Strategies for Teaching   

Learn how to create engaging, easy-to-maintain classroom center activities that boost independent learning while increasing small-group instruction time.

In this course, you will learn how to create and implement center activities that boost independent learning in the classroom. You will start out by learning what a center is, what benefits it offers, and how to make the most of it. Next, you will explore some very common mistakes teachers make with centers and gain tips for keeping your planning time to a minimum. You will receive step-by-step instructions for creating a center schedule that students at every reading level can use independently.

Short on classroom space? You will get great ideas for storing your center and explore some alternatives to having a permanent spot for every center. You will master an easy, effective process for introducing centers and their materials to your students and develop strategies for what to do when things don't go quite as planned. The insights you will gain will show you how to adjust your centers routine for both your fastest learners and those who need more time.

Think centers can only be used for reading and language arts? Think again. You will discover effective ways to use centers to support math, science, and social studies instruction. You will also see how you can use technology - such as virtual bulletin boards, apps, and interactive white boards - in your center activities to help keep your students engaged. By the time you finish, you will have a wealth of resources and center ideas you can try out in your classroom immediately.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Getting Started With Centers

In your first lesson, you will gain a clear understanding of what centers are by looking into three components that will make your centers effective and beneficial for you and your students. You will discover the reasons center activities are a valuable part of your daily routine—from increased success with core concepts for your students to additional small group instruction time for you.

Mistakes People Make

In this lesson, you will learn about some of the common mistakes that teachers make when creating centers and discover some ideas for centers that will help you avoid these pitfalls. You will also examine the importance of consistency and some benefits of creating durable and open-ended centers.

Planning for Centers

This lesson teaches you how to pare down your center planning and keep it that way, even as you add more centers for your students to complete each week. You will examine your daily schedule to determine the number of centers you will need and how long your centers session should last each day.

Helping Students Manage Centers

Wouldn't it be great to have a simple way to set up a centers schedule that all of your students could follow independently? That's what you will gain in this lesson. You will discover center grouping strategy and how to rotate your students to ensure that every child visits every center every week.

Managing the Papers, Places, and Materials

When you're planning your centers, you can save time storing the materials you will need as you go. In this lesson, you will learn a great method for doing this. You will also discover an effective way to track student progress, give feedback, and put students in charge of their work for the week.

Practice Makes Permanent

This lesson navigates the ins and outs of center introductions. You will learn the different parts of an introduction. You will also learn how strategies for achieving great results when helping your students use the schedule board and centers materials independently.

Launching the First Week of Centers

There are always last-minute, not-to-be-forgotten details that you need to have in place when you're getting ready to have your students start center activities. In this lesson, you will learn about your role in the first week of centers: watching and adjusting.

Moving Forward With Centers

This lesson will walk through the simple but purposeful process of changing centers each week. You will examine how "every-weekers" are important for keeping planning under control. Finally, you will see how you can use the data about your students' progress to create new centers.

Small-Group Instruction

One of the biggest benefits of doing centers is that it buys you time for small-group instruction. In this lesson, you will explore different grouping strategies for three types of small-group instruction using data. You will also see examples of questions, conversations, and activities from each type.

Taking Choice Activities Outside of Centers

Did you know that you can use the choice activities introduced as part of the centers' routine? In this lesson, you will learn how choice activities in other subject areas are the same and different from those used at center time.

Bringing Variety to Your Centers

In this lesson, you will branch out from more traditional literacy and math centers to include centers that revolve around different subject areas. You will explore center possibilities in science and social studies that include art, literature, and vocabulary practice.

Center Ideas to Take and Try

Do you feel like you need some more center ideas to get your brain juicing? Well, this is the lesson for you. You will explore center ideas for literacy and math centers that will boost your students' bottom line and discover some new ideas and activities to supplement your "every-weekers".

In this professional development course for teachers, you'll get the training you need to reach the diverse mix of students you face every day by learning proven strategies that turn diversity into opportunity.

Get the training you need to reach the diverse mix of students you face every day. You will learn proven strategies for inclusion that turn diversity into opportunity. With a mix of students who have learning disabilities, neuro-biological disorders, and physical challenges, the modern classroom requires an efficient and effective teacher who can prioritize under tight deadlines and be creative on demand.

In this course, you will discover how students with special needs can become a part of the mainstream. You will learn to see the inclusive classroom as a home for these students, exploring how all students can benefit from an adaptive learning environment. You will examine how each child learns and what you can do to help them develop new strengths. You'll gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities offered by inclusion and how to build collaborative partnerships with the special educator and classroom aides. Above all, you'll discover creative, low-budget strategies for turning your inclusive classroom into a nurturing, supportive learning environment that helps every student!

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

1. Why Inclusion?
2. The Inclusive Classroom
3. Who Are Your Students?
4. Managing Students in the Classroom
5. Finding Students' Cognitive Strengths
6. Using the Strength-Based Interview
7. Modifying Your Lessons
8. Helping Students Overcome Common Obstacles
9. Recognizing Your Teaching Style
10. Encouraging Collaboration
11. Working With Co-teachers
12. Evaluating Your Effectiveness

Improve your ability to teach diverse learners with real-world examples from elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.

This course explores 10 practical Differentiated Instruction integration strategies. Each strategy is accompanied by at least three sample lessons, as well as tips for applying them to best improve learning outcomes for your students.

In this course you will discover Differentiated Instruction strategies including interest centers, flexible grouping, cubing, and tiering. Every lesson is packed with real-world examples that will help you put these strategies to use in your own classroom. You will take a look at integration across different subjects, grade levels, and learning profiles as you gain helpful knowledge on bringing Differentiated Instruction to your classroom.

This course is a must for today's teachers who often have to differentiate quickly and with minimal resources. Differentiated Instruction is an excellent launch pad for ramping up your creative classroom, and with the tips in these lessons, you will be meeting the needs of your diverse learners in no time.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Differentiated Instruction 101

This first lesson covers what Differentiated Instruction is, the different avenues for implementing it in the classroom, and the basics of Differentiated Instruction assessment.

Multiple Intelligences: Get Smart

In this lesson, you will discover the power of teaching to multiple intelligences in your classroom as you learn tried-and-true techniques to customize your lesson plans.

Scaffolding and Guided Practice

You may already be adept at providing scaffolding and guided practice in your classroom, but in this lesson, you will learn how to ramp it up a notch with some smart tips on integrating and extending the Differentiated Instruction strategy.

Flexible Grouping

Flexible grouping is already a mainstay in your classroom, but this lesson is packed with great integration strategies that will help you extend its power across different grade levels and academic subjects.

Creating Interest Centers

This lesson covers the basics of creating interest centers in your classroom. By grouping students into centers based on topics, subjects, or types of activities, you can focus like-minded learners on specific tasks, enabling you to offer unique learning opportunities for each student in your class.

Cubing in Your Class

Cubing is a writing activity that lets students explore topics from six distinct points of view. In this lesson, you will explore the power of the cube in your Differentiated Instruction classroom.

WebQuests: Online Sleuthing

WebQuests have been a powerful classroom tool for some years now. In this lesson you will discover why they're so useful in the Differentiated Instruction classroom. You will examine the components of successful WebQuests and learn the best ways to find quality ones on the web.

I-Search, You Search

An I-Search allows students to pick a topic that interests them and do a combination of traditional and out-in-the-world research to learn more. The products of I-Searches are often amazing, and in this lesson, you will learn how your students can have fun learning more about topics that matter to them.

RAFTS for Writing

In this lesson, you will discover another great writing strategy for your Differentiated Instruction classroom: RAFTS. RAFTS is a strategy where students assume different roles to approach reading and writing and then create unique products. You will have fun exploring this strategy with your writers!

Tiering Student Assignments

Tiering is a Differentiated Instruction strategy where you assign students paralleled tasks at different levels of complexity depending on where they are on the learning curve. This lesson will teach you how to employ this strategy with confidence as you customize assignments.

Anchoring Activities

Curriculum compacting is a Differentiated Instruction strategy that will help you give different work to your advanced learners so that they aren't bored by average or remedial instruction. You will find out everything you need to know in this lesson.

Utilizing Anchoring Activities in the Classroom

Your final lesson explores anchoring activities that will help you direct students on further productive activities when they're finished with regular classroom work. You will learn how to bring these activities alive with a little creativity and a lot of Differentiated Instruction.

Enrich the lives of your children by learning fun and natural ways to help them become proficient speakers and thinkers.

Follow your child's lead and have fun while enhancing language development. In this fun and user-friendly course for parents, teachers, and caregivers, you will discover how children learn to process language and how they become proficient speakers and thinkers. This course will help you enrich your child's life by stimulating their continued speech, brain, and language development in an enjoyable, age-appropriate, and natural way.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Introduction

How do children learn language? Play! And not with flash cards, or anything else that you can buy. Children are born with a complete package of language-learning tools. The only accessory they need is you, helping them unlock their natural instincts for language. After reading this first section, you'll be using play and instinct to communicate soundlessly with a newborn, to help him fill his language-building toolbox, and to create a stimulating environment for language development.

First Play: Sounds and Signs

Imagine a database of sounds in your child's brain. Where do these sounds come from? How do they file, sort, and choose to use these sounds to communicate? In this lesson, you'll look at why their mind is made for these remarkable tasks and learn straightforward ways you can lend a hand (even in the form of sign language!). This lesson also includes a fascinating overview of brain and mouth anatomy.

"Mama" and Other First Real Words

You say, "Shelly just said, 'ball'!" But your friend says, "Nah, that was just babbling." Who's right? Does something count as a real word if it isn't pronounced perfectly? In this lesson, you'll explore what makes a word real and learn how to interpret your child's patterns of simplifying early language. You'll also start using a journal to uncover the rich potential in your child's one- and two-word phrases.

Understanding Before Speaking

Once you understand the mechanics of hearing and understanding, your role in encouraging language can be powerful, simple, and fun! Many caregivers ask at this stage when they should start to worry about language delays. This lesson will soothe your concerns by discussing what to watch for, when to seek assistance (and from which type of specialist), and when to stop worrying and keep playing! You'll look through a list of typical first words that you can use to trace your child's communication explosion.

Watching and Playing

Can you guess when a baby's brain grows the most? How do you facilitate this growth? Again, the answer is play! In this lesson, you'll match favorite infant-caregiver games to the neurological functions they stimulate. You'll also learn how language affects the development of thinking skills, just as the function of thinking affects language development. You'll then explore how to keep this circle of growth cycling.

Adding Pieces to Phrases

Your kiddo is talking, but you're not done yet! Although two-word phrases, such as "get ball" certainly communicate an idea, your child will keep refining their sentences as they grow. In this lesson, you'll find out how to help them progress to past tense, contractions, pronouns, and conjunctions. You'll also learn about the fascinating thought processes behind questions. Don't forget your journal!

Be a Natural Model

Now that you have listening, speaking, sounds, words, and sentences, what more is there? Lots! Is it still fun? Do they still need you? Of course! In this lesson, you'll continue with a few more do's and don'ts for caregivers, emphasizing a popular learning tool: games!

Making the Tongue Take Off

Expanding on the anatomy lesson, this lesson will show you how sounds depend on strong, agile mouth muscles. Before you start thinking about tongue push-ups, remember that it's best to maximize the opportunities within natural interactions. A discussion of feeding—including your choices of bottles, cups, and straws—is key. The lesson will answer complex and controversial questions about pacifiers, sippy cups, and thumb sucking, and provide some great tips for easing necessary transitions.

Playing With Sounds

Some sounds sound fun (like boing!), and some sounds feel fun (like zzzzzz). What does this kind of fun teach if it doesn't use precise words? In this lesson, you'll find out what you're teaching when you encourage your little one to play with sounds. You'll also learn which speech games will help you make the connection from speech to reading.

Talking More

Speech, language, and communication are different but related topics. In this lesson, you'll learn how to help your talker become a conversationalist! Using your knowledge of how sounds make language, you'll learn how language is used to communicate and connect with others, which is called the social use of language.

Appreciating Differences

While children follow similar development processes, no two walk the same path. As more is discovered about learning, the lines between different, delayed, and disability grow foggier. Demystifying these terms is easier when you learn about different learning styles, and when you understand the styles used by you and your child. Although you can't eavesdrop on your child's thoughts, what you learn in this lesson will help you help them connect their learning style and their use of language.

A Word About Literature

Teaching a child the alphabet tends to be a common first step toward reading, but is it where literacy begins? While this skill can be gratifying for adults to see, literacy begins in the brain and is nurtured with fun and games. As you've learned about language skills, literacy doesn't come in a box from the store. When you understand instincts and use them in fun and play, they come from you.

Learn the step-by-step approach to an orderly classroom in this course designed by a veteran teacher.

Why do some teachers enjoy peaceful, orderly classrooms while other teachers face daily discipline battles? The answer is that many teachers have not been taught the secrets to solving discipline problems. This course reveals those secrets and presents a step-by-step approach to effective, positive classroom discipline. Teachers continually rate this course one of the most valuable they have ever taken.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

I've Got a Secret!

In your first lesson, you will learn a very important secret about children and discipline. Once you know the secret, you will be empowered to solve all classroom discipline problems, whether minor or severe. Armed with your new knowledge, you will be on your way to a more peaceful and productive classroom.

Children Need to Behave

This lesson explores what motivates student behavior. We come into the world with a set of needs, and for the rest of our lives, we struggle to learn how to best meet those needs. In this lesson, you will examine students' needs and learn how to teach to them to meet those needs responsibly.

Now You're Going to Get It

You may know what approaches don't work with students, but this lesson will explain why they don't work. You will learn about the brain's three control centers and how they affect your students' behavior. You will also learn how to avoid ineffective responses that can only make problems worse.

And the Winner Is . . .

When discipline is practiced correctly, there are no losers, only winners. This lesson focuses on correct discipline practices. Teachers win because they are able to have their needs met without imposing authority. Students get their needs met because they get a say in the process.

You've Got to Have a Plan

If you just react as situations present themselves, you are going to continually have problems. In this lesson, you will create your game plan for effective classroom discipline. With this plan, you and your students can agree on which behaviors are acceptable and which are not in your classroom.

What to Do When

Now that you have a plan, what do you do when students choose to misbehave? What do you do when they behave responsibly? This lesson introduces actions you can take when students choose to ignore boundaries.

Problems and Maturity

Now that you're halfway through the course, it's time to put your new knowledge into action. In the remaining lessons, you learn how to apply what you have learned to discipline problems that occur in any classroom.

Problems with Others

This lesson focuses on solving problems that involve how students relate to and interact with each other. You will learn steps that you can take that will both stop the inappropriate behavior and teach appropriate, responsible behavior.

Problems and Defiance

In this lesson, you will learn active listening and other techniques that you can use to defuse emotional situations. You will learn how to effectively deal with students who continually behave in ways that push your emotional buttons and try your patience.

Problems and Schoolwork

Behavior problems often result in poor academic performance, either directly or indirectly. This lesson gives you a practical approach to helping students who have chosen to not work to their full potential.

Problems and Independence

Problems and Independence - In this lesson, you will examine discipline problems that arise out of students' need for freedom and independence. These problems occur more frequently in the preteen and teenage years, but independence can be an issue at any age.

Let's Try Again Tomorrow

What do you do if you try these new approaches, but they don't work? That's the subject of this last lesson. You will learn additional strategies you can use to solve severe or recurring problems.

Learn the essential Spanish for teachers so you can communicate effectively with your Spanish-speaking students and parents.

If you struggle to communicate with your Spanish-speaking students and their families, and you don't know your cabeza from your codo (that's your head from your elbow), don't worry—help is here!

Whether you took a Spanish class 20 years ago and just want to brush up a bit, or you have never taken a Spanish class, you will learn the essential Spanish for teachers and bridge the communication gap with your Spanish-speaking students and parents. Rest assured that this won't be anything like your typical high school Spanish course. You will learn new words in easy-to-digest bites, and each lesson will include Supplementary Material to help you keep expanding your vocabulary.

This course starts with the basics of Spanish pronunciation, and then moves right into simple words for everyday things, such as colors, numbers, and question words. Then you will learn more of the basics of conversational phrases, family names, and directions. You will understand what it's like on the first day of school and words relating to enrolling new students, conversing in the classroom, talking about rules and behavior, and basic vocabulary for various academic subjects.

Finally, you will discover some survival phrases for the parent-teacher conference as you learn to describe how a child is doing, talk about academic or behavior problems, and discuss grades and homework. By the end of this course, you will be well on the path to becoming a Spanish speaker and communicating more effectively with the Spanish-speakers all around you.

Note: To receive 25 hours of instruction in the State of Oregon, please ensure your school is eligible to issue professional development units, and that the course is approved by your professional learning coordinator.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Speaking, Spelling, and Counting in Spanish

In this lesson, you will discover that mastering the Spanish alphabet is as easy as A-B-C! You will also learn simple tricks for pronouncing Spanish words, and you will start building your vocabulary by learning to count from zero to nine.

Colors, Gender in Spanish, and More Counting Words

In this lesson, you will learn the Spanish words for a rainbow of colors and find out how to count all the way up to 199—all while learning fun facts about the culture of Latin America.

Talking About People

Family is all-important to many Spanish speaking cultures. In this lesson, you will find out how to say the names of all your student's relatives. Also, you will start putting your words into conversational phrases and sentences.

Words for Talking About "Who" and "When"

This lesson explores pronouns, an important building block of your Spanish vocabulary. In addition, you will learn how to talk about the months of the year and the days of the week.

Directional Words, Questions, and Prepositions

Super-charge your Spanish sentences with new power words! In this lesson, you will learn prepositions, words for directions, and three new words for asking questions.

Verbs, Verbs, Verbs!

If you think Spanish verbs are a big headache, you're in for a pleasant surprise. This lesson explores "easy" verb tenses and delves into the difference between the "to be" verbs, ser, and estar.

Off to School! Survival Phrases for the First Day

You will add to your repertoire of Spanish survival phrases in this lesson and discover a simple way to ask key questions when enrolling new students. You will also master an important new skill: telling time in Spanish.

Conversing in the Classroom

You're back-to-school to learn the Spanish words for common classroom objects and activities. In this lesson, you will strengthen your communication skills with a host of new adjectives that will come in handy both in and out of the classroom.

Words for Talking About School Rules and Feelings

"How are you feeling today?" By the end of this lesson, you will be able to ask and answer that question in Spanish! You will also know how to explain classroom rules, regulations, and instructions to students en español.

Vocabulary for Teaching and Learning

Words for teaching, learning, and doing are at the top of the agenda for this lesson. In addition, you will look at vocabulary builders you can use to explain concepts in English, math, science, and history.

Visiting the Cafeteria, Playground, and Nurse's Office

If you need to assist a student in the cafeteria or on the playground, you will have lots of helpful words at your fingertips after this lesson. You will also learn key vocabulary words for talking about those medical emergencies that sometimes happen on campus.

Making the Parent-Teacher Conference a Success

Parent-teacher conferences go much more smoothly when you can share information directly with Spanish-speaking parents or guardians. In this lesson, you will learn lots of new words for describing your students' strengths, pointing out areas where they can improve, and praising their achievements.

Learn the secrets for success in your first years of teaching.

Feel a little trepidation before entering your classroom? You're not alone! Whether you're already teaching, a newly credentialed graduate, or a substitute looking to transition to full-time, this course will provide you with proven tools, tips, and tricks to make your early years in the classroom a breeze.

Teaching is a balancing act, and it requires a blend of subject expertise and classroom skills to reach all of your diverse learners. In this informational and interactive course, you'll learn the particulars of running a motivational classroom that will feel like home to your students. You will discover how to write winning lesson plans, reach diverse learners through differentiated instruction, communicate clearly, plan memorable events, and keep stress at bay so you can feel good about going to work every morning. You will reap the benefits gained through many years of firsthand classroom experience!

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Welcome to Your Classroom

Do you ever stop to think about what inspired you to teach? Whether you're a brand new teacher looking for your first job, or a teacher with a year or two behind you, you'll take a look at the inspiration behind teachers of excellence. In the first lesson, you'll learn to draw on your inspiration as you face the academic (and not so academic) challenges ahead.

Plan Your Dream Classroom

Preparing your first classroom can be daunting if you don't have an action plan. From color theory to desk arrangement and bulletin boards, do you know how you want to stimulate your students visually? In this lesson, you'll find out the best ways to bring that touch of home and warmth to your classroom.

Make Your Lesson Plans

If you've ever wondered exactly how to fill those six hours you'll spend teaching, look no further than creative, engaging lesson plans. In this lesson, you'll discover the differences between full and condensed sets of lesson plans and learn how to build student excitement with a strong anticipatory set.

Differentiate Instruction

You may not know it yet, but differentiated instruction is probably second nature to you. It's all about modifying your curricular objectives to meet diverse student needs. In this lesson, you'll find out how to use interest centers, cubing, and tiering as easy methods of differentiating instruction in your class.

Reach Special Needs Students

Not so long ago, special needs students were relegated to different classrooms with their own teachers. These days, it's becoming more and more popular to include them in the regular classroom. This brings a host of new learning challenges and opportunities. In this lesson, you'll explore common special needs, IEPs, and smart ways to incorporate diverse learning objectives into your teaching routine.

Get Organized

Did you know that you shouldn't have more than five classroom rules? Are you prepared in the event of a fire drill? If you've been searching for the right rules, routines, and organization tips to make your classroom flow smoothly, look no further. This lesson will show you a bunch of time-saving tips that will help you add order to your classroom.

Build Lasting Relationships at School

The key to teaching is building strong relationships between school and home. This starts with your students and ideally extends across the campus, into the home, and out to the community. In this lesson, you'll learn tactics to win students, engage parents, and impress the school as you set an example as a strong communicator.

Negotiate Discipline and Rewards

One of the biggest classroom dilemmas is how to handle discipline and rewards—striking that balance between overreaction and fair play can be tricky. Luckily, you can use your communication skills to bridge conflict and turn classroom problems into teaching opportunities. In this lesson, you'll learn how to do just that.

Write Effective Assignments and Tests

Writing assignments and tests is never a thrill, even when you know exactly what learning you want to measure and how you want to do it. In this lesson, you'll discover the power of rubrics, tests that account for a wide range of student diversity, and creative assignments that bring out the best in all your learners.

Plan Exciting Classroom Events

Does the thought of public speaking make you cringe? It's natural for new teachers to be nervous about milestone events like Back to School Night, parent-teacher conferences, and field trips into the community. However, with planning, organization, and a little bit of homework on your part, you'll be able to pull off smooth events that look like they were planned by a pro.

Manage Stress

It's common for teachers to reach a burn-out point some time in those first few years. In this lesson, you'll learn to build balance in your life so that the job will never overwhelm you too much. From classroom strategies to make your life less hectic to after-hours relaxation tips that help veteran teachers let loose, you'll learn the best ways to keep stress at bay.

Nail Interviews to Advance Your Career

When you're ready to advance your career to the next level, you'll need to showcase not just what you've done, but what you're ready to do in a new classroom. It has to do with how you package your skills. In the final lesson, you'll discover what administrators are looking for and how to wow them with your creativity.

In this course on teaching preschoolers, you will learn how to come up with creative and balanced preschool lesson plans for every month of the school year.

If you teach preschoolers, crafting original and inspiring lesson plans may have been a daunting task, but not for much longer. In this course, you will get equipped with a solid lesson plan template and lots of interchangeable activities to choose from—plenty of inspiration to take you and your students from September to May.

You will learn over 100 circle-discussion, art, literacy, fine and large motor skill, science, and music activities that you can take into your classroom right away. Then you can adopt the ideas just as they are or tweak them slightly to fit a variety of themes. Either way, you will have ample material for crafting memorable, balanced, and engaging lesson plans.

Whether you're already teaching or you're just investigating a career as an early childhood educator, you're sure to find the right mix of inspiration, motivation, and practical tips in this short yet comprehensive course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Engaging Our Students

Have you ever thought about teaching children aged 2 to 5? Or maybe you already are and just want some fun, creative ideas to help you reach these students on their level. Either way, you're going to discover new techniques for teaching preschool and the skills needed for success in the classroom.

Developing Compelling Lessons, Part I

Many people mistake think preschool teaching for art projects and snack time. Nothing could be further from the truth—the best preschool classrooms are structured around balanced lesson plans. In this lesson, you will learn the first four components of a trusty lesson plan template—themes, circle discussions, literacy activities, and songs and fingerplays.

Developing Compelling Lessons, Part II

Now that you know the first four components of your lesson plan template, are you ready to meet the rest? A balanced lesson plan also includes art projects, number sense activities, large and fine motor skill activities, dramatic play, and science and discovery time.

September: Starting School

There's something about going back to school in September. For teachers, it's an exciting time of year because you get to meet your new students. But students often have a lot of anxiety about going back to school. In this lesson, you will discover smart strategies to make the classroom transition easy on them.

October: Having a Scary Good Time

October is a month of spooks and scares, but that doesn't mean that your lesson plans need to be in horrifying shape. That's what you will learn about in this lesson—everything from the books to the art projects and dramatic play that complement Halloween.

November: Being Thankful for Learning

November is the month to teach students to consider all that they have and how grateful they are for wonderful things in their life. And in this lesson, you will build a week's worth of lesson plans around the Thanksgiving theme.

December: Celebrating Around the World

If November is a month for being thankful, December is a month for grand-scale celebration. In this lesson, you will craft lesson plans around the theme of Celebrations Around the World—including books, circle discussions, and art projects that celebrate diversity and cultural exploration.

January: Making the Most of Winter

In this lesson, you will plan a week's worth of lessons around the winter theme. You will be able to build your own winter wonderland at school with lesson plan ideas that incorporate number sense, discovery, games, and art projects. No passport necessary!

February: Loving the Classroom

It's always great to get a valentine, and Valentine's Day is a fantastic time to incorporate some heart into the preschool classroom. In this lesson, you will create a week's worth of Valentine's themed lesson plans.

March: Making Our Own Weather Report

March is often when we notice the sunshine and puffy clouds in the sky. That makes March the perfect time to plan a weather-themed week. In this lesson, you will do just that—craft literacy, number sense, science, and motor skill activities around the weather.

April: Going Down to the Farm

Since spring is a time that brings birth and renewal in the natural world, what better time to teach students about animals and outdoor life? In this lesson, you will craft a variety of farm and animal-themed lesson plans that include art projects, science and discovery time, and circle discussions.

May: Celebrating Mom

May is the perfect time to pay tribute to some of your favorite people: the moms who love us. In this lesson, you will develop a week's worth of lesson plans around Mother's Day crafts, activities, games, books, and art projects that help your students appreciate Mom.

Enrich your teaching talents and encourage your students' creative thinking as you learn to turn your classroom into a creative classroom.

Creativity will abound in your classroom as you tap your students' hidden talents. Learn how to use creativity to teach reading, writing, visual arts, performing arts, social studies, science, mathematics, and physical and health education. Develop creative new approaches to field trips, learning labs, activities, exercises, assignments, and evaluation methods. Think beyond the textbook and challenge your students by making your classroom a creative classroom!

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

1. Creative Teachers
2. Creative Students
3. Creative Classrooms
4. Creative Learning Labs
5. Creative Reading
6. Creating Writing
7. Creative Visual Arts
8. Creative Performing Arts
9. Creative Science
10. Creative Social Studies
11. Creative Mathematics
12. Creative P.E. and Health

Uncover the secrets of the adolescent mind. This course helps you gain valuable information on how adolescents feel, how their identities develop, and how you can best meet their needs.

Parents, family members, teachers and related support staff, child and youth workers, counselors, nurses and the like will all benefit from the information shared in this course.

You will learn about the many physical, emotional, and cognitive changes that affect the teens in your life, and you will understand the significance of these changes both for you and the adolescent. You will look into relationships both inside and outside the home and the development of a teen's identity. You will explore personality, moral development and the role of faith.

By the time you finish this course, you should be very well-prepared to understand, appreciate, and meet the needs of the teens in your life.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Introduction

Your first lesson explains the term adolescent development and familiarize you with some terminology. You will also learn the three main stages of adolescence to help you become familiar with the tasks and milestones inherent in each stage.

Biological Development

Adolescence is a time of change. These changes occur on the outside as well as on the inside. This lesson focuses on some external changes, including puberty and the impact it can have on the adolescent. You will also learn how these changes can affect how you treat an adolescent.

Cognitive Development

This lesson focuses on internal changes kids experience during adolescence. As children's bodies take huge leaps forward, so do their brains as they learn and discover new ways of thinking and reasoning.

Social Development I

The dreaded peer group. In this lesson, you will take a close look at socialization, peers and peer groups, friends, intimacy, and social changes in your adolescent's behavior.

Social Development II

One of the things that changes most during adolescence is a child's family relationships and how family members interact with each other. This lesson focuses on some of those changes and the impact this may have on both the adolescent and the family.

Emotional Development

Emotional development is one of the internal changes that evolves during adolescence. This lesson explores some aspects of emotions and their development, and the significance this may have for adolescent development.

Identity and Self-Concept

This is the "Who Am I?" lesson. This lesson delves into how people think about themselves, how their identity develops, what might influence their identity, and their self-concept.

Moral Development and Faith

This lesson is all about moral development and how the changes to the adolescent play a role in their moral development. You will become familiar with the overall thoughts, ideas and processes that seem common to adolescent moral development.

Stress

This lesson takes a close look at stress, anxiety, frustration, and defense mechanisms. You will also explore how these things affect all of us and how some of this is demonstrated during adolescence.

Influences on Development

This lesson looks at four separate things: nature versus nurture, temperament, personality, and resiliency. The main thread carried throughout this lesson is how a better understanding of yourself can help you to better understand others.

Adolescent Needs

This lesson review some of the adolescent needs and looks at how this affects LBTQ+ youth. You will learn about the issues these individuals may be faced with.

When Something Goes Wrong

Your final lesson shifts from the normal to the abnormal part of adolescent development. The focus of this lesson will be a brief overview of disorders or conditions that are consistently viewed within the