This course is designed to explore the impact of technology, digital communication, and the ways children and adolescents socialize, learn, and are perceived in the classroom. Participants in this course will learn about the nature of digital devices and the pressure they place on K-12 students, and how they can impede the development of critical life skills such as empathy, conflict resolution, and resilience. The effective use of technology and media literacy will be investigated. This course prepares educators by engaging them in thoughtful dialogue and activities that promote 21st-century ideas and understanding of students’ diverse, digital, and global learning needs. [1] Educational research is based on the findings of Riin Seema, Ph.D., Ene Varik-Maasik, Ph.D., Daniele Giansanti, Ph.D., Olusola O. Adesope, Ph.D., and Patricia L. Maarhuis, Ph.D,[2] and the research on artificial intelligence and its impact on student development is based on the findings of Ying Xu, Ph.D., Faith Rogow, Ph.D., Michael Ali, Ph.D., Ryan Nagelhout, Ph.D., Emily Weinstein, Ph.D., and Carrie James, Ph.D. Foundational work in this course will include research on understanding effective practices, student learning strategies, and classroom outcomes. Participants will synthesize these paradigms and develop a new understanding of educators’ roles in the classroom, along with the latest tools, methods, and techniques for cultivating students’ learning and a state-of-the-art teaching approach to meet their educational goals.

Course #: IMW26016
Dates: 04/06/26 - 05/03/26
Categories:

Positive Classroom Management Technology Tools for the Classroom Content-Area Teaching

Format:

Interactive

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Participants in this course will examine methodologies to facilitate the development of a culturally relevant classroom centered around research of Gloria Ladson-Billings, Geneva Gay, Django Paris, and H. Samy Alim, among others. Participants will reflect on their own teaching practices and explore strategies and frameworks that incorporate a student’s and school community’s cultural heritage and experiences; fostering a much more wholistic educational experience for all children. The foundations of culturally responsive teaching will be researched. Strategies for helping students, teachers, and parents understand what culturally relevant teaching is and how it is effectively implemented will be explored. Participants will learn how to create a culturally welcoming classroom, development and implement strategies for fostering relationships between different cultures in one’s classroom, and how to help students understand differences between cultures in a respectful manner. Additional topics include culturally responsive classroom management and discipline, including students with special needs in the culturally responsive classroom, and connecting parents/home to the culturally relevant classroom.

Course #: IMS26501
Dates: 06/01/26 - 06/14/26
Categories:

Equity & Diversity Positive Classroom Management

Format:

Interactive

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Participants in this course will learn how to build academic success by exploring and developing tools to increase K-12 students’ soft skills (communication, work ethic, leadership, personal responsibility, and listening.) They will recognize and prioritize their students’ soft skills that will be valuable in reaching future goals, remaining optimistic, and dealing with conflict in their schooling. Participants will explore a series of strategies for reaching and helping students learn appropriate behaviors, strategies for the future, and ways to help prepare them for college and career readiness. Research is based on the works of Robert W. Gaines, II, Ph.D., Meca B. Mohammed, Ph.D., Cheryl Talley, Ph.D., and Marcheta Evans, Ph.D., among others. Foundational work in this course will include the research on understanding soft skills, strategies to develop soft skills, bringing students' soft skills to reach within the classroom, and the different types of soft skills: communication, work ethic, leadership, personal responsibility, and listening. Participants will synthesize these paradigms and develop a new understanding of the role that soft skills can play in student learning, along with new tools and techniques for cultivating students’ soft skills.

Course #: IMS26502
Dates: 06/01/26 - 06/14/26
Categories:

Positive Classroom Management Content-Area Teaching

Format:

Interactive

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This course empowers educators to transform discipline from a reactive process to a proactive opportunity for connection and growth. Participants will explore research-based strategies to de-escalate conflict, foster student accountability, and create a culture of respect. Grounded in the work of researchers such as Dr. Ross Greene (The Explosive Child) and Dr. Bruce Perry (The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog), participants will explore how behavioral challenges are often manifestations of unmet needs and lagging skills—not intentional defiance. The course integrates principles of restorative justice (as advanced by Howard Zehr) to reframe misbehavior as an opportunity for growth and relationship-building. Educators will analyze discipline systems, recognize the role of equity and trauma, and design practices that build student relationships and restore trust. A toolkit of practices will be developed to foster safe, responsive, and equitable learning environments. By the end of this course, educators will be equipped with practical, research-based strategies to replace punitive discipline with relational, restorative approaches that prioritize connection, accountability, and student dignity. Participants will design an implementation plan or presentation that demonstrates their ability to apply student-centered practices to real-world classroom or schoolwide challenges. Through this comprehensive approach, educators will be empowered to build trust, repair harm, and create inclusive learning environments where every student feels seen, supported, and capable of success. Throughout the course, participants will engage in interactive dialogue through a variety of mediums to receive valuable feedback to reflect on from their instructor. All formative and summative projects are reviewed and graded, and feedback from the instructor will be provided, allowing the participant to enhance their portfolio of educational tools/resources to impact their classroom or school community.

Course #: IMS26510
Dates: 06/15/26 - 06/28/26
Categories:

Positive Classroom Management Instructional Strategies

Format:

Interactive

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This course is designed to help educators build a classroom structure where differentiated instruction can occur on a daily basis for varying abilities. Through the use of videos, readings, personal reflection, and online forum questions, participants will experience differentiated instruction as well as learn methods to implement strategies in their own classroom. Participants will learn to shape and maintain learning conditions that facilitate differentiated instruction, including how to identify learning styles, create tiered activities, differentiation strategies, effective classroom management, and design the physical space for classroom differentiation scenarios. Participants will leave the course with resources and strategies to reach students of varying abilities, grades, and learning styles and help them take ownership of their education.

Course #: IMS26509
Dates: 06/15/26 - 06/28/26
Categories:

Equity & Diversity Instructional Strategies

Format:

Interactive

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Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts a student's ability to focus, behave, and learn effectively. This course provides a comprehensive and updated overview of ADHD, including its symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and effects on students' academic performance. It also addresses common co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety and mood disorders, as noted by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Child Mind Institute. Educators participating in this course will focus on the learning challenges faced by students with ADHD, emphasizing the need for tailored teaching strategies and supportive learning environments. The course highlights the importance of executive function skills for organization and time management, as well as the role of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in promoting positive behaviors, as explained by Understood (a leading nonprofit organization committed to empowering tens of millions of people with learning and thinking differences in the United States). Participants will learn about Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and educational rights, exploring various treatment options. Finally, this course will address the significance of collaboration between educators and families, alongside strategies to foster motivation, self-advocacy, and essential life skills in students with ADHD, in line with insights from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Course #: IMS26522
Dates: 07/13/26 - 07/26/26
Categories:

Equity & Diversity Instructional Strategies

Format:

Interactive

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This course will educate participants on the difference of a fixed or growth mindset, and how Appreciative Inquiry (AI) can cultivate the classroom environment into a place of risk taking and success. Participants will learn about their own mindset and how it impacts students, as well as techniques for evaluating the growth mindset, strategies for reframing failures to successes, and devising lesson plans with the growth mindset in mind. Participants will also learn about Appreciative Inquiry and how it is among the growing trend of approaches to human development and organizational change. Focus on the power of positive question and imagery, sharing stories, and implementation of Dr. David Cooperrider’s 4-D cycle will be reviewed, along with implementation strategies. Participants will leave the course understanding how to create a dynamic classroom that fosters growth and compassion; that will create bonds with students to push them further and increase test scores.

Course #: IMS26521
Dates: 07/13/26 - 07/26/26
Categories:

Positive Classroom Management Instructional Strategies

Format:

Interactive

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