Listings

Graduate Credit Available! - This online course will help the learner achieve a better understanding of ADD and intervention strategies to facilitate positive student change. Taught by Mick R. Jackson MS/ED, this course covers the history of the disorder, accepted methods to assess and identify students with the disorder, and various methods, medications, and strategies that are currently used to treat it. For situations in which services beyond what can be provided in the classroom are required, the referral process for getting help for the student will be addressed. Reference materials include a list of resources for both teachers and parents who would like more help or information about ADD or ADHD. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! - This online course is geared primarily for professionals (e.g., regular or special educators, instructional assistants, school psychologists, counselors) serving children and youths presenting behavior problems in the school or community, this course focuses on cognitive and cognitive-behavioral interventions (often lumped together under the rubric “social skills”) with an emphasis on teaching students how to change and manage their own behavior. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! This online course describes Autism and Asperger's Disorder, including characteristics of these disorders, associated learning styles, communication weaknesses, and various intervention strategies. The course helps the learner understand why individuals with Autism spectrum disorders behave the way they do, and what you can do to enhance more appropriate behavior. This course also lists resources for educators, related service personnel, and parents who want more help or information on Autism and Asperger's Disorder. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! - This course is designed to give the learner a new perspective on student behavior and effective tools to facilitate positive student change. 45 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

There is a growing trend in education at all levels toward blended learning models. This approach requires teachers to rethink their roles in the classroom. This ASCD developed course will introduce you to the various blended learning models used throughout the country.

Graduate Credit Available! -This online course is designed to help the learner gain a more comprehensive understanding of alcohol, drugs, and their influences in the classroom. It provides a contextual framework for understanding what students may be experiencing either through their own substance use or as a result of the substance use of persons close to them and provides a basic historical perspective of substance use along with the biological, psychological, and social factors that comprise the disease of addiction. Upon course completion, the learner will better understand the complex dynamics that contribute to this biological and social phenomenon. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! -This online course is designed to give you a new perspective on serving the needs of young children and their families. In this course you will learn what is meant by family-centered services as it applies to diverse systems of care, gain an understanding of family diversity, and explore the major stress factors facing families today. We will discuss the theoretical basis for family-centered services, as well as reflect on current research and best practice. Family-Centered Services will also examine the role of early childhood educators and explore ways to build partnerships with parents and create communities of care—for the benefit of our children, and ultimately society as a whole. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! - This online course is designed to further develop the conceptual and technical skills required by teachers to help them identify their educational goals and implement meaningful instructional strategies for effective learning by students with special needs. The focus of the course is on assessment for instructional programming and will outline procedures for designing or selecting, administering, and interpreting a variety of informal assessment measures typically used in schools. The presentation of assessment information in an acceptable format to parents and teachers is also addressed. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

In Embracing Diversity: Global Education, you’ll develop an understanding of the role of global awareness as an important skill for students in the 21st century. Through video examples, in-depth readings, and problem-solving activities, you’ll learn various ways to infuse global awareness into your lessons, school activities, and community connections and make global connections through technology.

Graduate Credit Available! - This online course, Harassment, Bullying & Cyber-Intimidation in Schools, will discuss definitions and the personal, social, and legal ramifications associated with sexual harassment, bullying, and cyber-intimidation. The course will address what we know about these troubling areas. We will then explore preventative strategies as well as how school staff can address these issues when they occur. A clear understanding of what constitutes harassment and the harmful effects of harassment on people and institutions is essential to providing a safe and inclusive school environment for all. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! - An Introduction to Scientifically-based Research, the first in the three-course Reading Fundamentals series on effective reading instruction, was designed to give background on scientifically-based instruction as it applies to the federal legislation of 2001. The course discusses the research that supports scientifically-based research as it applies to phonetically-based instruction, assessment, and evaluation. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! -The purpose of this second course in this three-course series is to lay the foundation for effective reading instruction. As part of this course, you will learn about the elements of effective instruction. It is important that all teachers have a firm understanding of effective instructional procedures. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! - This course will focus on learning to read, reading to learn, and an introduction to reading assessment. As part of these two key areas of reading instruction, the five elements of effective reading instruction will be highlighted, including definitions, implications for instruction, and future directions. These five elements include instruction in: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Further, we discuss information on teacher preparation in learning about comprehension strategy instruction and reading instruction, as well as how to integrate computer technology into the classroom 45 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

Graduate Credit Available! - This online course offers instruction in teaching reading and writing in various subject matter fields at the secondary level. The material stresses the skills of vocabulary building, comprehension, and writing, as well as methods for motivating adolescents to read and write. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course. This course is available for 2 graduate credits from Aurora University for an additional $200.

Graduate Credit Available! - This course will help you understand and identify differences in approaches to learning and performance, including different learning styles and ways in which students demonstrate learning.  This course will emphasize understanding how students’ learning is influenced by individual experiences, talents, disabilities, gender, language, culture, family, and community values. You will be challenged to apply knowledge of the richness of contributions from our diverse society to your teaching field. 30 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.

In The Next Generation Science Standards: An Introduction , you will start with the background and genesis of the standards and conclude with assessment of the three dimensions (3-D) of learning. In between, you will discover the relationship between A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), science learning progressions, 3-D learning and instruction, and engineering practices and design. Through the in-depth readings, video examples, and supplementary resources, you’ll explore ways to begin implementing these standards and this revolutionary new mode of teaching science into your classroom, district, or state.

Graduate Credit Available! This online course is designed to help classroom teachers, school counselors, and other educational personnel gain strategies to reach and teach students who have been affected by stress, trauma, and/or violence. Participants will learn the signs and symptoms of stress and trauma and explore how stress, violence, and trauma affect a student's learning, cognitive brain development, and social-emotional development. The short- and long-term consequences of being exposed to stress, trauma, or violence, as well as the social and family causes, will be reviewed. The dynamics of domestic violence and community violence are also discussed, as is the educator's role in the intervention and prevention of violence.

In this ASCD course, you’ll explore how the principles and practices of Understanding by Design® can help you get the most out of your instructional time. Through video examples, in-depth readings, and downloadable applications, you’ll learn practical ways to put UbD™ to work in classrooms.

This online course is designed to give participants an understanding of school violence and increase intervention strategies

Graduate Credit Available! - . In this course you will learn what is meant by Differentiated Instruction (DI) and the common myths associated with creating the differentiated classroom. We will discuss the legal, theoretical, and pedagogical foundations in the field of education that support the utilization of differentiated instructional practices and principles. We will reflect on best practices and national trends in the design of the educational setting to meet the needs of a diverse learning population. Why DI?: An Introduction to Differentiated Instruction will also provide connections to a variety of concepts, variables, and resources that will assist practitioners in aligning their own professional practices with those found in the differentiated classroom. 45 Illinois Professional Development Hours approved for this course.