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INST120 Creating Units to Support Differing Learning Styles- 30 hr.
Unlock the secrets to developing a curriculum that meets the learning needs of different types of students. Assess and identify these differing learning styles. Create a cross-curricular unit that integrates technology to support learning. Plan lessons that address the ways that your students learn. Course activities help you build flexibility into your lesson plans, enabling you to integrate your new knowledge into your teachings easily.
Classroom Link—Access to students recommended. PBS Classroom Link courses ask learners to implement lessons with their class or with a small group of students (options for learners without access to students are available).
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades PreK-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Identify the learning styles of classroom students. |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Create a cross-curricular (thematic) unit topic. |
| Plan activities for a thematic unit. |
| Make adaptations and accommodations to activities to support their students' learning styles. |
| Use technology to support a variety of learning styles. |
INST125 Building Critical Thinking Skills for Online Research- 30 hr.
Acquire strategies that help students build critical-thinking skills and attain information literacy in the context of online research. Explore different information search process models and strengthen your own online research skills. Create an Internet-based model for teaching your students where to find information, how to evaluate it, and the best way to apply it to the tasks at hand.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades PreK-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Explain the information search process and describe how it can support critical thinking skills and increase information literacy |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Compare and contrast several information search process models |
| Adapt or combine elements of the models to construct your own unique Information Search Process model |
| Apply your knowledge of information search processes to Internet-based classroom activities |
| Integrate your knowledge of the information search process into an Internet based lesson or unit to be used in your classroom |
INST130 Utilizing Technology in Creating a Problem-Based Curriculum- 30 hr.
Learn to apply new strategies to help students develop problem- solving skills. Discover how technology can enhance their ability to state problems, pose questions, find answers, and ultimately, approach learning as a continuous interaction with their world. As a final task, select a problem for your students to solve and craft a lesson plan that demonstrates the learning process.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades 3-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Identify a suitable problem to solve; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Brainstorm and organize questions related to the problem; |
| Define a final student product and identify the activities needed to complete the product; |
| Develop steps and strategies to complete the activities needed to solve the problem; |
| Identify technology to facilitate and enhance both process and products; |
| Design assessments to determine student learning. |
INST180 Differentiated Instruction for Middle School Students- 30 hr.
Expand your understanding of how to differentiate content, activities, and assessments to meet the needs of all learners in your middle school classroom. Learn methods of pre-assessment and strategies for tiered activities. Explore the fairness of differentiated instruction. Throughout the course, work toward developing your final project: a differentiated instructional unit that meets your local standards of learning.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades 6-8
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Understand the unique characteristics of middle schools; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Understand how to pre-assess students to determine their cognitive readiness levels, interests, and learning styles; |
| Understand how to differentiate resources, activities, and assessments by student cognitive readiness levels, interests, and learning styles. |
INST300 Curriculum Mapping I by Heidi Hayes Jacobs- 30 hr.
Explore the power of curriculum mapping, a tool for adjusting the scope and sequence of the curriculum spanning the thirteen years of primary and secondary schooling. In this first of two courses developed with mapping expert Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, see how to incorporate mapping in classrooms to enrich curricula and maximize student learning. Part I explores the history and purpose of curriculum mapping, your role as a teacher, the types of maps, and the various data collected in the maps.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Understand the history and purpose of curriculum mapping; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Understand the role an individual teacher plays in curriculum mapping; |
| Identify the different types of curriculum maps and the types of data they hold; |
| Create a curriculum map.Use technology to support a variety of learning styles. |
INST305 Curriculum Mapping II by Heidi Hayes Jacobs- 30 hr.
A follow up to Curriculum Mapping I, this course shifts your focus from classroom data mapping to school-wide curriculum planning. Study the role of curriculum mapping teams before looking at your school’s goals to determine the best team configuration. Analyze and refine the data in your curriculum maps, then apply seven phases of review and revision to develop a curriculum map for your school. Note: Curriculum Mapping I by Heidi Hayes Jacobs must be completed before enrollment in this course.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
Prerequisite: INST300 Curriculum Mapping I
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Analyze and refine mapping data for coherency and developmental suitability; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Recognize the role of curriculum mapping teams and sharing mapping data in school-wide curriculum planning; |
| Identify the seven phases of review/revision that culminate in a school-wide curriculum map. |
| Focus on the role of advanced curriculum mapping features (essential questions, developmentally appropriate assessments, precision skills, and benchmark assessments) in improving curriculum design and aligning curriculum with state and local standards; |
| Consider how curriculum mapping data can be used to effect systemic reform; |
| Learn the steps for spreading curriculum mapping beyond their individual schools. |
| Understand the role technology plays in creating, storing and sharing curriculum mapping data. |
INST310 Inquiry-Based Learning in the Classroom- 30 hr.
Discover the key principles of inquiry-based learning, which emphasizes knowledge through investigation. Explore this approach to learning and its impact on student achievement. Observe and assess the effectiveness of inquiry-based lesson plans and Web projects. Prepare to implement this type of learning in your classroom by developing an inquiry facilitation plan for a lesson or unit.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Demonstrate understanding of the impact of an inquiry-based approach on student learning; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Explore the effectiveness of inquiry-based lesson plans and Web projects; |
| Adopt strategies to promote active student questioning and problem solving. |
INST315 Teaching for Multiple Intelligences- 30 hr.
Learn to teach and assess students differently based on their individual intellectual styles. Understand the advantages of teaching methods that engage multiple intelligences and explore ways to implement them.
Classroom Link—Access to students recommended. PBS Classroom Link courses ask learners to implement lessons with their class or with a small group of students (options for learners without access to students are available).
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
Understand the principles of Multiple Intelligences theory and how it differs from the
traditional definition of intelligence; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Recognize the benefits and criticisms of MI theory; |
Recognize MI principles in sample classroom activities and understand the strategies
for implementing them. |
| Apply the principles of the theory of Multiple Intelligences to a lesson plan. |
Understand the ways technology can enhance the incorporation of MI principles into
classroom teaching. |
Apply MI theory and strategies to classroom practice to engage more than one
intelligence to enhance understanding and improve student achievement. |
INST320 Connecting Family, Community, and Schools- 30 hr.
Discover how to bring your students’ families and community into the school structure. Learn the Action Team for Partnership (ATP) model and apply it to design strategies that engage the community and involve families in their children’s education. Explore the principal “connection” issues and acquire tools to make your classroom a learning community that integrates partnership programming into the curriculum. As a final task, develop a partnership and unit plan that involves parents, family members, and community resources in your own classroom.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Understand the benefits connecting family, community and schools. |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Apply strategies to increase family and community involvement in schools by designing and implementing a partnership plan and integrating partnership activities into an existing unit. |
| Understand the ways technology can enhance communication between family, community and school. |
| Learn specific elements of partnership programming that can improve student learning. |
| Understand the Action Team for Partnership (ATP) model of partnership programming. |
INST325 Using Assessment and Evaluation- 30 hr.
Investigate different types of assessment and evaluation, as applied to both your instruction and to student learning. Become acquainted with the full array of assessment and evaluation tools, including rubrics, journals, formal and informal assessments, and portfolios. As your final task, create an effective rubric based on an existing student assignment.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Understand the difference between evaluation and assessment; |
Because this course addresses aligning curriculum with standards, it correlates to ALL standards. |
| Understand the various types and purposes of specific assessments; |
| Learn how assessment and evaluation results provide data sources for informed decision making; |
| Understand the importance of adopting backwards design method in the curriculum-planning process; |
| Understand how to better create a fair grading system; |
| Learn to design effective rubrics; |
| Create a rubric for a lesson plan and implement it in the classroom. |
INST330 Improving Learning Through Collaboration- 30 hr.
Master the key principles of cooperative and collaborative learning and apply them in your classroom and lesson plans. Learn specific tips and strategies on how to implement these ideas.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Understand the key principles of cooperative and collaborative learning; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Understand the particular benefits of different cooperative and collaborative group formations; |
| Recognize the role of technology in cooperative/collaborative assignments; |
| Understand how standards can be met using these specific strategies; |
| Apply cooperative and collaborative teaching techniques to improve student learning. |
INST335 Constructing a Learning-Centered Environment- 30 hr.
Learn about constructivism while experiencing a constructivist model of teaching. Examine your role as a teacher and that of your students in the legacy model, while reflecting on how these roles may differ from your initial perceptions. Become familiar with the concepts of constructivism, including student-centered, inquiry-based learning, and problem-based learning.
List Price $350 Special Price: $199 (currently subsidized by US DOE grant funding)
Audience: All educators, Grades K-12
Graduate Credit: 2 graduate credits available at an additional fee
| Objective(s) |
Virginia Standards of Learning Alignment |
| Understand the key principles of constructivism; |
Because this course deals with teaching strategies, it can be used to support ALL standards of learning. |
| Adopt strategies to promote active student learning and questioning; |
| Learn to apply different constructivist approaches in a school; |
Understand constructivist techniques for creating student-centered experiences and
environments; |
| Use a problem-based collaborative approach to answer a constructivist challenge. |
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