Professional Development Fall 2013

Misericordia University’s Teacher Education Department/Graduate Education Programs include a professional development opportunity for the educator interested in professional growth and Act 48 credits. A student enrolled in these courses will receive three (3) graduate credits (not transferable toward a master’s degree) and Act 48 credits. All courses are taught by well-qualified instructors who have expertise and experience in the areas they teach.

 

Tuition: $240 per credit, $720 per course

Dates: Dates as indicated

Times: All classes will be held from 8:00am - 5:00pm unless otherwise indicated.

 

Registration:   To register, please contact  David Pasquini at 674-1220 or email dpasquin@misericordia.edu.

 

 

 

 

Every school across the nation strives to present a safe and secure environment. This course will enable the attendee to identify problems that threaten their school security, set objectives to alleviate the problems, and help students write a plan for implementing a crises response/emergency operation handbook.

 

 

This course will focus on research based best practices for the teaching of reading comprehension.  Instruction will include specific strategies to use during the reading process in fiction text.  This course will emphasize the concepts of metacognition, the language of thinking, and the power of meaning through explicit strategy instruction.  This course will reflect changes of the common core.

This course will focus on the practical application of research-based models as they pertain to classroom management, instructional practice, curriculum design, data utilization and assessment.  Opportunities for exploration of current trends (e.g. SAS and RtII) will be coupled with application exercises that will allow each teacher to enhance their own instructional practice. This workshop-style course will allow  teachers to review, analyze and revise their own plans, materials, and resources for use in their current classrooms.

 

This course will explore web based collaborative tools that are available to classroom teachers.  Students will learn to use various online collaboration tools that will enhance and improve their students' learning experience and increase globalization in the classroom.  Research related to collaboration and globalization will be explored.  Access to a computer with reliable Internet is required.

 

 

This course will explore the history of funding for public education.  From Act 50 to Act 72 through Act 1, an analysis of legislature as it pertains to funding will be discussed.  Millage and the property tax will be a topic of primary focus.  Discussions of income tax, sales tax, and various nuisance taxes will be explored as possible solutions for supplementing funding alternatives.  The collective bargaining process and agreements will be studied closely as it impacts funding.

 

This course examines the group of complex neurological developmental disabilities known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).  The course will examine ASD specific diagnostic categories including Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Otherwise Specified, Asperger's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Rett's Disorder.  Core characteristics and deficits associated with the diagnostic categories will be presented.  Issues associated with the identification, assessment and intervention of student's with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the classroom setting will be discussed.

 

This course is designed for regular classroom teachers to help them incorporate ESL students in their classes.  Many practical ideas, strategies, tips, and lessons will be presented that can benefit all students.  The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Model (SIOP) will be discussed in detail.  The SIOP Model offers a research-based approach to sheltered lesson planning and implementation that has proven effective with English language learners throughout the United States.  Some types of alternative assessments to use with ESL students will also be presented.

This course introduces students to: federal, state and local laws and policies that govern curriculum and instruction; legal considerations at both the state and national level that effect pupil services; and, legal and ethical issues facing the classroom teacher.

This course will focus school personnel's role in increasing knowledge of the management of students who demonstrate significant behavioral issues in the classroom.  Topics will include arguing, defiance, noncompliance, verbal and physical aggression.  Social skills and self-management will be among some of the issues explored.  Essential data collection and assessment issues will be discussed.  Collecting data for Functional Behavior Assessments will be reviewed.  There will be an emphasis on proactive strategies and positive behavior support interventions used in the classroom setting.

  

Bullying has received a lot of attention in recent years.  While everyone can recall the kid who scared you into giving him your lunch money, bullying has changed and expanded today.  We will explore the various forms of bullying, including the technologically-mediated cyber bullying.  Statistics and a variety of scenarios will be studied and discussed in detail.  Participants will walk away with practical steps teachers can take to prevent bullying.

 

This workshop style course will allow teachers to strengthen the assessments they employ in their own classrooms.  Based on the backward design model of Wiggins and McTighe and PDE's Standards Aligned System (SAS) and Classroom Diagnostic Tool underpinnings, teachers will be asked to consider assessment and the review of assessment data as part of planning effective instruction.  Current trends (RtI, 4Sight Benchmark Assessments, curriculum based common assessments, and PSSA) in assessment will be explored.  Emphasis will be on the application of effective assessment and planning for the use of created assessment in participants' classrooms.

 

This course will examine the three dimensions of text complexity and what they mean for the practice of teachers.  Through demonstration model lessons, the course will consider what implementation would look like in the classroom across fiction and nonfiction, as well as recommended text exemplars of the common core.