This comprehensive professional development course, hosted by EDucation ForWARDS and presented by Staci Edwards, is designed to equip educators with hands-on, engaging strategies for teaching foundational math concepts within early childhood and elementary education settings. It is tailored specifically for those seeking Ohio proof credit, offering 4.5 hours of training, comprised of 3 hours of instruction and an additional 1.5 hours awarded upon practical application and documentation of learned strategies within the classroom. Throughout the course, educators are presented with an array of practical ideas for integrating math into their daily routines and across various subject areas, including language development, literacy, social-emotional learning, and physical education. The course emphasizes the importance of applying a hands-on approach to teaching math, encouraging the use of materials and activities that are both relevant and appealing to young learners. The training is segmented into focused modules that cover key topics such as brainstorming math in the classroom, understanding the difference between counting and quantifying, exploring number songs and books for sustained learning, and experimenting with math and music. Participatory exercises such as brainstorming sessions are included to encourage deep thought about the application of math in various classroom settings. Additionally, the course dives into definitions of essential math vocabulary and educational concepts, ensuring educators can accurately document student progress. This includes understanding terms like number recognition, spatial skills, shapes, patterning, and measurement with practical classroom applications. The use of humor and engaging examples, such as the linkage between math and watermelon purchases, serves to make the content accessible and enjoyable. Participants are encouraged to employ the wealth of ideas presented, like using ten frames for quantifying, involving kinesthetic learning with number dances, introducing number songs to reinforce counting, crafting number cards, and using sensory writing materials for number formation. They also learn to incorporate games for teaching spatial vocabulary through enjoyable activities like hula hoop Simon Says or parachute shape exploration. The course concludes with a challenge for educators to synthesize their learning by planning the incorporation of math activities across different curricular areas and a Professional Development (PD) take-back assignment. For this assignment, participants are tasked with selecting and implementing three strategies from the course in their classrooms. They must then document this application through videos or photos, which are uploaded as evidence to receive full credit for the additional 1.5 hours of training. Overall, this course is action-oriented, fostering active learning and demonstration of educational concepts. It emphasizes the importance of practical application, providing educators with a wealth of resources to enhance their teaching and deepen their students' mathematical understanding in engaging, developmentally appropriate ways.

This comprehensive professional development course is designed to empower educators with practical strategies for emotional self-care. With an understanding of the unique challenges faced by those in the educational field, participants will explore the complex nature of stress, trauma, and emotional fatigue that can affect both teachers and students alike. The course highlights the importance of self-awareness and proactive wellness practices to not only manage personal stressors but also to inspire a nurturing learning environment. Key takeaways include: - Deep dives into the science behind stress and its impact on physical, emotional, and mental well-being. - Examination of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their impact on educators and students. - Techniques for emotional regulation and reframing challenging situations. - Role-playing exercises for stress reduction and the cultivation of a supportive classroom community. - Humor as a stress relief tool, interspersed with educational content to enhance engagement. - Hands-on activities, such as art and movement exercises, for promoting personal well-being. - Approaches for administrators to foster a culture of respect and appreciation among staff. - Strategies for assertiveness and setting healthy boundaries. - Tips for creating a gratitude practice and the benefits of expressing appreciation. Participants will engage in reflective activities, discussions, and proactive planning to integrate these approaches into their personal and professional lives, ensuring they leave the course equipped to support themselves and their students with greater empathy and resilience.

The course is designed to help educators improve the efficiency of transitions in the classroom and incorporate learning activities into those transitions. The instructor emphasizes that research indicates preschoolers spend about a third of their day transitioning between activities, but only a third of these transitions include a learning component. The goal of the course is to reduce the overall time spent on transitions and to make them more educational. The instructor provides personal anecdotes and their background to create rapport with the audience. They proceed to discuss various strategies and activities to make transitions smoother and more engaging, such as: 1. Establishing routines to ease separation anxiety during drop-offs. 2. Greeting rituals for children and families, offering low-touch and high-touch options. 3. Creating sensory paths or using ropes, blocks, or fabric to make transitional areas more interactive. 4. Encouraging gross motor animal movements to move children from one area to another. 5. Sorting children into groups using cards, colors, objects, or sounds to promote order during transitions. 6. Using quantifying songs or activities to transition small groups incrementally. 7. Suggesting various calming techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, to transition to quieter or calmer times. 8. Emphasizing the use of visual cues, verbal mapping of expectations, commentary, and personalized feedback to make transitions smoother. 9. Introducing games or songs that involve rhyming, counting, or sequence to keep children engaged during wait times. The course also suggests conducting self-evaluations, identifying parts of the day that could benefit from reduced wait times, and considering changes in the environment to help with transition movements. The instructor underscores the importance of routine for preschoolers and the impact of smooth transitions on children's sense of security and on classroom management. They also offer specific examples and actionable advice throughout the course. At the end of the course, the instructor encourages participants to reflect on what they learned and consider three strategies they can implement in their classroom to enhance transitions. The course wraps up with a list of references used to create the training material and an appreciation for the participants' dedication to professional development.

The course presented by Stacey Edwards from Education Forwards covered the impact of the pandemic on children's behavior and development, and the ongoing challenges faced by educators in the aftermath. It discussed research showing that children have been affected by trauma and how it influences their emotional regulation and brain organization. The course highlighted that issues such as neglect, abuse, isolation, and increased incidence of fear due to the pandemic have had lasting effects on children, particularly during their formative years. The course then transitioned to focus on strategies that educators can use in the classroom to help mitigate these effects. It emphasized the importance of safe, predictable environments, building relationships, and focusing on self-regulation. Specific techniques such as greeting aprons, social-emotional books, and self-regulation activities like breathing exercises were suggested as ways to create a supportive atmosphere. Stacey went on to show examples of these strategies in practice and proposed engaging activities to help children express and manage their emotions, such as using mirrors for facial expression recognition, read-alouds of social-emotional books, and "I Love You" rituals for building connections. The course also offered advice on handling situations when children are in crisis, recommending against punitive measures and instead focusing on supportive and responsive techniques, including the 'notice' technique to help understand a child's emotional state, as well as various breathing strategies for calming down. Lastly, Stacey concluded by urging educators to reflect on their key takeaways from the course and to commit to trying at least three new strategies in their classrooms within the next 30 days. She encouraged them to apply their knowledge practically for the betterment of their students' well-being and learning experiences. The course was comprehensive, providing both a theoretical framework and practical tools for addressing the social and emotional needs of children post-pandemic in educational settings.

This course, "How to Plan a Study," is designed to help educators develop engaging, child-centered learning projects. Participants will explore strategies to select study topics that captivate children’s curiosity, foster their investigative skills, and support their understanding of the world. Through practical activities, discussions, and examples, this course offers tools to plan, facilitate, and document a successful study, making learning both meaningful and relevant for preschoolers.

This course, based on "Lisa Murphy on Play: The Foundation of Children's Learning," provides a deep exploration of the critical role that play has in fostering child development and learning. Designed for early childhood educators and caregivers, this course emphasizes the importance of play in nurturing cognitive, social-emotional, language, and physical development in young children. Participants will engage with core themes from the book, including the significance of hands-on experiences, creating environments that allow for exploration and creativity, and balancing structured learning with opportunities for free play. Through reflective discussions and practical activities, educators will learn how to integrate play into their daily routines, support children's natural curiosity, and advocate for developmentally appropriate practices.

Starting a new school year can be an exhilarating yet challenging time for educators as they set the tone for learning, camaraderie, and classroom management. "Cultivating Classroom Community: Strategies for the First 30 Days" is an immersive course designed to equip educators with a toolkit of effective strategies to foster a positive learning environment from the get-go. This course emphasizes collaborative and research-backed approaches, aiming to reduce stress for both students and teachers and to establish a joyful and inclusive classroom culture. Over the duration of this course, participants will learn how to: 1. **Navigate the First Days**: Gain insights into structuring the first few days, establishing routines, and creating a welcoming classroom atmosphere. 2. **Collaborative Input**: Discover the power of reaching out to fellow educators for shared wisdom and teaching strategies that enrich the learning experience. 3. **Humor and Happiness**: Learn about the role of laughter in reducing stress and creating bonds among students and teachers, while implementing joyful practices in daily teaching. 4. **Classroom Setup as the Third Teacher**: Explore the concept of the classroom environment as a silent educator and learn how to optimize spatial organization to enhance learning and behavior. 5. **Implementing Classroom Jobs and Routines**: Dive into setting up classroom roles and responsibilities and defining daily routines to empower students and promote independence. 6. **Building a Positive Climate**: Understand how to engender a positive classroom climate and regard for student perspectives through recognition of individual differences, cultural responsiveness, and structured social-emotional learning activities. 7. **Family Engagement**: Develop strategies for engaging families, emphasizing the importance of their role in supporting the classroom community and their children's education. 8. **Social Skills and Conflict Resolution**: Investigate how to teach and model social skills and conflict resolution, including the use of scenarios, social-emotional learning tools, and solution-oriented discussions. 9. **Effective Transitions and Safety**: Craft smooth transitions between activities and ensure classroom safety through structured approaches and clear communication. 10. **Planning and Assessment**: Create a concrete plan for incorporating these strategies into daily practice, setting clear teaching objectives and assessing their impact on classroom community development. By the end of this course, educators will not only have accumulated a range of strategies to apply directly to their classrooms but will also have created a personalized action plan to guide their practice during the crucial first month of school. By focusing on intentionality, inclusivity, and interactivity, this course will empower educators to shape an environment where every student feels valued and eager to learn. Intended Audience: This course is intended for early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, elementary school teachers, teaching assistants, and school administrators who aspire to create a cohesive and vibrant classroom culture from day one.