Gayle Meinkes-Lumia

** New Course** 3 Credits In-Service Course (45 Hours) Summer 2026: July 6^th-July 10^th Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com Course Description: A teacher’s quality of presence and personalized encouragement foster an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere where students feel safe and empowered to be engaged and to learn. Teachers know that their presence is felt when a genuine connection exists, one that breeds confidence and respect, and allows for risk taking. Participants in this course will learn ways to develop their classroom presence and boost their students’ enthusiasm via varied engaging activities including cooperative learning, hands-on problem solving, relevant topics of discussion, meaningful student feedback, and increased learning opportunities. In the end, everyone will be able to refine their presence and focus on classroom authenticity. *A Must for K-12 Educators*

**New Course** 3 Credits In-Service Course (45 Hours) Summer 2026: July 20^th-July 24^th Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com Course Description: Many students in our classrooms experience frustration with assignments and activities; they tend to feel overwhelmed and give up, causing a myriad of outbursts or shutdowns. This course will guide participants on the ways in which to navigate students’ discouragement. Articles from neuroscientists will be utilized, a toolbelt of academic strategies will be addressed, concrete modeling, distanced self-talk, vocabulary acquisition, transformation of tasks, reducing their cognitive load, envisioning future goals, celebrating small victories, and scaffolding in order to break down complex tasks will all be discussed. The Insurmountable will become surmountable in the end! *A Must for K-12 Educators*

**New Course** 3 Credits In-Service Course (45 Hours) Summer 2026: August 3^rd-August 7^th Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com Course Description: Enabling and encouraging students to think powerfully and critically is essential. In any discipline, taking the time to process what one is taught enhances the learning experience exponentially. Participants in this course will learn how to make their students feel oriented and prepared for the day’s learning via a “stop and jot” success procedure and mindset. They will learn how to create intentional pauses in their students’ learning in order to provide the brain the time to encode and organize new knowledge, as well as enable their students to deepen their understanding and reflect upon the learning experience. Their students will be able to capture their thinking at the exact moment utilizing this process and their students will have accountability for their learning in this manner. Strategies as stop and jot using post it notes, interdisciplinary learning packets, and exploration worksheets will be provided in order to enhance the learning experience. *A Must for K-12 Educators*

**New Course** 3 Credits In-Service Course (45 Hours) Summer 2026: Aug 17th-Aug 21^st Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com Course Description: Posing the correct metacognitive questions to students is tantamount to their success. When students reach a cognitive standstill, the proper metacognitive questions can shift them from a passive place of inflexible thinking to a more active, problem-solving mindset. Participants in the class will learn to instruct their students on becoming independent problem solvers, ones who take ownership in the learning process and deepen their comprehension of challenging material. Metacognitive markers will be interwoven in the fabric of the course, analytical thinking strategies, lesson planning, self-questioning, reflection, thinking aloud strategies, as well as ways in which to infuse metacognition into every subject matter. *A Must for K-12 Educators*

PDLI9070 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Course Instructor:  Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com Course Description  From the very moment that we enter the classroom, we create a definitive image of ourselves. First impressions are everything and encapsulate who we are and what students will glean from the course. Our body language, behavior, and diction are indicative of our teaching styles and our expectations of our learners. Educators are actors, putting on five shows a day, 900 shows a year, all which produce transformative learning from students.  Delving deeply into the students’ psyche and learning styles is tantamount for both educators and students today and provides everyone with the opportunity to enhance their learning and make personal connections between their own experiences and those of the curriculum. Successfully incorporating a wealth of social emotional resources as well as delving into the science of learning is crucial and invaluable. In the end, all aspects of learning will be covered. In this course, participants will learn everything there is to know about creating a successful environment that motivates students.  They will explore various resources such as articles, interviews, readings, differentiated learning sites, lesson plans, and links to literary sites.  They will research a variety of sources and decide which ones are engaging and fit into their curriculum.  In addition, teachers will gain student centered ideas, lessons that differentiate, challenging ways to motivate students, current research on pedagogy, various interdisciplinary websites and Socratic seminars and philosophical rounds that take literacy and learning to a new level!  Applicable all Educators and staff K-12.