and analysis is critical for students in classrooms today. In this course, you will learn the strategies that enable your students to encapsulate the goals of meaning constructor, discourse developer, expounder of assumptions, assembler of higher learning skills. You will be provided with anchor charts and graphic organizers that place your students at the forefront of the learning experience. They will learn to deeply ponder a text, to pause and reflect, to connect with both fiction and non-fiction texts; thus achieving an overall captivating experience. Participants will be introduced to the concept of extreme close reading via the technique of “Notice and Note”. They will be able to incorporate aspects of this highly effective technique into their classrooms. Regardless of discipline or grade level, their students will benefit from the rigor and insight into texts that this program offers. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

Course Description: This course is designed to equip educators with the tools they will need to effectively manage a successful classroom. Teachers will examine up to date, research-based concepts and strategies for orchestrating a learning-based classroom community. Educators will share lessons and experiences, procedures that work, and examine effective steps for managing a successful group of learners. The classroom climate, physical environment, rules and procedures, teaching flow, and positive and negative behavior responses will all be explored. This course is a must for educators grades K-12.

This course equips educators with practical strategies to build and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with parents and families. Participants will explore effective communication techniques, strategies for fostering trust, and ways to engage families as active partners in their children’s education. Through role-playing, case studies, and real-world examples, teachers will learn how to navigate challenging conversations, celebrate student achievements with families, and create an inclusive environment where parents feel valued and informed. By the end of the course, educators will be ready to cultivate stronger partnerships that support student success both inside and outside the classroom.

In a world where conflict is usually equated with violence, and therefore, fear is a common reaction, it is essential to underscore the opportunities presented by conflict. When violence emerges as a predominant aspect of conflict, these opportunities are lost. Conflicts emerge constantly from our perceptions of the commonplace events of everyday life, and demonstrate what each individual considers to be important and relevant to them. Thus, the elements for the peaceful settlement of a conflict are to be found in the conflict itself. In this course, teachers will learn how to more effectively express and mange the value differences, tensions, and misunderstandings associated with conflict. At the same time, they will be able to teach their students how to acknowledge one another, and build understanding based on the real needs of those involved in the dispute. Teachers will be guided on how to effectively establish a conflict resolution and peer- mediation program in their classroom as well as in their schools. All of the necessary skill training, practice, and resources will be provided. Suitable all educators K – 12. COURSE OBJECTIVES AND STANDARDS 1. To help students define conflict and its connotations; identifies common societal messages about conflict; reviews the major kinds of conflicts we encounter. Standard 2: A Safe and Healthy Environment Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment 2. To explore three basic approached to conflict, the effectiveness of each, and how they interact with each other. Standard 2: A Safe and Healthy Environment Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment 3. To build skills to understand and manage anger and other strong emotions more effectively, exploring the important role emotions play in conflict. Standard 2: A Safe and Healthy Environment Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment 4. To describe the communication process and the factors that influences it, and focus on the role of cultural differences in the communication process. Standard 2: A Safe and Healthy Environment Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment 5. To help students put together effective listening and speaking skills for better interpersonal understanding; providing practice in a collaborative problem solving process. Standard 2: A Safe and Healthy Environment Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment On-Line 3 Credits [45 hours] In-Service Credit only

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, offering an exciting blend of strategy, movement and social connection. This course introduces the fundamentals of pickleball while exploring how it can be used to foster student engagement, physical activity, and a sense of community. Designed for teachers of all levels, this course provides step by step instruction, engaging videos, hands-on activities, and written reflections to help participants understand and implement pickleball in educational settings.

  Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com In-Service Course – 3 Credits – 45 Hours Course Description: The burden of responsibility for student success should ideally rest squarely on the shoulders of the student. Providing the means for our learners to solve open-ended real-world problems is crucial. This course will explore the ways in which our learners can become self-directed - solving and developing answers to critical problems in society. Participants will explore lessons of PBL, divergent thinking, riddle solving, comprehensive studies development, and be able to purposively solve world issues. *A must for all K-12 educators*

April is National Poetry month, but this genre is beneficial to study and teach all year long! According to Fountas and Pinnell, “When you immerse your students in rich, lively poetry, you introduce them to intense, concise, skillfully crafted language.” Poetry instruction helps to build fluency skills as well as creates an opportunity for students to think critically, make inferences, and draw conclusions. With regards to high stakes testing, poetry is a genre found on NYS ELA exams each year across the grade levels. Poetry is also incorporated within the Next Generation Standards and therefore it is necessary for educators to teach this genre. The first part of this course will explore the genre of poetry and the benefits for using poetry within the classroom. Participants will research the vast array of poetry forms available to use with his/her students. The course will provide resources to assist educators with poem selection and expose participants to a variety of poetry websites. The second part of this course will focus around poetry with regards to the Next Generation Standards. Participants will research the expectations of the Next Generation Standards appropriate to his/her grade level. In addition, participants will view and evaluate multimedia resources as well as actual poetry lessons appropriate to his/her grade level. Also, participants will explore poetry exemplars from the NYS Department of Education. As a culminating activity, participants will create dynamic poetry lessons aligned with the Next Generation Standards for immediate use in his/her classroom. Appropriate for all educators K-12! ONLINE  (3 Credits / 45 hours ) in-service only

(3 credits/45 hours) In service credit only Instructor: Joanie Deignan     jdeignanliips@gmail.com Summary: A positive learning environment can impact a child to succeed at many levels. Students learn better when they view the learning environment as positive and supportive. A positive environment is one in which students feel like they belong, can trust others, and feel encouraged to tackle challenges, take risks, and ask questions. This course discusses different ways to be positive and your personal experiences demonstrating positivity to students or colleagues. This course is geared towards K-12 educators and special area teachers as well.

What is Pragmatics? What is Social Communication Pragmatic Disorder? How does this affect students and students with Autism? Many students struggle with this aspect of communication. This course will review that and much more. This course will review Pragmatics and social language. Activities and strategies to help your students improve their social language skills will be provided.  This course is a must for all educators!   Topics include: What is Pragmatics? What is Social Communication Pragmatic Disorder? How does this affect students with Autism?  Non-verbal and Verbal communication, parts of a conversation, Activities for the classroom teacher and more!