Seminar Descriptions
MOTIVATING THE HARD TO MOTIVATE
In an effort to generate annual yearly progress or improve test scores, educators spend a great deal of time examining and implementing programs that will hopefully change their schools. Although personnel, curriculum, and instructional strategies are important, nothing will consistently improve test score data without addressing motivation. Learn how to motivate all students- especially those students who are hard to motivate.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Teachers have a wonderful opportunity to directly influence the success of each student in his/her class. This seminar will discuss specific strategies any teacher can use to truly make a difference. A few of the topics include: developing positive attitudes, increasing student motivation, the importance of student success, test score improvement, working with parents, and the latest in brain research.
LEARNING FROM SPORTS
How do they do it? How do coaches across America take students that lack motivation, self-esteem, and drive and turn them into people that are hungry to succeed? When students, especially boys, look back to their school days, why is it they seem to remember coaches more than teachers? This seminar focuses on simple strategies that every teacher can use to accomplish the same results.
MOTIVATION THAT WORKS
Since motivated students listen more attentively, retain more information, enjoy school to a greater degree, and are less likely to become disciplinary problems, it only makes sense to do our very best to motivate them. This seminar focuses on practical techniques teachers can use to motivate the students they teach.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
ACADEMIC PROGRESS FOR EVERY STUDENT
Whether you’re talking about education or athletics, the best way to ensure success is to make every student (every player) better. If we know and understand the importance of this concept, why do schools continue to ignore it each year? Why do we continue to “herd” our students through the year? Why are so many of our students forced to take remediation classes before entering college? We will explore those barriers that prevent progress and discuss ways to overcome them.
IMPACTING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Do you ever wonder why you work so hard and do so much, but your data simply doesn’t move? You are not alone. For many people, the problem is simply the lack of specificity. Our educational system seems to be locked in a “global” mode of educating our students. This seminar discusses the development of a process that can be used to make teaching more focused and deliberate. This process will impact student learning, decrease behavior problems, and increase test scores.
IT ONLY TAKES ONE
In a time of accountability, systems across our state are striving to make significant gains in student achievement. Although there is certainly strength in numbers, never underestimate the power of one. This seminar focuses on how an individual teacher can make a significant difference in the lives of his/her students. Areas of focus will include planning, setting specific outcomes, motivating students, discipline, using success as a tool, and much more.
THE DATA PROCESS
This seminar is designed for teachers and administrators. Although many schools have good faculties and work hard throughout the year, their data remains flat. We need to understand that it is possible to do a lot and still not achieve success. Success comes when certain processes are in place and successfully functioning. We will explore what processes are needed and how to effectively implement them in your schools.
PLANNING FOR SUCCESS
In order to increase student learning, it is crucial that we closely examine how we spend our time. In order to maximize the time we have with our students, it is necessary to look at what we plan, how we plan, and how we implement our plan. The seminar also focuses on what we want the students to learn, as opposed to what we plan to teach.
PARENTS
MANAGING DIFFICULT PARENTS
If you haven’t had the pleasure of working with a difficult parent- you will. If not handled correctly, this same parent can make your life miserable, and could potentially ruin your career. This seminar provides proven techniques you can use to prevent many problems before they occur, and how to address those that cannot be prevented.
PARENTS AND TEACHERS: FORMING A PARTNERSHIP
To assure the educational success of any child, it is important that teachers and parents develop a good working relationship. This seminar focuses on what parents expect from teachers, hidden fears, setting the tone for the year, avoiding conflict, better communication, managing angry parents, and conducting successful parent-teacher conferences.
DISCIPLINE
KEEPING YOUR SANITY: DISCIPLINE THAT WORKS
Is your job draining you of your energy and robbing you of your joy? Do you end your day with Tylenol or Advil, or look forward to a nap after each school day? If not handled correctly, disciplining students can be exhausting, depressing, and can cause harmful anxiety. In this seminar, learn how to prevent many problems before they occur, and how to effectively manage the rest.
PREVENTING PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY OCCUR
Unfortunately, dealing with classroom discipline takes away from academic time and can be very draining on teachers. Instead of discussing various methods of punishment or consequences, this seminar focuses on strategies teachers can use to help in actually preventing problems before they occur. Topics include: classroom management, modes of presentation, ensuring student success, understanding each child, the messages we send, finding the root of the problem, reasons for inappropriate behavior, and avoiding power struggles.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP THAT WORKS
Principals understand that they are essential to the success of their schools and school system. Although principals are fully aware they are hired to be instructional leaders, it isn’t as easy as many might think. More than ever before, principals are bombarded with stress, financial burdens, fundraising, parental issues, and other problems. This seminar focuses on how to provide effective leadership despite the challenges we face. Some topics include: time management, identifying hot spots, avoiding global leadership, building teacher leaders, developing focus, planning, reflection, monitoring, data driven decision making, etc.
PRINCIPALS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Administrators have a unique opportunity to directly influence the success of each student at his/her school. This seminar will focus on ideas and strategies administrators can implement in order to help their schools make a difference in the lives of their students. Topics include: staff selection, data-driven decisions, effective instructional programs, test score improvement, developing a positive culture, and motivating our students.
FIRST YEAR TEACHERS
THE RIGHT FOOT FIRST
For any teacher, the first year is the most important. Unfortunately, for many it can be a very stressful time. Many first teachers are simply thrown into the water to sink or swim. This seminar focuses on curriculum, effective reading and math programs, differentiated instruction, strategic planning, classroom management, working with parents, financial procedures, test score improvement, addressing the different needs of boys and girls, data analysis, using data to drive classroom instruction, the latest in brain research, motivating students, and keeping the boss happy.
BRAIN RESEARCH
DEVELOPING LONG-TERM MEMORY
As Jensen states, “The only evidence of learning is memory.” Teaching information simply isn’t good enough. We owe it to our students to not only teach the information, but to help them remember it. This seminar looks at various techniques and strategies involved in increasing the retention of what we teach.
BRAIN BASED CLASSROOMS
We are at the dawn of something really special in education. Recent breakthroughs in brain research will impact us tremendously. What we have learned could one day affect our discipline policies, assessment methods, the use of technology, how we think about physical education, music and art, even what time we choose to start school. This seminar focuses on using the latest research to make our classrooms more brain compatible, thus improving student self-esteem, standardized test scores and the total instructional program. We will also examine the differences between boys and girls and discuss how we can make changes in our programs to accommodate their specific needs.
TEST SCORE IMPROVEMENT
DOING YOUR BEST ON THE SAT10
With increased pressure to perform, it is imperative that schools do everything possible to improve test scores on the SAT10. This seminar focuses on practical, common sense ideas that any teacher can use to improve SAT scores. Topics to be discussed: developing a plan, analyzing data, working together as a team, curriculum selection, test-taking strategies, memory, modes of presentation, disaggregated data, and incorporating the latest in brain research.
TEACHER BURNOUT AND ATTITUDE
ATTITUDES MATTER
What heights will your school reach? Strong curriculums, effective teaching strategies, and enthusiastic personnel are certainly important to the success of your program, but many may overlook one of the most important components – ATTITUDE. Your school’s attitude truly will affect its altitude. In fact, some say the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity is simply attitude. This seminar examines the detrimental affects of negative attitudes, the benefits of positive attitudes, pitfalls that trap us, using positive attitudes to overcome insurmountable odds, and the benefits of developing a positive culture in your school.
STRIVING FOR HAPPINESS
Regardless of who we are, where we live, or what we do for a living, we all have one thing in common – we all simply want to be happy. This seminar examines our desire to be happy, the lure of rainbows, setting reasonable expectations, the benefits of humor, and how to avoid dangerous pitfalls.
SEARCHING FOR SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY
Each year our state loses scores of teachers and administrators, many of which suffer from “Teacher Burnout.” It is not unusual for us to experience feelings of being burned-out, but when the feelings don’t go away, we may need help. This seminar discusses ways to prevent teacher burnout and what to do if you are experiencing it now.