Increasing Student Engagement and Participation in the Common Core Classroom

Are you looking to find new ways to engage students who have difficulty learning or appear reluctant to participate in the classroom? This workshop will examine classroom structures and instructional delivery methods designed to energize the classroom. Find ways to reach those hard-to-reach students by exploring Common Core State Standards with a lens of access and opportunity for all students!

Participants will:

• Learn about common areas of challenge faced by struggling learners, including attention difficulties and environmental factors.
• Discover strategies and tools to engage learners and increase participation within the classroom.
• Learn how to differentiate lessons from the Common Core State Standards to activate learning for all students.

Acting Out the Math

(Integrating the 8 Standards for Mathematical Practices through performance tasks)

Performance tasks have been used by many educators to help with student understanding and long term retention of information. The application of math to the real world makes the learning meaningful and at the same time helps facilitate the integration of the new Common Core Standards.

Participants will:

• Deepen knowledge around 8 Standards for Mathematical Practices and how to integrate them into CCSS Math lessons
• Learn how to navigate the different learning platformsGain an understanding of how performance tasks help facilitate the integration of both content standards and standards for mathematical practices in your classroom.
• Learn about 3-act tasks (an example of a Performance task)
• Explore different resources that help support the 8 SMPs & your grade level’s Math Content Standards

Exploring the 8 Standards for Mathematical Practices in Common Core

The 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice describe the expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in students. These standards are the heart and soul of the Common Core Standards for Mathematics.

Participants will:

• Determine the difference between the 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice and your grade level Common Core Math Content Standards.
• Identify the key elements of each of the 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice.
• Explore hands-on lessons and activities to leverage the 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice in your teaching.

Deconstructing Language: A Look at Complex Text

Teachers are instrumental in supporting their students’ language development and their ability to think and talk about how language is used and structured for different purposes. A great starting point to look at language structure is the different texts that we require our students to read, understand and produce in our classroom.

In this workshop teachers will:

• use the complex, content-rich texts from our classrooms to isolate the language structures, organization, and specific language resources for instruction
• gain strategies for teaching language structures in meaningful and relevant contexts
• identify specific English language resources that are important to explicitly teach to our EL students

Choosing the Just Right Source

Text complexity, lexile levels, quantitative and qualitative measures; all so confusing! These measures are relevant to teaching the Common Core, yet none of them have ever been made relevant to our day to day teaching. Teachers know that choosing sources is more than just about content, that each source we provide for students -- text or media based -- is a tool for learning. But the question remains: how do we know if a source is too easy, too difficult, or just right? This workshop will provide that knowledge, and illustrate the power that choosing the “just right” source has to challenge students, increase motivation in your classes, and improve student learning.

Participants will:

• Discuss the implications of language and text complexity in the classroom
• Understand the measures of text complexity and apply them to practice sources
• Build their knowledge of language to apply to lesson design and instruction in the classroom.

BREATHtaking: Social Emotional Wellness for Educators

Our own Social Emotional Wellness is the best prevention/intervention tool that we can offer our students and colleagues. Mindfulness is gaining a great deal of attention as hospitals, corporations, the U.S. Military, and schools are incorporating mindfulness practices to improve focus and attention, and have a greater sense of overall well-being. In this highly engaging workshop, participants will explore the neuroscience supporting mindfulness for both adults and students, and participants will learn mindfulness activities that can can be put into practice immediately, both in and out of the classroom.

MIND MATTERS--Using Neuroscience to Help Increase Growth Mindset

The more we understand how our brain works, the more we can use it to strengthen our mind, body, and spirit. Participants will learn about the neuroscience that anchors the key components of Social Emotional Learning: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, positive relationships, and decision making. They will learn about the research on Mindset-- as a critical component impacting their teaching as well as an essential tool in their work with students. Participants will engage in lessons that they can replicate in the classroom. We will examine the research on neuroplasticity, growth mindset, and how shifting perspectives of both staff and students will turn frustration, learned helplessness, and apathy into engagement, perseverance and hope.

Words Their Way: Getting Started

Words Their Way (called Palabras a Su Paso in bilingual classrooms) is a differentiated spelling and word work program designed to help students move through the developmental stages at their own pace. Come learn how to get started using this new resource!

Words Their Way: Next Steps

Words Their Way (called Palabras a Su Paso in bilingual classrooms) is a differentiated spelling and word work program designed to help students move through the developmental stages at their own pace. Come learn the next steps to use this resource effectively in your Common Core Classroom!

History-Social Science Framework

This workshop provided by UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project and will introduce secondary teachers to the revised framework for History-Social Science, which is awaiting final adoption, and provide time to revisit a current unit in light of the anticipated framework.

Goals:

• Identify key changes in the draft H-SS framework.
• Evaluate a current unit based on anticipated changes to the H-SS framework

Writing Behavior Intervention Plans: A Hands On Practice

When the behavior of a student with an IEP impedes his or her learning a behavior intervention plan is likely needed. Participants will learn the essential components of a BIP, understand the process for completing one and have the opportunity to practice writing one given a case study in this hands on session.

Strategies for Supporting Instruction

How can I support student learning in a classroom? What can I do to establish instructional control? There are many strategies paraeducators can use to help students access academic learning and supporting teachers in the classrooms. This is an interactive workshop that aims to help participants understand different learning styles, explore different teaching strategies, and to add more “ready to use tricks” to your bag of instructional strategies.

Cognitive Behavioral Interventions With Students Who Have ASD

How do thoughts impact our emotions and behaviors? Are our thoughts helpful in managing this situation, feeling, or experience? What is a more helpful way of thinking about or interpreting this situation? How do we expand rigid thinking patterns to incorporate new ideas and information? Does this really work?

This training will provide an overview of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and strategies and tools for implementing cognitive behavioral interventions with learners who have a diagnosis of ASD.

Working Collaboratively with SDC’s, Gen Ed, Full Inclusion: Intervention and Modifications
Visual Supports in the Classroom:Structured Teaching

This seminar will define structured teaching and offer strategies for implementing the components of structured teaching within the general education classroom setting, in a special education resource room, or in a specialized classroom for students with disabilities. Structured teaching is used to help individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) understand their environment and daily activities using their visual mode, which is usually their strongest modality.

Participants will be able to:

• Define structured teaching and name its components
• Identify routines that are helpful to persons with autism
• Define the term individual work systems and describe the importance of these systems for individuals with autism
• Describe strategies for creating and adapting work systems
• List the steps for creating a structured environment

Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED Class

By attending this instructor-led course you will learn how to respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies. A certified instructor will guide you through hands-on practice of life saving skills. Upon successful completion of the class you will receive a certificate of Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED valid for 2 years.