Course Description: This course will work with educators to help engage your students in learning.  When students tune out, teachers need to be armed with the tools to keep their classes engaged and ready to learn.  This course will share techniques and a plethora of strategies to keep your students ready to focus and learn.  A must for all educators of all levels grades K-12.

Course Description: This course will focus on how to engage parents and students as your partners in learning. Educators will work to learn the skills that will empower your students to achieve and become successful. This course is a must for all instructors of all levels K-12.

Schools experience a wide variety of crises that have the potential to harm the mental and physical health, learning environment, and safety of students and educators. A school crisis is any traumatic event that seriously disrupts coping and problem-solving abilities of students and school staff. It is typically sudden, unexpected, dramatic and forceful and may even threaten survival. A crisis can cause a drastic and tragic change to the environment. This change is generally overwhelming and uncontrollable as well as unwanted and frightening. It may create a sense of helplessness, hopelessness, and vulnerability combined with a loss of safety. This course will provide resources, tools, recommendations, and evidence-based practices for incorporating best practices in school mental health into school crisis plans. Different types of crisis will be discussed and strategies will be developed for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-service credit only

*New Course Children have an overwhelming need to be and to feel accepted not only by their peers but also, by their teachers. When students feel they are seen, understood, and respected, they typically are more motivated to work harder and take more academic risks in order to achieve. While you may already be aware of this fact, you may often ask yourself how you can build better relationships with each of your students – especially with growing class sizes! This course investigates the different ways in which you can both implicitly and explicitly communicate the care you have for your students through planning meaningful assignments for various personality types, creating support systems, changing up classroom procedures, and providing thoughtful feedback on assignments. These resources and assignments are meant to encourage you to reflect on your current units and classroom procedures to discover new perspectives and help you improve upon what you already practice (and do well!) each day. Suggested for all educators K-12! Course Objectives: 1. Participants will research how improved teacher-student rapport improves student achievement 2. Participants will consider current classroom procedures and teaching units in order to find ways to improve upon teacher-student communication 3. Participants will learn how to improve rapport with challenging students 4. Participants will learn how to communicate care for students both implicitly and explicitly 5. Participants will learn how to improve written and verbal feedback to enhance teacher-student rapport 6. Participants will gain resources to help improve teacher-student rapport ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-serice credit only

**New Course** Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com In-Service Course – 3 Credits – 45 Hours August 12-16th, 2024 East Meadow Location – 8-5pm Course Description: Facilitating the means for students to become leaders and succeed significantly in any classroom must be the role of all teachers. Acknowledging student strengths, providing ownership, encouraging their potentialities, all falls within the confines of the course. Participants will learn to create a vision for their students, empower them through effective coaching and feedback, and guide them with training, tools, and time. A wealth of strategies will be rendered and the means for implementing them full addressed. *A must for K-12 educators*

Aside from teaching, there are many responsibilities that are inherently part of what we do each day. Often, these tasks and obligations can be overwhelming and time-consuming. It has been proven that organization is one way to reduce stress, which is the primary focus of this course. Teachers enrolled will explore various simple ways of using Microsoft Excel for record-keeping. Even if you’re not a proficient computer whiz, Excel makes it easy to customize and maintain spreadsheets. The assignments are designed to help you simplify, minimize, maintain, and track data. Additionally, Annual Professional Performance Reviews (APPRs) now include an evaluative section on maintaining accurate records. Teachers enrolled in this course will learn new ways of improving this particular rating. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

*New Course* Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com In-service Course – 3 Credits / 45 Hours June 3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14 East Meadow Location: 4:15-8:15pm Course Description: Creating a positive school environment begins with developing and implementing stellar character education, beginning with lessons on morality, responsibility, respect, peer to peer interactions. This course will enable teachers to glean the ways in which to infuse the ideas of moral understanding, psychological literature, and scientific methodology into their everyday encounters with students. Modeling and community outreach suggestions will intertwine with the course material to create a superb character education program for our students. *A must for K-12 educators*

  Course Description: This course will examine the role that homework plays in our school culture.  Homework is extremely important to all students in one aspect or another.  How do we assign effective and appropriate homework?  Ensure students complete it so that coursework can continue in class.  Educators will explore what different research and educators’ tell us about homework and its impact on the overall learning process.  This course is a must for all educators levels K-12. (updated course to include Post-Covid thinking and concepts)

  Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com (3 Credits/45 Hours) – In-Service Credit Course Description: It is much more difficult for our brains to unlearn something than to learn something new. Having the capacity to train our brains to make deep connections to learning is the purpose of this course. Participants will understand the factors that shape myelination in children and comprehend how it provides the foundation for brain connectivity and support of emergent cognitive and behavioral functioning. Studying the reasoning behind this neurodevelopment will enable teachers to create comprehensive lessons that support and engage learners from all walks of life. *A must for all K-12 educators and disciplines!!

Ranging from preschool to high school, writing is always a challenge for students. This course will provide you with the ingredients necessary to instruct students on how to attack the writing before it attacks them. Addressed will be the different forms of writing to provide students with, the new and innovative techniques by writing gurus, writing formulas, writing templates, journal topics, ELA writing guides,etc.. Students will simply beg for the pen and paper! A must for all K-12 educators!!! ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only Instructor: Dr. Christopher Korolczuk Email: DrK.lips@gmail.com Course Description: This course offers a comprehensive view on tackling the mental health crisis in public schools, highlighting the importance of balancing emotional safety with resilience, addressing digital distractions, and navigating the complexities of social media and self-perception. It underscores the effects of COVID-19 on students, emphasizing the need for reconnection and support post-isolation. Further, it delves into the rise of medication for mental health issues among children, advocating for mindfulness and alternative strategies. The analysis of increasing anxiety and depression, the rethinking of ADHD approaches, and the role of parental boundaries in child development are crucial for understanding the multifaceted nature of students’ mental health challenges. Lastly, the discussion on engaging yet rigorous education offers insights into maintaining students’ interest without compromising academic standards. For school personnel, learning about these topics is vital post-COVID-19, as it equips them with the tools to support students’ mental well-being and adapt to the changing educational landscape, ensuring a holistic approach to student development and learning. NEW! This self-paced course uses an online learning platform called Canvas. All videos, reading materials, and assignments can be found in one online location. Also, you can simply type your assignments into the website and hit the “submit.” button. This new feature makes the course easier to navigate and more user-friendly than other courses.

This course will provide a foundation for understanding the history and development of Bilingual Education. The overall social and philosophical foundations of Bilingual Education will be reviewed in detail. Additionally, legislative changes throughout history for students of limited English proficiency will be examined by participants. By understanding the development of Bilingual Education over time, educators will be better prepared to meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELL). ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

Course Description: This course will explore the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mechanics) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Mechanics). We will define how you can begin a STEM or STEAM program, and how you could enrich your classroom with activities and hands-on learning. In this course you will create your own lessons as well as discover new ways to add knowledge and fun to your classroom.

PDLI 9130 

(45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS)

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

Course Description:

Providing students with high quality discussions that promote learning and engagement is tantamount to teaching. High quality discussions include content-specific ideas that spark students to express different points of view, reflect on their own opinions, varying perspectives, and engage in democratic dialogues. Education that develops deep reasoning, critical thinking, and conceptual and practical tools for inculcating knowledge is tantamount for students today. Teaching in this modality empowers our learners and enables them to recognize that proactive engagement is the key to their success. 

In this course, participants will be instructed on the pedagogical principles that promote student learning and democratic engagement. They will learn the ways in which students themselves facilitate learning and streamline their own thinking. Teachers will be instructed on ways in which to act as mediators and not sages, including the ins and outs of effective questioning. Rich discussion tactics will be integrated as fishbowl techniques, Socratic Seminars, Jigsaws, formative assessments, graphic organizers, gallery walks – all of which engage the learner and provide for optimum efficacy.

Goals and Objectives: Upon completion of the course, participants will be better prepared to:

*New Class Spring 2021 This remote training will show teachers how to create a Virtual Classroom. Virtual Classrooms make assignments and activities more interactive for students. Through Google Slides, the Virtual Classroom will show links to assignments, documents, and websites. In addition, the presenter will show teachers how to add videos from YouTube, another URL or of themselves teaching. This is especially helpful for Special Area teachers who need to show a specific skill to their students. Google Slide Presentations can easily be added to Google Stream or Classwork tabs in Google Classroom. Suitable for all educators K-12 and Support Staff. ON-LINE 3 credits (45 hours) In-service credit

Embedding a multitude of learning experiences for students is critical. The ability to enhance their learning and growth is developed strategically via the usage of graphic organizers that stimulate learning and instruction. Students will be captivated by rich material that strategically inculcates all aspects of subject matter. A plethora of common core graphic organizers will be included and students’ worlds will be enriched. *A must for K-12 educators!!!!! ONLINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

  Course Description: This course will explore the difference between having your students learn independently and having them learn in groups.  Educators will discuss which way is more effective; or is a combination of both?  Teachers will discuss strategies for effective cooperative learning, student centered learning and Reciprocal learning, as well as individual task learning such as reading comprehension, silent reading or vocabulary analysis.  A series of Pair/Share lessons will be discussed as well as student-centered lessons.  Educators will share lessons to facilitate in their own classrooms.  A plethora of activities will be discussed for teachers to bring back and utilize.  This course is a must for teacher of grades K-12.

Course #PDLI9040 (45 HOURS/3 GRADUATE CREDITS) ON-LINE Instructor:  Rose Marino Foster rosemarino5@gmail.com Course Description: “Guided reading is a teaching approach used with all readers, struggling or independent, that has three fundamental purposes: to meet the varying instructional needs of all the students in the classroom, enabling them to greatly expand their reading powers; to teach students to read increasingly difficult texts with understanding and fluency; to construct meaning while using problem solving strategies to figure out unfamiliar words that deal with complex sentence structures, and understand concepts or ideas not previously encountered. Guided reading is the place where every child, every day, has the opportunity to learn by reading a book that is just right.” – Fountas & Pinnell. This course will provide a detailed explanation of the philosophy of guided reading. Various components of guided reading will be explored including: management, teacher and student roles, assessment, flexible grouping, strategy and skill lessons, etc. Participants in the course will research the history of small group instruction and compare/contrast guided reading with more traditional instructional approaches. In addition, participants will learn the benefits of guided reading and be given the resources and information to implement guided reading within his/her own classroom.  Applicable all Educators and staff K-12.

Course Description: This course will discuss what mindfulness is and what it is not.  Teachers will focus on how to help your students address stress and anxiety and achieve a calm stress-free classroom.  Educators will share the benefits of de-stressing and how well it works in school communities and classrooms.  This course is a must for all instructors of all levels K-12.