700L  Ask Now, Not Later:  How to Evaluate Professional Development

To create powerful powerful development (PD) programs, you must plan with results in mind, monitor the programs more closely by using specific evaluation models, and then adjust them as needed to make them as effective as possible. In this 8 lesson course, you will learn how to use formative and summative evaluation data to make PD programs more powerful. Specifically, you will learn how to ensure that your adult learners increase their understanding and skills and can use what they learn in the workplace. Professional development leaders frequently just assume that their adult participants are learning the content. To get results from PD programs, you need to accept that collecting qualitative and quantitative data from your participants is no longer optional — it is required to document immediate participant learning as well as subsequent new skill transfer and implementation.

703L The Brain:  Understanding the Mind

It's important that teachers understand how their attitudes and presence in the classroom can affect how the brain learns. It's also important that teachers understand that they can help students develop a positive mindset and an enthusiasm for learning.
This seven-lesson course will give teachers and teacher leaders a chance to examine how social-emotional and external factors affect the brain's performance and, as a result, influence learning. Participants will also explore such factors as attitudes toward learning and motivation as well as the importance of proper nutrition and adequate exercise.

705L  Bullying:  Let's Break the Cycle

Bullying is a universal problem — not limited to poorer neighborhoods, urban schools, or crowded classrooms. It is found everywhere. In every class, school, and country. In fact, the world's foremost authority on bullying is a Norwegian, Dan Olweus, who has been providing research and support for more than 20 years. Years ago, the reaction to a report of bullying was to ask the victim, "What did you do to make her angry?" and to say to the bully, "You know you shouldn't do that. Now I want you to shake hands, apologize, and let's forget this happened." But forgetting isn't really an option for either the bully or the victim. A vicious cycle of power imbalance establishes itself and must be broken. As long as the rate of bullying increases, we are not doing enough to create safe school environments. In this seven-lesson course, you will investigate the three components of an effective bullying definition; the effect of bullying on stakeholders; legal perspectives; strategies that support the bully and victim; and identify successful intervention programs.

706L  Classroom Management:  A Teacher-Student Collaboration

This 7-lesson course asks you to think about classroom management as a way of interacting with students. It suggests that cooperation and enthusiasm for learning are not things that teachers build in students; rather, they are behaviors and attitudes that teachers help students recognize within themselves. The strategies presented will emphasize helping students discover that they want to be cooperative, active learners. Among other learning goals, this course will allow teachers to explore intent. You will consider what you bring to the student-teacher relationship, and examine how your personality, background, and biases influence how you interact with students. Additionally, you will investigate how an engaging curriculum can help eliminate most classroom management challenges. And you will have a chance to explore why it's important to give students a voice in the classroom, along with the strategies for doing so. You will then explore several classroom management models and determine how those approaches can be adapted for your own context.

707L Classroom Management: Building Relationships for Better Learning

This 7 lesson course presents a broad conception of classroom management. Participants will explore how interpersonal relationships can provide the key to successful classroom management. In this course, participants will reflect on their relationships with students and develop a plan for enhancing these relationships; practice successful strategies for eliminating inappropriate classroom behavior; learn how to develop students' emotional intelligence as a way to manage classroom behavior; and adopt an approach to classroom management that will not be a constant drain on class time. This course provides reflective activities, opportunities to observe and analyze classroom interactions, and actual skill practice. 

709L Conflict Resolution

This 6 lesson course helps educators understand how they can teach conflict resolution skills and empower students to resolve conflicts. Based on the Johnson and Johnson book, Reducing School Violence, this course helps teachers understand how they can — and why they should — address conflict resolution in the classroom and, if feasible, in the school setting. Teachers’ responsibilities include: creating an environment that empowers students to resolve conflicts constructively; teaching students how to negotiate; teaching students how to mediate; knowing how and when to mediate if peer mediation fails; and knowing how and when to arbitrate if peer and teacher mediation fails. This course also features lessons from the Working Together to Resolve Conflict  curriculum published by the University of Florida's Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation Project.

710L  Contemporary School Leadership

Leading today’s complex schools is a challenge. In fact, it's estimated that more than 40 percent of principals have left the profession over the last ten years (Matthews, 2002), quite possibly because of the changed nature of their jobs. Principals report they are frustrated by the lack of time to complete their tasks. In this 6 lesson course, we provide an overview of topics contemporary school leaders need to know as contemporary leaders, including: defining instructional leadership, using data to support continuous progress, dealing with complex change, investigating distributive leadership strategies, supporting learning communities, and redefining professional development as a process, not an event.

712L  Creating an Effective Secondary Reading Program

Secondary educators today know that reading instruction and intervention is no longer the work of elementary teachers alone. As a result, secondary educators recognize the importance of implementing a comprehensive literacy program. In this course, author Tracy Wilson shares some of the tools needed for success in this endeavor. This course—a literacy roadmap—presents research and suggestions for implementing and sustaining change in a school's infrastructure and instructional programs. Among other learning goals, participants will learn strategies for effective reading intervention, review model programs that have successfully boosted literacy as well as examine the key components of a successful secondary literacy program.

714L  Creating and Sustaining Professional Learning Communities

In an effort to address the question, How can we improve student learning, contemporary school leaders can create and sustain professional learning communities (PLCs), which provide support systems to accurately identify and meet the ever changing needs of each student. Schools that operate as professional learning communities enable their members to discuss problems and to develop strategies for dealing with those problems. In this 7-lesson course, we have three objectives. The first is to investigate how contemporary school leaders communicate and collaborate with all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and district personnel, to promote the vision of improved student learning. The second objective is to discuss the roles of student improvement plans (SIPs), issues of change, and professional development in building the spiral of reform that facilitates successful learning communities. Finally, our third objective is to offer several strategies for instantiating and sustaining the learning community process.

716L  Designing Performance Assessments

This 6 lesson course focuses on the purpose of performance assessments and shows participants how to develop performance assessment tasks. In addition to explaining what performance assessment is, this course provides a model to guide educators in developing performance assessments that provide meaningful feedback concerning student learning to students, teachers, and parents.

717L  Differentiating Instruction

This 5 lesson course is designed to enhance participants' understanding of how to better meet the needs of different learners. Participants will examine the characteristics of a differentiated classroom; learn how to frame instruction around concepts and essential understandings; identify techniques for differentiating content, process, and product; and explore how to differentiate on the basis of students' readiness, interest, and learning profile. Participants will also reflect on their beliefs and practices relative to differentiation, read and analyze examples of differentiated learning activities, and design a differentiated activity.

718L  Effective Leadership

This 8 lesson course introduces participants to a variety of tools and techniques designed to enhance leadership skills. However, knowing one's own leadership talents is only part of becoming a more effective leader. Other topics include how to improve the team-building process, how to resolve conflict, and how to become more effective decision makers. Extensive interactive exercises provide participants with ample opportunity to extend their understanding of effective leadership issues.

719L  Embracing Diversity, Respecting Others

This 7 lesson course is designed to give teachers the tools they need to create environments of acceptance and harmony in today's schools. Participants will first explore the diverse landscape that is the United States and its schools today. Participants will then be asked to look inward and reflect on their own beliefs and biases. Lastly, participants will be asked to set tolerance goals for their schools and to create an action plan that will help them accomplish their goals. This course will also give participants an opportunity to explore curricula and lessons that focus on tolerance and diversity. Additionally, participants will learn about instructional approaches that have been recommended by tolerance professionals and used by teachers.

720L English Language Learners in the Mainstream:Strategies That Work

English Language Learners (ELLs) make up the fastest-growing segment of the population in many schools across the United States. As a result, many general education teachers find they are in the position, with limited preparation and training, to teach these learners. In order to do this most effectively, teachers must learn about second language acquisition and find ways to meet the unique needs of their ELL students. This seven-lesson course aims to prepare teachers to work more effectively with English language learners in mainstream classes. Providing English language learners with appropriate instruction and support in the mainstream classroom takes extra time and effort, but the payoff is worth it. Not only do ELL students benefit, so does the rest of the class.

722L  Global Education

This 7 lesson course provides an introduction to teaching using a global perspective. Merry Merryfield, Professor of Social Studies and Global Education at Ohio State University, and Tim Dove, Social Studies teacher at McCord Middle School in Worthington, Ohio, offer their perspectives throughout the course. Participants will explore elements of global education; observe how others have incorporated global education into their classrooms or schools; critique classroom-tested lesson plans and units; infuse global education into a lesson, unit, or theme you already teach; explore teaching strategies; locate national and state standards and frameworks that address global education; and find networking opportunities with others interested in global education through the ASCD Global Education Network. The Nuts and Bolts segments will help participants explore some practical questions and concerns about global education.

727L Maximizing Assistance:Supervising Paraeducators in Your Classroom

More than 930,000 paraeducators were employed in the United States in 1995—a number the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts will increase by 38 percent by 2005.
As the number of paraeducators has increased, so has the complexity in the tasks assigned to them. Recent No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation provides specific requirements as to the role paraeducators will have in the classroom. So, the need to train teachers on how to supervise paraeducators is critical, especially as many teachers—in both general and special education settings—have not been prepared for this role.
In this five-lesson PD Online course, teachers will have a chance to consider their ideas about supervision and explore the contributions paraeducators and other adults can make to our children's educations. Those taking this course will also have an opportunity to create a plan for training and working effectively with the paraeducators in the classroom.

729L  Observing for Dimensions of Learning in Schools

Dimensions of Learning was one of the first comprehensive instructional improvement models to be based on the learning process itself. We know that learning improves when the learner's self-knowledge is taken into account and a variety of techniques are used within the learning environment to enhance the learning experience. Dimensions of Learning reflects these understandings. The central goal of this course is to further delve into Dimensions of Learning by exploring the process of observing for Dimensions of Learning. This 7-lesson course is ideal for administrators and central office curriculum specialists interested in sustaining classrooms and schools that promote effective learning principles — principles reflected in the five Dimensions of Learning. We believe that by exploring this acclaimed instructional improvement model, you and your colleagues will discover a range of strategies for using Dimensions of Learning principles to promote substantial school improvement.

731L  Our Multiple Intelligences:  Implications for Leadership

"When a school becomes a true MI school, every aspect of its program and curriculum changes," writes New City School principal Thomas R. Hoerr in his ASCD book Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School (2000). Managing such sweeping change obviously requires effective leadership. In this course, you'll explore which of the multiple intelligences, when honed, can enhance a leader's competence. You'll also consider how other intelligences not included in MI theory are key to effective leadership. And you'll explore Douglas Reeves's research on leadership characteristics that contribute to improved student achievement. This six-lesson course does not attempt to be a how-to guide for leaders. Instead, the ideas presented will allow course participants to explore various perspectives on effective leadership. We believe that if school leaders better understand how people learn, they can make better decisions about curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Moreover, if school leaders deepen their understanding of how to develop leadership traits that have been shown to be effective, student learning will be enhanced.

732L  Our Multiple Intelligences:  Translating Theory into Practice

It's hard to believe that the theory of multiple intelligences (MI) has been around for three decades. In that time, it has received national and international acclaim, and teachers around the world have been guided by what it suggests about learning and teaching. Even today, it is still relevant to classroom instruction. Our Multiple Intelligences: Translating Theory into Practice is a practical, 7-lesson, online course that provides updated information and ideas for using the theory to help students learn and understand. From an overview of the theory itself to practical and proven ways to use it with students, this course will help you use the theory of multiple intelligences to make learning come alive.

733L  Parents as Partners in Schooling

In this 10 lesson course, teachers, administrators, and others explore issues related to parental involvement in school. Participants will explore how to build a better partnership between schools, families, and community members. The six standards for parent involvement published by the National Parent Teacher Association provide a framework for considering how to best involve parents and community members in school life.

734L  The Reflective Educator

In this 9 lesson course, participants will consider the need to be reflective about their practice. Participants will learn about themselves as educators and will determine how they can build and maintain a reflective practice. In addition, participants hear other educators talk about their experiences as reflective practitioners through the video/audio selections. During the course, participants will give thoughtful consideration to the ways in which they now engage in professional work, and they will identify personal priorities and resources for making a credible difference in education through their practice.

735L  Six Research-Based  Literacy Approaches          for the Elementary Classroom

This 7-lesson course provides participants with the reasons and research behind six components of a balanced literacy program for elementary students. You will explore the following reading instruction practices.

• Reading Aloud
• Shared Reading
• Guided Reading
• Independent Reading
• Words and Sounds
• Writing

The course also provides practical strategies on how to integrate these components into curriculum and instruction.

744L  Technology in Schools:  Planning with the LOCATE Model

Technology changes the way people live, learn, and work in today's world. Schools have little choice about incorporating technology into learning activities; their choice lies in how they do it and how well. Unfortunately, many efforts to introduce technology into classroom lessons fall well short of teacher and student expectations and are not used consistently to produce lasting effects on learning. Components of planning most frequently identified as lacking include poorly defined instructional goals, mismatches between technology resources and learner needs, and a lack of connection between technology resources and content materials. This set of seven lessons will introduce you to an easy-to-remember set of guidelines for choosing and using effective technology resources that will enhance the content you teach. With the combination of your content expertise and thoughtful selection and use of a variety of technology resources supporting curriculum goals, students can look forward to an engaging and satisfying learning experience.

746L  Toward Equity in Achievement

Perhaps no issue in education today causes more distress, yet simultaneously inspires more determination, than what has been called “the achievement gap.” In the face of troubling statistics that reveal the deepest divisions in our society as a whole, schools are challenged with bringing underachieving students up to satisfactory levels of performance while continuing to provide enriching instruction for students who are in the ideal spot on the achievement continuum. This seven-lesson course will help district and school-level leaders explore what it means to strive for equity in achievement and provide insight about education policies that support their earnest efforts to attain equity in achievement.

748L  Understanding by Design:  The Backward Design Process

This 6 lesson course is the third in a series designed to help practitioners understand and apply various aspects of Understanding by Design (UbD). It begins with an overview of the principles of unit design presented in the UbD framework. During the course, the learner will develop a unit based upon content standards, create appropriate assessments, and design instructional activities that ensure all students will be able to demonstrate genuine understanding. By the end of the course, the learner will be able to describe, explain, and apply the design principles and strategies associated with the UbD framework. This course is appropriate for individuals, school-based study groups, individual trainers, staff developers, instructional leaders, and administrators who have a role in bringing coherence to their school-based curriculum and assessment process.

749L  Understanding by Design:  The Six Facets of Understanding

This 7 lesson course is the second in a series designed to help practitioners understand and apply various aspects of Understanding by Design. It explores what Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, the framework authors, call the "six facets of understanding". These six interrelated behaviors provide avenues through which educators can observe and evaluate students' growing understanding of the curriculum they are studying. Beginning with an overview of why teaching for and assessing understanding can be both challenging and critically important, this course then addresses each of the six facets in greater detail. Subsequent lessons explore students' abilities to interpret what they learn, to apply it in new and unpredictable situations, to analyze different perspectives, to express empathy, and to exhibit self-knowledge. Each lesson emphasizes the relationship of the six facets to the backward-design process, including how the facets can be used to identify desired results and to improve assessment tasks and activities.