Course and Community Access - SEA 2020

Courses and Communities

Train-the-Trainer Courses

This online course is a one-time prerequisite for those who will be AFT trainers, whether at the national or local level. Participants who have not taken this online course since 2019 will need to complete this required course. You can begin at any time (it is self-paced), but the course must be completed by June 30.

→ Course Status: This course has reached capacity, if you have any questions please contact Rosalind LaRocque at [email protected]

Dates:

• July 6 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. - Introductory Session
• July 7-21 (excluding weekends)

Time:

• 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. EDT with a one-hour lunch break
• Office Hours at 8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m.
• (For those on the West Coast, classes each day will be held at from 10 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break.)

Total Credit Hours:

• 61 (49 online + 12 hours homework)

Now more than ever, we need to be committed to rethinking teaching and learning. Our task is to provide answers to whether our curriculums promote critical thinking, engender cultural sensitivity, meet the needs of all students and provide students with the tools to solve real-world problems. This year, the Strategies for Student Success modules will explore these questions and provide educators with research-based strategies and tools as they craft responses to these questions. This course follows the train-the-trainer format.

Module Titles

Dates:

• July 21-24

Time:

• 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. EDT with a one-hour lunch break

Total Credit Hours:

• 20 (16 online + 4 homework)

When students display unacceptable behavior, the expectation is that adults respond within the boundaries of established guidelines. That is not always the case, however, and an improper reaction can have serious consequences. It’s even more troubling when the adult’s actions are misinterpreted by the student or false accusations are made. This module raises the learners’ awareness of their own triggers and recommends appropriate ways to handle students’ misbehaviors in a manner that minimizes unintended consequences. This course follows the train-the-trainer format.

A guide to using classroom assessment to strengthen your instruction and communicate with colleagues, administrators, students and families about student progress.

Dates:

• July 21-23

Time:

• 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EDT each day

Total Credit Hours:

• 12 (9 hours online + 3 hours homework)

This AFT professional development course recognizes that the everyday instructional practices teachers engage in are a professional process with intentionality that can be strengthened through a deliberate process. Assessment and reflection are critical components of this process. In this course, participants will deepen their understanding of the link between assessment and teaching and learning expectations. Participants will also learn how to make instructional adjustments based on their current classroom assessment practices. The course provides a framework for communicating your evidence of student learning with colleagues, administrators, parents or students.

Participant-Only Courses

→ Course Status: This course has been postponed.  New dates will be scheduled soon.

Dates:

• July 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30

Time:

• Noon – 2 p.m. EDT

Total Credit Hours:

• 18 (12 online + 6 homework)

Topic Areas:

• The Reading Process
• Phonological Awareness
• Phonemic Awareness
• Print Concepts
• Phonics
• Vocabulary (indirect/explicit)

This course offers teachers in PK-2 grades the essential knowledge and pedagogy of how children learn to read using some of the best research-based strategies. The course contains information on how students develop basic decoding skills, so it is also useful for teachers working with older students who struggle with decoding and vocabulary. These sessions will contain a mix of interactive tools that also will help keep your students engaged in this age of virtual/digital learning.

Dates:

• July 20-23

Time:

• Noon-2 p.m. EDT

Total Credit Hours:

• 12 (8 hours online + 3 hours homework + 1 hour pre-work)

Participants will examine research-based strategies and approaches to assist their own instruction in helping students meet mathematics standards. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how use of the Bar Model can be strategically applied to solve complex, real-world math problems.

This virtual course is targeted to K-6 educators (teachers, paraprofessionals, others) and is designed to:

• Provide participants with introductory research-based information on the additive and multiplicative structures for both whole and rational (fractions/decimal) operations.
• Encourage participants to see connections between conceptual and abstract understandings using word problems and drawings.
• Equip participants with strategies to help their students solve situational story problems.
• See how the use of math journaling serves as a repository for student learning.
• Understand how Bar Modeling incorporates AFT’s Thinking Mathematics Principles and the Standards for Mathematical Practices.

Target Audience:

K-6 educators. (This is not a train-the-trainer course.)​

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Dates:

• July 20-24         

Time:

• 10:30 a.m. – noon EDT every day; self-paced assignments for up to 1.5 hours each day

Total Credit Hours:

• 15 (7.5 online + 7.5 homework)

Participants will examine research-based strategies and approaches to assist their own instruction in helping English language learners meet academic standards. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how language development affects instruction and learning at different proficiency levels, and experience a variety of strategies and modifications that can be strategically applied to lesson plans as a way to foster ELL achievement in content classes.

This condensed course is designed to:

• Provide participants with introductory research-based information on the cultural, academic and linguistic diversity of ELLs.
• Encourage participants to provide students with equitable access to standards-based academic content.
• Equip participants with a range of strategies and skills to differentiate instruction for ELLs while maintaining academic rigor.
• Share best practices to date on virtual learning for ELLs during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Explore ways to engage and support ELL families in changing times.

Target Audience:

This special edition ELL 101 is targeted to all educators, regardless of experience with ELLs. Whether educators have never taught ELLs or are seasoned veterans looking for a refresher, there will be something for everybody. (This is not a train-the-trainer course.)

Dates:

• July 20-22                     

Time:

• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. with a one-hour break

Total Credit Hours:

• 12 (9 online + 3 homework)

This course is designed for paraprofessionals and school support staff who have contact with and/or are responsible for overseeing the behavior and safety of students in the classroom, cafeteria, school bus, office, playground or school hallway setting. The course will teach paraprofessionals and school support staff how to manage challenging behavior and disruptive students.

Course Objectives:

• Establish shared understanding of how and when to define, record and collect data on negative student behavior in multiple learning environments.
• Develop strategies to support prevention and intervention strategies for students who exhibit negative behavior.
• Focus on behavior management skills for students across a variety of learning environments.

Session II Descriptions

→ Course Status:  This course has been postponed. New dates will be scheduled soon.

Dates:

• July 22-24

Time:

• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. with an hour break each day

Total Credit Hours:

• 15 hours (12 hours online + 3 hours homework)

Accessible Literacy Framework is an instructional framework designed to facilitate the literacy needs of individual students with complex communication needs. It is a research-based, systematic, student driven approach to reading. Some of the essential components of reading instruction that will be covered include phonological awareness, sound blending, phoneme segmentation, letter-sound correspondence and decoding. This ALF course will provide practitioners (any special education teacher, general education teacher and instructional support staff) with an instructional approach for a population that traditionally has not had access to literacy instruction.

→ Course Status:  This course has been postponed. New dates will be scheduled soon

Dates:

• July 22-24

Time:

• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. with an hour break each day

Total Credit Hours:

• 15 hours (12 hours online + 3 hours homework)

Challenging behaviors that arise at an early age are predictors of adverse long-term outcomes, which can only be prevented by early interventions. This course will examine the ideology that challenging, maladaptive behavior violates social norms for acceptable interactions. Participants will be led through the underlying reasons why students exhibit maladaptive behaviors and the ways schools can prevent adverse outcomes. Participants will also review classroom management techniques in terms of specific strategies and interventions that can be utilized to implement effective practices. The goal is to avoid or minimize disruptive behaviors and change them if they do appear, leading to an increase in academic achievement for students with both general and special education needs. Participants will delve into the construction of a tangible, organized matrix encompassing rituals, routines, policies, and procedures based on teacher and/or schoolwide expectations of desired behavior.

This video gives an update on the revision of Foundations of Effective Teaching and an interactive preview of SEL and UDL.

Note: Sessions will run simultaneously. Select a time span (all are Eastern Daylight Time) that works best for you! Each class size will be no more than 20 participants.

Dates:

• Group A: July 20-22—9 a.m. – noon
• Group B: July 20-22—2 p.m. – 5 p.m.  

Total Credit Hours:

• 15 hours (9 synchronous; 6 asynchronous pre-reading and homework)

Are you looking for ways to assist your students in managing their emotions, building positive relationships with others and making responsible decisions? In this mini-course, participants will identify and share developmentally appropriate, research-based strategies that foster students’ social and emotional growth. In addition, we will examine best practices for creating and cultivating a positive beginning of the school year. This course is based on the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework.

Participants will be able to:

• Articulate the latest research findings and policy recommendations on how learning happens in supportive learning environments where social, emotional and academic development is integrated;
• Identify and share developmentally appropriate, research-based strategies that foster student growth in the five competencies outlined in CASEL’s framework for social emotional learning; and
• Apply new knowledge through self-reflection, goal-setting and action planning.

Audience:

PreK-12 Educators, Paraprofessionals and Specialized Instructional Support Personnel

Dates:

• July 27-31—10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EDT       

Total Credit Hours:

• 20 (15 hours online + 5 hours independent work)

Participants will learn and practice 10 research-based trauma-informed practices to boost student resilience. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how adversity can impact children’s developing brains, bodies and behaviors, as well as explore strategies that promote healing from various traumatic events and circumstances.

The online model will not cover all AFT “Student Trauma” course content. Rather, this special edition offering is designed to be immediately applicable with attention to the global coronavirus pandemic, as well as widespread protests of police brutality and white supremacy. Further, trainers are prepared to acknowledge and model best practices for remote learning and working conditions.

Target Audience: Mainstream educators with some to no experience with trauma-informed practices as well as seasoned practitioners looking for a refresher on the specific science of healing after traumatic events. This is not a train-the-trainer session.

This video gives an update on the revision of Foundations of Effective Teaching and an interactive preview of SEL and UDL.

Note: Sessions will run simultaneously. Select a time span (all are Eastern Daylight Time) that works best for you! Each class size will be no more than 20 participants.

Dates:

• Group A: July 27-29—9 a.m. – noon
• Group D: July 28-30—2 p.m.  – 5 p.m.

Total Credit Hours:

• 15 hours (9 synchronous + 6 asynchronous pre-reading and homework)

Do you want to maximize your students’ learning experiences? With the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, you can learn to set clear goals, anticipate barriers and design lessons to reduce those barriers for all. This interactive mini-course will help you to use cognitive neuroscience as a foundation for designing instruction to best meet the needs of your diverse learners. Upon completion, you will feel confident, prepared and excited to begin your school year equipped to construct meaningful learning experiences for all!

Participants will be able to:

• Use learner variability as a way to understand and address individual students’ learning needs;
• Apply principles of universal design to reduce barriers for students in the school environment, assessments, methods and materials; and
• Create student-centered lesson plans and learning experiences using the Universal Design Framework and Guidelines.

Audience:

• PreK-12 Educators, Instructional Paraprofessionals

Note: Each class size will be no more than 20 participants.

Dates: 

• July 20-23—1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (EDT)

Total Credit Hours:

• 18 hours (12 synchronous + 6 asynchronous pre-reading and homework)

Schools and educators are facing many unprecedented challenges today due to the coronavirus pandemic. Transitioning classrooms to virtual learning environments, raising the performance levels of all students, attending to equity and access, creating safe havens for learning and preparing students for life beyond the classroom are still the ultimate goal! As the learning needs of today’s students become increasingly more diverse, this session explores ways to integrate both cognitive and social learning to optimize student performance and enhance teacher effectiveness.

Participants will be able to:

• Implement strategies presented in two research-based classroom management and curricular frameworks aligned with most teacher evaluation systems;
• Apply a variety of approaches to building and sustaining caring relationships with and among students;
• Use protocols that engage students in respectful dialogue that welcomes and values diverse views and opinions; as well as
• Integrate classroom management strategies to support student learning.

Frameworks:

• Social Context of the Classroom—Foundations of Effective Teaching II: Building Academic Success
• Tripod’s 7Cs Framework of Effective Teaching: Care, Confer and Classroom Management

Audience:

• PreK-12 Educators, Instructional Paraprofessionals, Specialized Instructional Support Personnel

Dates:

• July 20-23—9 a.m. – noon. EDT each day

Total Credit Hours:

• 16 (12 online + 4 homework)

This course presents research on effective writing practices. This module will also share research-based recommendations to provide educators with effective instructional strategies to meet student writing expectations in grades K-5. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the writing process as it relates to student engagement, alignment to standards, and strategies for use in the content areas.