This comprehensive course equips educators with the knowledge, strategies, and practical tools needed to effectively support students with specific learning disabilities in reading, writing, and math. Drawing on research and resources from leading organizations such as the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Child Mind Institute, participants will explore the neurobiological foundations of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, learning to identify early indicators, interpret assessment data, and collaborate with specialists and families throughout the identification process. The course emphasizes evidence-based interventions across all three disabilities, including structured literacy approaches for dyslexia, explicit handwriting and composition instruction for dysgraphia, and conceptual math strategies for dyscalculia. Beyond instructional strategies, this course addresses the critical elements of creating truly inclusive classrooms where students with learning disabilities thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Educators will design differentiated lessons, develop culturally responsive communication materials for families, and implement social-emotional supports that build student self-advocacy, resilience, and confidence. The course concludes with a focus on educator well-being, helping participants recognize burnout risks specific to special education contexts and develop sustainable wellness practices that maintain their passion and effectiveness in supporting diverse learners throughout their careers.

Course #: IMW27003
Dates: 01/11/27 - 02/07/27
Categories:

Equity & Diversity Instructional Strategies Content-Area Teaching

Format:

Interactive

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This course equips K-12 educators with practical, trauma-sensitive strategies to cultivate present-moment awareness so classrooms become places where students can practice focus, name emotions without shame, and sustain short routines throughout the school day. Invitational language is the thread that runs through every milestone. Rather than directing students to close their eyes, breathe deeply, or sit still, teachers learn to offer each practice as a genuine choice, with eyes-open, external-anchor, and opt-out options available. This approach honors consent, protects psychological safety, and helps students experience regulation as something they own rather than something done to them. Drawing on Jon Kabat-Zinn's framing of mindfulness as paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally (adapted carefully for school settings), along with trauma-sensitive schools research from Osher et al. (2021) and classroom studies such as Flook et al. (2024), participants evaluate brief mindfulness practices that may support executive function and self-regulation without overclaiming outcomes. After completing this course, participants will be prepared to design classroom-ready mindfulness and regulation routines, build invitational scripts for their grade level, map co-regulation pathways, and implement a sustainable plan that keeps student outcomes at the center.

Course #: IMW27007
Dates: 02/15/27 - 03/14/27
Categories:

Positive Classroom Management Teacher Health

Format:

Interactive

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This course examines the factors contributing to student overwhelm during lessons, particularly when excessive information is presented simultaneously. Participants will investigate the reasons for student disengagement and analyze the three types of cognitive load: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. The course will provide strategies to mitigate memory overload and effectively manage cognitive load within classroom settings. The course will also address digital fatigue and its neurological effects, emphasizing how prolonged screen exposure can alter the neural mechanisms involved in attention, memory, and emotional regulation. These changes impact students' capacity for sustained engagement and effective learning. Participants will gain an understanding of brain function and learn evidence-based strategies they can implement to enhance memory and support information retrieval. Educational research in this course is grounded in the work of Dr. John Sweller, an educational psychologist who developed cognitive load theory, which explains how learning suffers when working memory is overloaded. Dr. Dylan Wiliam, an education researcher known for his work on formative assessment and assessment for learning, contributes to the course through his emphasis on using what we know about working memory to make classroom instruction more effective. Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician whose work focuses on how the "interactive media environment" affects children's physical and neurological development, is also explored. Dr. Daniel T. Willingham, a cognitive scientist and author of Outsmart Your Brain, offers research-based insight into how attention and memory work and how students can study and learn more effectively. Together, this research informs the course's examination of student overwhelm, digital fatigue, and classroom outcomes. Participants will synthesize these paradigms and develop a deeper understanding of an educator’s role in the classroom, along with the latest tools, methods, and techniques for cultivating students’ learning and a state-of-the-art teaching approach to meet their educational goals.

Course #: IMW27014
Dates: 04/05/27 - 05/02/27
Categories:

Social & Emotional Learning Positive Classroom Management

Format:

Interactive

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