Are you looking for practical ways to reach all of your student's diverse needs? This class will allow you to empower your students to become stronger leaders in their learning. Zaretta Hammond’s book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students, will engage you in a powerful, concise, easy-to-read, and classroom-relevant text. You will learn how to integrate culturally responsive pedagogy, equity, and brain-based learning to promote authentic engagement and rigor in your classroom.  A POWERFUL COMBINATION! 

The course is PERFECT for teachers to collaborate on their pedagogy and bring about change in their classrooms and is appropriate for grades P-12, including teachers, para-educators, counselors, and other support personnel.

The course text, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, by Zaretta Hammond, is approximately $33.00 at Amazon.

Educators who are not currently teaching should contact the instructor for alternative assignments.

Don’t lose heart when everything you do to help failing students doesn’t work, because this course will turn that around.  You don’t have to lose students through the cracks anymore, as research-supported strategies based on neuroscience and mindset can help inspire interventions for powerful change. Your instructor, Brenda McKinney, has spent her career teaching, creating programs, and developing curriculum for failing students. You will learn practical, data-driven strategies

Vibrant societies need people who can think for themselves, but too many Americans don’t, and our democracy, as well as societal health, suffers as a result. In this course for teachers in grades 4-12, we will cover a wide variety of teaching strategies that provide incentives and opportunities for young minds to develop the courage, skills, and intellectual acumen for robust thinking.

Without passion and a sense of purpose our youth are finding themselves adrift. Both in life and in school they are falling short of their potential and susceptible to drugs, alcohol and under performance. A proven system, "Natural High," engages grade 4-12 students with what is important. You will review video stories of successful adults. The storytelling is followed by curriculum that guides discussion, provides worksheets and activities that take students deeper into the subject.

Most lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) students do not feel safe in school. This course is designed to open up communication lines by sharing techniques and strategies to build safety within effective learning environments for students of all genders and sexual orientations. K-12 students will develop advocacy skills that will be reflected in their confidence and in their ability to thrive at school.

Why does one K-12 student get argumentative and another becomes withdrawn? What does it mean when a child makes negative comments about assignments? This course explores the motivation of these behaviors and helps you understand their function. You will increase motivation, reduce power struggles, encourage positive relationships while evaluating various stages of behavior, development, and interventions to support change.

Are kids at your school mean to each other? Of course they are. When kids are cruel to other kids not only does it do direct harm to the victims, it also affects the learning environment for everyone.

Today, we have English Language Learners in most K-12 classrooms, and it is imperative that all teachers know and understand effective instruction methods for language diverse classrooms. This course will focus on a holistic approach to teaching in language diverse classrooms.

Enhance your K-12 cultural competence in this course exploring White Privilege and its impact. After choosing a text, such as How to Teach Students who Don’t Look Like You or Every Day Anti-Racism, you will learn to mitigate the negative effects of race and cultural bias.