Mindfulness

In recent years, there is more and more research being uncovered about Happiness. There are ways that we, as educators can become happier people, regardless of life circumstances. There are also strategies that school professionals can use in their classrooms to increase the happiness of their students. In this course, we will learn about some of those techniques – both for ourselves and our students. These important concepts will prove not only relevant for your work with your students but also your general mindset and functioning as an educator. This course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children of all ages in all settings. This course was developed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21), special area teachers, school, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists and pathologists and occupational and physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-Service Credit only

Instructor: Lee Markowitz email: MarkowitzLIIPS@gmail.com
ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-Service Credit only

Course Description: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a research based intervention that has been proven to improve the mental health of children, adolescents and adults. Mental health is increasingly becoming a crucial component of school systems, as children who are suffering emotionally are not available to learn. Additionally, teachers who are overly stressed, anxious and unhappy will not be effective educators. It is therefore extremely important for educators, therapists, administrators, and all school employees to become better advocates of mental health and to learn some basic techniques. In this course, we will learn about some of those techniques. These important concepts will prove not only relevant for your work with your students but also your general mindset and functioning as an educator. This course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children of all ages in all settings. This course was developed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers, school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists and pathologists and occupational and physical therapists. Course Objectives Participants will learn about and research various concepts in cognitive behavioral therapy and how they can be applied to the school setting. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-Service Credit only

ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-service credit only Instructor: Tara McCarney TaraMcCarneyLIIPS@gmail.com Course Description:  The relationship between educators and parents is crucial in a student’s academic success.  It is imperative that educators form a healthy positive form of communication between a child’s home and school environment.  This not only ensures their academic success but also allows both the educator and parent to evaluate the child’s social-emotional well-being as well.  With all of the changes over the years in what the typical American family structure looks like, it is important to obtain a strong level of parental involvement and support. Educators in this course will examine styles of methods for communicating with families.  This class will help educators examine the different types of communication platforms educators can use to engage parents to achieve their support in the education process.  Suitable for all Educator or Service Provider, K - 12

Most students feel stressed at times in class, but some might be more vulnerable to stress than others. When stress builds up to severe levels for a child, they may be at risk to develop toxic stress—which can have lasting effects on their social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health. If you can recognize signs of stress in your students, you can provide them with support to help them manage it before it overwhelms them. It will cover an array of topics such as recognizing symptoms of stress, possible reasons for school related stress, stress management techniques, meditation, truancy/suspensions, trauma, and also distinguishing between good vs. bad stress. This class is created for any educator or service provider. Suggested for all Educators K-12. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) In-service Credit only  

In this course teachers will learn how to create a POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLAN for specific students as well as the classroom as a whole, ensuring success for their students. There are many ways to define or explain the concept of POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION. Some of the most common ways include: The application of behavior analysis and systems change perspectives within the context of person-centered values to the intensely social problems created by behaviors such as self-injury, aggression, property destruction, pica, defiance, and disruption A dynamic, problem-solving process involving goal identification, information gathering, hypothesis development, support plan design, implementation, and monitoring An approach that blends values about the rights of people with disabilities with a practical science about how learning and behavior change occur A comprehensive Positive Behavior Support Plan includes a range of intervention strategies that are designed to prevent the problem behavior while teaching socially appropriate alternative behaviors. The goal is an enhanced quality of life for individuals involved and their support providers in a variety of settings. In this course teachers will learn how to create a POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLAN for specific students as well as the classroom as a whole, ensuring success for their students. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only  

The mental health of students in schools is an often overlooked, yet extremely relevant issue for today’s educator. Educators are often the first to notice mental health problems and are in a unique position to make a difference when it comes to promoting and addressing student mental health concerns in and out of the classroom. Mental disorders: affect a student’s emotional well-being, affect a student’s ability to learn and may be a factor in why some students drop out of school. This course will cover: common mental health disorders, the role of educators to identify warning signs, communicating with parents and supporting students in the classroom. This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

PDLI9000 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Instructor:  Randi Miller rmillerliips@gmail.com Graduate Level Credits Course Description: Each year, approximately 2–5% of children refuse to come to school. School refusal can be observed in kindergarten students who demonstrate relatively mild separation anxiety to more severe cases where a student misses’ weeks or months of school. As a result of the social and educational consequences associated with missing school, the issue needs to examine and addressed promptly. This course will look at the factors associated with and contributing to the occurrence of school refusal. Participants will examine the short- and long-term effects of absenteeism, the signs and symptoms commonly associated with school refusal and research solutions to the problem. This course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for school administrators,  regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists and pathologists and occupational and physical therapists.

(3 credits/45 hours) Instructor: Randi Miller  rmillerliips@gmail.com Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder which significantly affects social/pragmatic language skills, social interactions, relationships as well as school performance. This course will focus on the development of SM and co-existing conditions (such as social anxiety). It will provide a review of evidence based practices for those working with students in a school setting students with SM (or those who may display) characteristics of Selective Mutism. Course objectives; After completing the coursework, participants will: Have knowledge of the diagnostic criteria and characteristics of SM and related disorders Have a foundation of information to support a student with SM in and out of the classroom. Be able to work with peers to support their classmate with SM Create/share resources for parents and colleagues This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for all school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21), special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists.

Traumatic experiences come in many forms ranging from one-time events (like the current pandemic) to experiences that are prolonged and recurring. To date, approximately 50% of the nation’s children and adolescents have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. The effects of these traumatic experiences impact how students focus, attend, learn, form relationships and behave in the classroom. Trauma informed interventions focus on building relationships, routines, choice-making and self-regulation skills. This course has been developed to provide all educators with content knowledge on the types and biology of trauma, ACES, and best practices in trauma-informed behavior and classroom management strategies. The course will provide participants with the knowledge and tools they need to create a safe, supportive learning environment for all students. A timely course given the current public health crisis and school shut down. A good opportunity to be prepared to meet the needs of staff and students when school re-opens. Course Objectives: Participants will: 1. Develop an understanding of what trauma is and the effect it has on brain development 2. Form an awareness of the role trauma can play in classroom performance and behavior 3. Become trauma aware and develop a trauma lens in which they can look at behavior in a different way 4. Examine traditional behavior and classroom management strategies and adapt them to be trauma informed and trauma focused 5. Create an action plan to address the needs of students impacted by the effects of trauma This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for all school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

PDLI9020 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Instructor:  Randi Miller rmillerliips@gmail.com Course Description: Approximately 10 percent of the school population (or 9-13 million children) struggle with and demonstrate behaviors associated with mental health problems, ASD, developmental and learning disabilities. Additionally, on the rise, are students who struggle day to day from the effects of trauma or bullying. In the classroom, children with behavioral challenges and acting out behavior, are disruptive in the classroom, fall behind academically or never master the skills they need to make adequate progress. This course has been developed to provide educators in and out of the classroom with content knowledge on principles of behavior, the functions of behavior and will provide the participants with a set of skills they can use to identify what a student is getting from his/her behavior and how to best manage and prevent ongoing incidents in/out of the classroom. Applicable all Educators and staff K-12.

Course Description: According to the most recent research on teacher effectiveness, instruction flourishes in a classroom environment that promotes a collaborative community.  This course will provide an overview on the philosophy behind creating a classroom culture that fosters positive behavior.  Participants will learn strategies for establishing classroom settings, routines, and expectations that encourage student voice, creativity, leadership, and effective teamwork.  Educators will research strategies for constructive supervision, increasing student capacity and opportunity as well as methods for reducing negative behaviors.  During this class, participants will explore technological resources to monitor and motivate student behavior.  Educators will also learn how to write and use both a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) based upon data collection.  As a result of this class, participants will learn best practices to improve student behavior and create an ideal learning environment for success! A must for all Educators K-12! 

“Rather than focusing solely on students’ academic achievement, the whole child approach to education focuses on students’ well-being beyond the classroom. It’s centered on the idea that preparing students for the future goes beyond preparation in academia.” –Edith Esperaza This course will examine the philosophy of whole child education, considering the health, safety, & social-emotional wellness of a student while they are supported & challenged within schools. Educators will learn the main components of whole child education and research effective practices in real-world examples from schools across the nation. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to research successful administrators as well as explore whole child action plans in order to turn-key information within his/her school/district. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

Educators today are under a tremendous amount of pressure to cover ground, meet deadlines and achieve goals. While academics are a crucial part of our role as educators, there is so much more that students need to learn in order to succeed. There are life skills that are equally as, if not more important than the academic material that students are required to know. Many of these skills have been researched by those in the field of positive psychology. In this course, we will learn about some of those life skills, the research behind them and how we can integrate the teaching of these skills into our classrooms, treatment sessions, and dialogues. We will be learning about the growth mindset, how to be more optimistic, the importance of gratitude, what it means to be a leader and other important concepts. This course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children of all ages in all settings. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only