Registration for this course closes on 7/14/20

INSTRUCTOR: Rhonda Bielawski & Elaine Obidowski


Interrupt the bullying cycle! This course will provide participants with the skills and ideas to create a more positive school climate and decrease the bullying incidents in their school and classroom. Using the latest available research based curriculum, participants will learn how to impact bullies, victims, and bystanders. The course explores ways to promote a bully free school environment and encourage all individuals, not just bullies and victims, to be part of the solution in their school.

Registration for this course closes on 7/14/20

INSTRUCTOR: Michael and Rhonda Bielawski


A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence can be developed with effort. Students with a growth mindset understand they can get "smarter" through hard work, the use of effective strategies, and getting help from others when needed. A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence is a fixed trait handed out at birth. Course participants will review the research about the brain and how the brain, like a muscle, changes and grows in response to challenge. Throughout the course we will explore how we, as educators, can praise students for effort and process rather than praising them for being "smart." Participants will take with them practical strategies to implement whether they are teachers, counselors, speech therapists, nurses, parents, or simply anyone who wants to learn more about fostering a growth mindset in themselves or others.

Registration for this course closes on 7/15/20

INSTRUCTOR: Kathleen Himes


Required Text: participants must obtain the following text in order to successfully complete this course. This text can be ordered online in new or used condition; it may also be available for download to Kindle or other mobile text readers. Please wait to order the course text until 3-5 days prior to the course start date, after you receive a confirmation email that your course tuition payment has been processed. Waiting until AIU processes tuition payments for a course will ensure that you won't need to return a text for a canceled course.


Title: You Can't Teach Until Everyone is Listening, 1st edition. Author: Page, Marilyn L. ISBN-13: 978-1412960151


Are Your Students Tuned In? Strategies for Engaging Every Student is an online course exploring research-based ways that student behavior and academic success are directly related to teacher behavior and management techniques. Throughout this course, participants will be given explicit instructions and tools for encouraging and directing student behavior and developing a classroom community where every student is an active member and listener. The course textbook, written by Marilyn Page, examines strategies and provides directives to engage every student. Evidence shows that before academic objectives can be met, the environment must be conducive for learning and civility must be practiced. This course provides teachers with the management tools to support and succeed with today's students, focusing specifically on recognizing each student as a stakeholder in class.

Registration for this course closes on 7/15/20

INSTRUCTOR: John Green


It is no longer possible to reach all students with the same instruction practices. Teachers are faced of instructing students with diverse learning backgrounds and cultures. Classrooms have many challenges. To help all students be successful teachers need to instruct differently to reach all students' learning styles and abilities. This course will explore Differentiated Instruction in today's classrooms. Throughout the course participants will analyze their own beliefs and create plans based on readings & activities.

Registration for this course closes on 7/21/20

INSTRUCTOR: Michael and Rhonda Bielawski


This course will provide participants descriptions of disorders that fall under the autism spectrum. Participants will review the latest research in the autism field and legal aspects of having students with autism in the classroom. We will explore fostering social competence in students with autism, developing and implementing IEPs for students with autism, and how to best meet these students' needs while promoting acceptance from the other classmates. Participants will take with them practical educational and instructional strategies to implement within their classroom.

Registration for this course closes on 7/22/20

INSTRUCTOR: Kathleen Himes


Required Text: participants must obtain the following text in order to successfully complete this course. This text can be ordered online in new or used condition; it may also be available for download to Kindle or other mobile text readers. Please wait to order the course text until 3-5 days prior to the course start date, after you receive a confirmation email that your course tuition payment has been processed. Waiting until AIU processes tuition payments for a course will ensure that you won't need to return a text for a canceled course.


Title: The Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook: Ready-to-Use Strategies and Activities for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities, 3rd edition. Authors: Harwell, Joan M and Jackson, Rebecca Williams ISBN-13: 978-0787997557


In today's classroom, every teacher must be prepared to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities. This course is designed to equip teachers with resources, techniques and the methodology necessary to help students with learning disabilities succeed in the regular education classroom. This course uses scientific research and best practices to guide participants in planning and developing specific classroom interventions for students with varying learning disabilities. Behavior and classroom management techniques as well as academic goal-setting and assessment methods will be addressed. Special education laws and the IEP are also reviewed in detail, as well as the classroom teacher's role in assessing and identifying students with learning disabilities.

Registration closes for this course on 7/29/2020

Required Text: How Languages are Learned (4th ed). Authors: Patsy Lightbrown and Nina Spade. Oxford Press - ISBN 978-0194541268.


This course is designed to give the participants an understanding of the theories of how language is acquired. We will be discussing various language acquisition theories, the stages of language acquisition, and strategies of how to help your students acquire language in the four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. We will also discuss accommodations and modifications along with these teaching strategies that can be used during small group ESL instruction and by general education teachers.

Registration for this course closes on 10/28/2020

Required Textbook: Classroom Instruction That Works with English Learners (2nd ed). Authors: Hill & Miller. ISBN: 978-14166-1630-6


Teachers will examine the theories, principles, and practices that assist English language learners in achieving academic proficiency in the content areas. Planning standards-based instruction and adapting instruction in the content areas is emphasized. To promote the academic success of English language learners, teachers will involve the family and community, and analyze the learner to establish learning goals and assessment measures that are appropriate for the individual student. ESL teachers will be able to demonstrate knowledge of their ELLs and the role of individual characteristics in the process and outcome of language learning. Drawing upon this knowledge, they will demonstrate an ability to observe and plan standards-based ESL and content instruction for students from K-12. They will use the PA Academic Content Standards, as well as, the PA English Language Proficiency Standards when planning lessons. They will use performance-based measures to assess ELLs discrete and integrated ability to use grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading, and writing to communicate.

Registration for this course closes on 12/22/2020

Required Textbook:Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges to Educational Equity (2nd ed). Author: Gottlieb, M. ISBN: 978-1483381060


Assessing and supporting English Language Learners can be challenging for teachers and students. As English language learners in grades K-12 acquire English, there needs to be appropriate and valid measures in place when assessing their progress. Assessment tools need to be based upon individual proficiency levels of students. In this course, student teachers will gain exposure to the tools necessary to assess English Language Learners. The course will offer knowledge on benchmarks for each English proficiency level.

ESL teachers demonstrate and share knowledge and techniques of appropriate assessments with a range of stakeholders. This includes the ability to administer required testing as well as to make accommodations to such testing when appropriate; the expertise to help colleagues and families understand how assessment can be designed and interpreted to best demonstrate what ELLs know and are able to do; the use of data generated by multiple measures to ensure that ELLs have access to a quality language instructional program; Revised 12/18/2017 and to make progress toward benchmarks and display academic growth while receiving services within an ESL program.

Registration for this course closes on 2/17/2021

Textbook Title: Schoolwide Approaches to Educating ELLs [2011], Author: Soltero, S.W. ISBN: 978-0325029221


Most English language learners are from another country. They come in with anxieties and go through phases of cultural adjustments. Without the necessary support, it might be hard for them to transition smoothly and thus be able to learn English well and fast.

This course is geared toward equipping ESL teachers with the necessary tools to give ESL students the support they need while they undergo the challenges of transition. Issues that may arise concerning the support of students in the classroom, school and the community will be addressed.