Research-Based Staff Development Offerings

Contract with Bethel to offer these staff development opportunities at your school.

Getting Started...

1. Select the seminar(s) that meet your needs.
2. Call Bethel's Professional Development Coordinator at 651.635.8013 to discuss a contract.
3. Coordinate dates and locations with the presenter.

Classroom Management

Behavioral Tools for the Educator's Toolbox
School staff learn about their own style of conflict management as well as how to enhance their current repertoire of behavior management tools. Specific behavior management techniques, how to set limits and how to be an active listener would be topic discussions.

Practical Strategies for Teaching Challenging Children
School staff develop skills to decipher and understand the more challenging student in the classroom. Participant will learn useful, practical, hands-on strategies for teaching and managing these students. Clinical and educational labels such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, various anxiety issues, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder, emotional behavior disorder (EBD), specific learning disability (SLD), and other health impaired (OHI) will be discussed.

Educational Psychology

The Early Adolescent
Learn the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual characteristics of the early adolescent. Gain a new appreciation for this time of life. Practice positive interactions and behavior management strategies for these young people. Integrate lessons from successful middle schools into your classroom. Develop positive plans for the young adolescents in your life.

Psychology for the Educator
School staff are exposed to or reintroduced to developmental psychology concepts that can help them more successfully deal with and understand their more challenging students. Areas such as cognitive development, emotional development and moral development are discussed on a case study basis.

Issues

How America's Schools Shortchange Boys
Hear research about young males are shortchanged in 21^st century schools; for example, boys receive 70% of Cs and Ds, and form the majority of Special Ed. classes. Celebrate the uniqueness of boys. Learn effective ways to reach and teach boys. Become an advocate for boys.

Literacy Development (School-wide)

Understanding Literacy I: The Role of Language in Literacy Development
This session examines the critical role that language development plays in effective literacy practices. The workshop explains the impact of sociolinguistic influences on later school achievement. It draws from the current findings in child development, child language and the Harvard Home and School Research Project. Suggested Audience: Early Childhood Teachers and Administration, K-6 Teachers, Specialists, Administrators, and Parent Educators.

Understanding Literacy II: Cracking the Code
This workshop gives an overview from research findings of cognitive psychology and applied psycholinguistics. It helps practitioners unravel the mystery of the written code and helps to build the capacity for all teachers to effectively teach all learners to be competent readers.

Understanding Literacy III: Making Sense of Comprehension
This seminar is designed for practitioners K_8 who want to understand the complex nature of reading comprehension. The seminar will draw on the findings from cognitive psychology text processing, and the current work undertaken by the Rand Corporation. It will focus on the role of reader and text factors which influence comprehension ability for all learners.

Understanding Literacy IV: Building an Effective Literacy Curriculum
This seminar gives participants the broad overview of what components are needed to build a world class curriculum that meets the needs of literacy learners. It draws on the recent work done by the National Reading Panel, the panel on Preventing Reading Difficulties for Young Children, and the California Framework. It will be an opportunity for teams to develop a clearly articulated literacy program.

Understanding Literacy V: Building Effective Parent Partnerships that Make a Difference
This workshop helps districts develop effective parent partnerships that build confidence and develop capacities for parents to be full partners in their child's literacy development. This workshop gives an overview of the unique and critical role parents play in their child's literacy development. The hands on workshop gives districts a research based curriculum for parent education and provides a theoretical perspective.

Reading Academy I: A Refresher for Administrators
This seminar reviews current research and practices in reading that updates school administrators and curriculum leaders. It covers recent developments in cognitive psychology, language development, and curriculum design. It overviews current literacy practices such as literature circles and guided reading and gives policy makers a better understanding of how and why these practices improve instruction.

Reading Academy II
This seminar looks at attributes of effective literacy teachers and helps administrators screen, evaluate, and mentor teachers based on current research findings. The seminar overviews all the current national studies which outline the core competencies required for well prepared literacy instructors. It will help districts plan effective staff development programs, new teacher inservices, and current literacy teachers K_8.

Reading Academy III: Developing a Data Driven Program
Has the accountability movement put your school on the defensive? This seminar helps administrators understand the nuts and bolts of assessment. It helps policy makers interpret and make use of current state and national assessments. A practical workshop for current leaders.

Current Trends and Methods in Literacy Education
An overview of the current trends impacting K_8 literacy education will be explored in a series of six interactive sessions. Topics for investigation include the following: beginning readers, development of independent reading, vocabulary instruction, comprehension instruction, and reading in the content areas. Additional topics include literature based reading, assessment strategies, remediation strategies for poor readers, and modes of engaging writers. The focus of this course is on learning and trying new instructional strategies.

Math & Science

Manipulatives and Math
Participants will learn why using manipulatives is so important in learning math concepts, will learn to use a variety of manipulatives-including a floor graph, and how to incorporate math throughout the day.

Teaching Science Concepts Through Inquiry
Participants will gain an understanding of purposely linking science concepts to hands on activities in the classroom. Assessment, curriculum, and instruction will be connected to science standards. Special attention will be paid to selecting rich, authentic student activities. Resources will be provided to assist teachers in developing confidence in their own understanding of concepts.

Motivating Students

Strategies to Stimulate Student Involvement
A comprehensive workshop focused on a balance of theoretical and practical issues. Investigate reasons to consider active learning, concerns about use, and specific time-tested strategies. Seminar focuses on making lectures more interactive and increasing involvement with content area text. Handout with over 50 strategies is provided.

Parent Relations

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Participants will learn guidelines for communicating a student's progress or teacher expectations to parents, as well as comfortable methods of communication that elicit parental concerns that affect a child's learning. Seminar includes basic tips on how physical arrangement, introductory conversation, and constructing a plan of action will set the stage for natural interaction between parent and teacher. Format includes group discussion on parent conference experiences, lecture, role playing, and video presentation.

Reading Assistance

Literature Based Reading: The Whys and Hows
Explore the pros/cons, grouping arrangements, unit structure, specific titles, assessment options, and many pre-reading, and post-reading strategies. Extensive handouts provided.

Content Reading Strategies
An interactive seminar that investigates the following: content literacy demands, causes of comprehension problems, selection criteria for content text, and a suggested lesson format. Specific strategies for vocabulary/comprehension development and study guide creation are provided as well.

Working with Struggling Readers
This interactive session focuses on the characteristics of struggling readers. The focus then shifts to specific strategies to assist those readers. Extensive handouts provided.

Vocabulary Dev't. Strategies for Narrative and Expository Text
Vocabulary knowledge has a significant impact on comprehension. Explore how students acquire vocabulary, various word learning tasks, and numerous interactive vocabulary strategies.

Special Education

The Hyperactive Child/Adolescent
Learn the characteristics, diagnosis, biases and controversies surrounding hyperactivity, including medication. Take away insights, techniques, and strategies to enhance interventions with the hyperactive child or adolescent. Gain an appreciation for the positive aspects of hyperactivity. Learn possible futures for the hyperactive teen. Discuss your experiences and learn from others.

Theme-based Skills for Special Students
This is a practical-use seminar designed for special education staff or educators who work with smaller groups of students on typical social skill areas. Topics such as perspective taking, community, respect, decision-making, turn off the violence etc. would be explored. Staff would walk away with new ideas for teaching these skills and concepts in an interactive format with hands-on materials, art projects and games.

Technology

Using Technology to Enhance Learning
Recent research in brain development and functioning is contributing to what we understand about how people learn. Effective use of computer-based tools, including the internet, can contribute to enhancing the learning of our students and reinforcing the brain's optimal conditions for learning.

Presenters

Ken Greener, Ph.D., Admissions Advisor, Graduate Programs in Education, Bethel University
For 25 years, Ken taught and served as a principal at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. Currently, he is an admissions advisor for the College of Adult & Professional Studies at Bethel University.

Gail Jordan, Ph.D. (ABD), Associate Professor of Education, Bethel University, Associate Professor of Education, Bethel University
Gail specializes in literacy education and educational psychology. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and district inservices. She was a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and program director for K-12 schools.

Steven Kaatz, MSE, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education, Bethel University
Steven teaches special education (LD and EBD) and education psychology at Bethel University. He's taught students from third grade through the doctoral level in America and Asia in rural, suburban, and urban settings for 30 years.

Patricia Paulson, M.S., Associate Professor of Science, Bethel College
Patricia served as a teacher in Anoka Hennepin ISD #11 from 1972-1994, then as the science curriculum facilitator from 1994-1999. Currently, she teaches science education at Bethel University. She is also the coordinator of 3M Super Saturday Science in St. Paul.

Linda Probert, M.A., Assistant Professor of Education, Bethel College
Linda has 15 years teaching experience in kindergarten and first grade. She teaches the Kindergarten Methods and Elementary Math Methods classes at Bethel.

Jay Rasmussen, Ph. D., Professor of Education, Director of Graduate Programs in Education, Bethel University
Jay has had fifteen years of college teaching experience, along with consulting and workshop presentations. Previously, he taught in elementary schools for 8 years.

Susan Tag, M.S., L.P., School Psychologist, Licensed Psychologist, Adjunct Professor at Bethel University
Susan is a Licensed Psychologist and a School Psychologist with 8 years of experience in the public school system working with challenging students, their parents and staff.

Louise Wilson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education, Bethel College
Louise has taught and administered special education programs. Currently, she consults in schools and provides staff development in student learning, change and technology. She also teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at Bethel.

A Resource of Bethel University Department of Education and the College of Adult and Professional Studies