THIS CLASS IS ONLY OPEN TO NEW TEACHERS IN THE GREENBURGH CSD. All sessions will be held from 3:30 - 5:30PM at the Woodlands MS/HS Innovation Lab. The DATES are as follows: September 10, 2026 October 8, 2026 November 19, 2026 December 10, 2026 (Asynchronous - Mid-Year Reflection (written assignment) January 14, 2027 February 11, 2027 March 4, 2027 April 15, 2027 May 13, 2027 June 2, 2027 ***1 additional hours will be spent on assignments outside of our sessions. *** In case of a snow day, we will meet virtually for that session. **In order to receive the 1 in-service credit from EWTC you MUST attend ALL sessions and complete all assignments.

This online course will equip K-12 educators with innovative strategies to improve their teaching practices through systematic self-reflection and integration of artificial intelligence (AI)/technology tools. Participants will explore methods for effective reflective journaling, utilize data and student feedback, and harness AI to enhance lesson planning and classroom management. Educators will engage in peer observations, technology-enhanced reflection, and develop actionable plans to refine their instructional approach. By the end of this course, educators will be adept at using reflection and technology to foster a more effective and fulfilling teaching experience. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

This professional development course will equip K-12 educators and administrators with the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to effectively teach financial literacy. During this 45 hour class, participants will examine the principles of financial literacy, explore engaging teaching methods, and develop practical tools for building financial understanding among students. At the end of this course, teachers will be equipped to help students make consequential financial decisions with a clear grasp of their potential impact. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

This online course is designed to provide PreK-12 teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to seamlessly incorporate Magic School AI into their daily teaching practices. The course will cover how to use AI for lesson planning, assessment creation, differentiation strategies, and classroom management. Throughout the course, teachers will have opportunities for practical application, analyze realistic classroom situations, and create AI-integrated resources that are ready for immediate use. By the completion of the course, participants will be confident in their ability to leverage the diverse features of Magic School AI to improve their classroom instruction. By the end of this course, participants will be able to apply features in Magic School AI to enhance their teaching. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

Strategies for Student Success is a dynamic professional learning course designed to reignite educators' passion and equip them with practical, research-based strategies that spark engagement and improve student outcomes. Participants will explore high-impact instructional practices, inclusive strategies, formative assessment, and purposeful technology integration-with an introduction to ethical, classroom-ready AI tools that support planning, personalization, and feedback. Through reflection, collaboration, and hands-on application, educators will develop an Ignite Learning Action Plan that outlines strategies and digital resources you will use to sustain meaningful, student-centered learning. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

Family engagement is a key factor in student success, yet many educators face challenges in building meaningful, lasting partnerships with families. This asynchronous 15-hour course equips educators with practical strategies to foster strong connections with families, create inclusive communication practices, support home learning, and develop sustainable engagement initiatives. Participants will explore research-based best practices, case studies, and real-world applications to strengthen family-school collaboration. Each session includes interactive reflections, scenario-based problem-solving, and hands-on resource development to help educators implement engagement strategies in their schools and classrooms. By the end of the course, participants will have developed a personalized 3-month family engagement action plan that includes communication strategies, home learning support, and community partnerships tailored to their unique school and student population. This course is designed for K-12 educators, administrators, school counselors, and family engagement coordinators seeking practical, immediately applicable tools to deepen relationships with families and extend learning beyond the classroom. By the end of this course, participants will walk away with actionable tools and strategies to foster meaningful family engagement that extends learning beyond the classroom and creates lasting partnerships for student success. This course will be delivered in Google Classroom. A rockteach email address will be assigned to all participants. RTCI/WTCI course.

In this hybrid course, participants will read "White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War and Rewrote History" by Ann Bausum. The course will provide participants with a more accurate version of history, which will, in turn, allow them to teach the same. We will make connections between the historical context discussed in the book and current educational pedagogy, including media literacy and incorporating primary sources. We will explore resources that support an interdisciplinary approach to the topic. Selections from "Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day and All Year Long K-3" will be used to modify content for elementary and special teachers. There will be 3 Mandatory Zoom sessions in addition to the 9 hours of asynchronous work on Monday, November 16, 30, and December 14 from 4:30-6:30 pm. Your camera must be on and you must be present on-screen at all times during the Zoom sessions. Participation in the Zoom sessions, including responding to prompts in the chat, is required to receive full credit for the course. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

STEM learning is a social and emotional experience as much as a cognitive one. Collaborating on a design challenge, persisting through a failed experiment, regulating frustration when code will not run, and taking intellectual risks in a math class all depend on social-emotional competencies, yet SEL and STEM are rarely taught together deliberately. This 45-hour course equips K-12 educators to bring the two domains into dialogue: building collaborative STEM communities, developing growth mindset and productive struggle, supporting students through the emotional dimensions of scientific and mathematical work, and designing STEM experiences that develop the whole learner. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

This Free class is only open to consortium members. For the Fall/Winter Book Club, we will read "Pedagogies of Voice: Street Data and the Path to Student Agency" by Shane Safir, Marlo Bagsik, Sawsan Jaber, and Crystal M. Watson. This book explores how educators can foster student agency through four key areas: Identity, Belonging, Inquiry, and Efficacy. Readers will gain practical strategies for creating classrooms that honor student voice, strengthen engagement, and cultivate belonging. What to expect: All participants are asked to purchase the book before the start of the book club cycle All participants are asked to read the book and come prepared for book discussions across three live mandatory Zoom meetings: Thursday, December 3rd - 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (Discussion will be on pages vii-xxxiv and Chapters 1-4) Thursday, December 17th - 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (Discussion will be on Chapters 5-7) Thursday, January 7th - 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (Discussion will be on Chapters 8-10, Integrative Case Study and Epilogue) All participants are required to do three asynchronous assignments after each live Zoom discussion. Your camera must be on and you must be present on-screen at all times during the Zoom sessions. Participation in the Zoom sessions, including responding to prompts in the chat, is required to receive full credit for the course.

Digital resources can increase students' motivation, classroom engagement and can be used with a wide variety of learners. In this online course, we will explore digital literacy resources, virtual field trips, interactive museums, and digital tools to enhance classroom instruction. Students will have access to these resources at any time and can set their own pace when working through activities. Teachers, with these digital (paperless) resources in their toolbox, can enhance their lesson plans while, at the same time, give students a chance to be creative and more actively engaged in the classroom. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

In this course, we will unpack effective and practical executive functioning strategies that can have a positive effect on our students' school experiences. Executive functions control and regulate cognitive and social behaviors like controlling impulses, paying attention, remembering information, planning, organizing time and materials, and responding appropriately to stressful social situations. Students have the potential to develop executive functioning skills and, by exploring which functions they need, educators can offer support in a variety of different ways. We will address challenges with time management, organization, self control and consequences of impulsive behavior. Through structure, strategies, and classroom support, executive functioning can have a positive effect on student learning and personal growth. PLEASE NOTE: The institute cannot refund a participant once the class has commenced.

Participants will take a deep dive into the book, "The Power of Moments” and discover how important it is for people to create lifetime moments and experiences for others. This includes teachers and principals creating lasting memories for pivotal transition moments, such as the first day of work, the first day of school, graduation, reading 100 books or passing a test. We will have journal entries and a discussion board to discuss each chapter and how it relates to us as teachers. We will discuss the key factors that define pivotal moments and how to create them for others and ourselves. Moments have the ability to define and change our lives. Required Text: The Power of Moments- Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Participants must secure a copy of the book or ebook prior to the start of the course. RTCI/WTCI Course

Participants, who already have a baseline knowledge of Canva, will be able to level up their teaching with this 15 hour asynchronous course. Canva has a wealth of information made readily available to teachers, but what we need more of is to sit down and develop, modify and improve our lessons. This course will be designed to take the type of teaching/learning that has ‘always been done' and the ‘I wish I could make this more engaging' and put that into practice. Students are well versed with technology, and have come to expect their classes to keep up as well. Participants will be asked to look at their lessons with a focus on incorporating Canva into them. For example, while teaching Romeo and Juliet, I used to have the students create masquerade ball invites on construction paper while reading that scene. Now, I use the same concept, but involve Canva, and the results have been much more engaging. We all need more time to work on our lessons, let this class help guide that! This 15 hour asynchronous course will be delivered in Google Classroom. You will be assigned a rockteach email to participants. Canva offers a free version called Canva for Education that is specifically designed for educators and their students. This program provides access to many of the same features as Canva Pro, including access to premium images, fonts, and templates, all at no cost to the user. RTCI will NOT provide Canva subscriptions to participants.
RTCI/WTCI course