Participants will explore personal narratives of educators who have attained biliteracy at a young age through the book "Words Were All We Had: Becoming Biliterate Against the Odds" by Maria de la Luz Reyes. Using this book and other resources, teachers will gain a powerful perspective on the experiences of English Language Learners and share insights into the emotional, cognitive, and cultural challenges faced by English learners. By the end of this course, participants will learn effective communication strategies, foster resilience, and create culturally responsive learning environments in order to support the academic and personal growth of their ELL students in any academic setting. This is not a book study course. Participants will select certain sections of the book to read as part of their weekly coursework.

Students learn best when they can connect classroom concepts to authentic, real-world experiences. This online course explores the principles and practices of experiential learning and its alignment with New York State's Portrait of a Graduate initiative. Participants will examine strategies that promote critical thinking, communication, collaboration, innovation, and self-direction while increasing student engagement and ownership of learning. Educators will discover how to integrate meaningful, hands-on learning experiences into any grade level or content area. Participants will leave the course with ready-to-use ideas, resources, and strategies to help students develop the skills needed for future academic and career success.

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5a2la9WTtY In our current information economy, math is everywhere. The people we date, the news we see, the influence of our votes, the candidates who win elections, the education we have access to, the jobs we get-all of it is underwritten by an invisible layer of math that few of us understand, or even notice. This film isn't just for math teachers - It's about math's critical role in (literally) holding up our infrastructure and cities, and about its impact on our electoral process, news ecosystem, dating sites, social media feeds, housing market, and prisons. English and social studies teachers can incorporate quantitative reasoning through activities like analyzing statistics in media and political rhetoric, studying social media algorithms and misinformation, interpreting polling and demographic data, examining income inequality, and evaluating public policy tradeoffs. Across grade levels, the goal is to help students use math as a tool for civic understanding, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making so they become more informed citizens and consumers of information.

Throughout this course, participants will explore the transformative power of letting go of what they cannot control. Drawing on the principles from the bestselling book Let Them by Mel Robbins, along with reflective activities and collaborative discussions, educators will examine how adopting a "Let Them" mindset can reduce stress, improve relationships, strengthen emotional resilience, and foster a more positive and productive learning environment for both teachers and students.

AI in education is moving beyond chatbots like ChatGPT toward larger AI ecosystems that include multimodal tools, educational AI agents, and teacher workflow assistants built into everyday educational platforms. This course will explore the shift from chatbots to AI ecosystems and examine the differences between generative AI, adaptive AI, and AI assistants, along with their classroom uses and ethical concerns. Participants will leave the course with practical strategies, classroom ideas, and a better understanding of where AI in education may be heading next.

This course introduces educators to the principles and practices of data-driven instruction. Participants will learn how to collect, analyze, and utilize various forms of educational data to inform their teaching practices and improve student learning outcomes. The course covers topics such as understanding data-driven instruction, designing effective assessments, utilizing student work and observations, and implementing data management tools.

During this course we will explore how student engagement and classroom behavior are closely connected. Teachers will look at practical strategies to increase participation, boost motivation, and create a more positive classroom environment where students are focused and involved. By strengthening engagement, teachers can help reduce behavior challenges and support greater overall success.

This course combines research-based strategies with practical application. Participants will finish with a comprehensive toolkit for creating positive, productive, and inclusive classroom environments. Teachers will leave not only with new strategies but also with a personalized Classroom Management Plan ready for implementation.

This course is designed to help experienced educators develop the skills, mindset, and strategies needed to effectively mentor new teachers. Participants will explore the role of mentorship in supporting teacher growth, building confidence, improving classroom practice, and fostering a positive school culture. Topics will include communication and relationship-building, providing constructive feedback, supporting classroom management and lesson planning, navigating difficult conversations, and helping new teachers balance professional expectations and personal well-being.

The course is designed to familiarize participants with current methodologies and practices used in the integration of writing in the classroom. The development and implementation of writing prompts, techniques, and exercises to help produce a content-based classroom rich in literacy is the essential theme. Focus will be placed on using an inquiry-based approach to writing through a myriad of modalities, including: journaling, tiered vocabulary, exploration of writing styles, visual literacy, dialoguing, and creative controversies. Participants are asked to bring curricular materials: laptop, required textbook, and other resources essential to the content of the participant. In addition, a personal journal is required in an effort for participants to reflect on daily activities and help in the design of lessons merging writing techniques with required content useful in the classroom.

Would you like to learn simple ways to improve your Spanish? Us too! Join us for this introductory course to Spanish basics and learn several useful tools to help you in the classroom right away. We will focus on classroom-specific vocabulary and useful tools to assist you and your students, to give you a foundation to build on for the future.

This hands-on workshop introduces educators to the fundamentals of 3D printing and its applications in the classroom. Participants will explore how 3D printers create physical objects by building layers of material from a digital design, gaining an understanding of the complete design-to-print workflow. Topics will include: *How 3D Printers Work - Understanding additive manufacturing, printer components, and the step-by-step printing process. Learning how slicing software prepares digital models for printing and exploring common printing materials. *Introduction to Tinkercad - Using Autodesk Tinkercad, a free and user-friendly online CAD (Computer-Aided Design) platform, to create and modify 3D models. *Classroom Applications - Discovering ways to integrate 3D printing into STEM, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, art, and project-based learning activities. By the end of the course, educators will have a foundational understanding of 3D printing technology and the confidence to integrate design thinking, engineering, and maker-centered learning experiences into their classrooms. ***Please bring a bagged lunch***

Learn how to seamlessly integrate social-emotional learning into your existing classroom practices without adding "one more thing" to your plate. Participants will gain practical strategies for embedding SEL into daily routines, transitions, classroom discussions, and instructional activities, creating a more connected, supportive, and engaging learning environment for all students.