In today's classrooms, a teacher's ability to understand and manage emotions, their own and their students', is as critical to student success as any instructional strategy. This course equips K–12 educators with the emotional intelligence (EI) skills to build trusting relationships with students, navigate conflict and disengagement with empathy rather than reactivity, and sustain their own well-being, all while supporting greater student achievement. Grounded in two complementary frameworks, Dr. Daniel Goleman's model of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, and CASEL's five core competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making, participants will progress from understanding the foundations of EI, to recognizing disengagement as an emotional signal, to building empathy and trust. Participants will learn restorative approaches to conflict and strengthen their own capacity for emotional regulation. Educators will also develop the skills to apply emotionally attuned principles to intentional lesson design, and explore how to partner with parents of disengaged students. By the end of this course, educators will have developed a practical, evidence-based toolkit for creating classrooms where both students and teachers feel safe enough to take risks and stay engaged, to increase academic achievement. As a culminating activity, educators will design an implementation plan or presentation that applies these strategies in a real-world setting, ensuring they are prepared to lead with compassion, support student well-being, and build emotionally supportive classrooms where every learner can thrive.

Course #: IMW27004
Dates: 02/01/27 - 02/28/27
Categories:

Equity & Diversity Social & Emotional Learning Positive Classroom Management

Format:

Interactive

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In today’s classrooms, students face a range of pressures that can affect their ability to focus and engage in learning. This course invites K–12 educators to examine how anxiety, stress, and distraction influence student well-being and academic experiences, while exploring practical ways to create more supportive learning environments. Participants will investigate contributing factors such as constant connectivity, social comparison, reduced unstructured play and independence, and academic pressure, and will consider how these forces shape attention, belonging, behavior, and learning. Drawing on recent research and frameworks associated with Dr. Denise Pope and colleagues at Challenge Success, Dr. Jorge Verlenden and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisories on youth mental health, and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), educators will strengthen their ability to recognize signs of student anxiety, respond within professional role boundaries, and design classroom conditions that protect focus and psychological safety without lowering academic expectations. After completing this course, participants will be prepared to implement a personalized, sustainable action plan that strengthens student confidence, calm, and agency in their classroom.

Course #: IMW27011
Dates: 03/01/27 - 03/29/27
Categories:

Social & Emotional Learning Positive Classroom Management

Format:

Interactive

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