ENHANCE YOUR CLASSROOM TO SUPPORT COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS     

Instructor: Jennifer Stamatiades                                                 45 CTLE hours/ 3inservice credits                   Grades K-12

Dates: September 30 - November 18, 2025                                                                                                                           Fee: $150

Time: Hybrid format

Mandatory Synchronous Meetings: 

September 30th: Google Meet from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm -  Course expectations & Unit Overview

November 18th: Google Meet  from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm -Sharing Unit Plans & Reflections

Ever wonder if your classroom is preparing students for their future? Whether it be a trade school, college or beyond, our students deserve to learn the skills that are necessary to succeed for any pathway they choose to explore.

College and career readiness ensures high school graduates possess the knowledge, skills, and competencies to succeed in post-secondary education and the workforce. This involves developing core academic knowledge, applying knowledge with higher-order thinking, cultivating transferable employability skills like communication and problem-solving, and

understanding the transition to pathways leading to gainful employment or further education.

This course will help aid you to transform your lessons and unit plans to support their post high school pathways. Through current research, online videos, PBL unit planning and professional collaboration among participants, teachers will be able to create highly effective units and turn their classrooms into an authentic learning environment with authentic tasks as a final result for each and every student.

Upon completion of the course, teachers will have:

• Research based knowledge of College and Career Readiness and how to implement this research into their lessons and unit plans.

• A collection of new and/or enhanced lessons using backward planning infusing the Next Gen Standards.

• The skills needed in order to create challenging lessons that foster student collaboration, higher order thinking skills, higher level questioning techniques, and a unit of study that encompasses all of the skills learned.

• Reflected upon lessons to determine the success of each.

• Multiple research based unit plans of a real world issue/inquiry and an authentic summative assessment piece created by students.

• Shared lessons and reflected upon each other’s lesson plans.

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ELL YEAH! TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WITH CONFIDENCE                           

 Instructor: Kathy Curran                                         45 CTLE Hours: 3 in-service credits                                     Grades K-12 

Dates: October 1 -  December 3, 2025                                                                                                                                   Fee: $150

Time: Online Asynchronous 

 * Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course. 

This dynamic course empowers educators to confidently support English Language Learners (ELLs) in general education classrooms. Through engaging strategies, real-world scenarios, and culturally responsive practices, teachers will explore how to scaffold academic content, build language skills, and foster inclusive classrooms where all students thrive. Whether you're new to working with multilingual learners or looking to refresh your toolkit, this course will leave you saying, “ELL-YEAH!”

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Identify the stages of second language acquisition and their classroom implications.

• Apply strategies to scaffold academic language across content areas.

• Create inclusive lesson plans that differentiate for ELLs at various proficiency levels.

• Integrate culturally responsive practices to build classroom communities.

• Collaborate effectively with ENL teachers and families.

• Reflect on personal teaching practices to better support multilingual learners.

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NAVIGATING YOUR POSITION IN THESE TIMES

Instructor: Selina Durio                                                                   30 hours, 2 inservice credits   Grades K-12 

Dates: October 6 - December 8, 2025                                                      Fee: Free for OWL Consortium Members - All others $100

Mandatory Synchronous meetings: 10/6; 10/20; 11/10; 11/24; 12/8 

Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm

SYNCHRONOUS MEETINGS WILL BE VIA ZOOM, not Google Meet.

 * Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course. 

This course is designed to provide a safe space for educators in their first six(6)years of teaching within a school district to examine and evaluate their practices. It will utilize discussion, written responses, and a mentorship approach to typical (and atypical) situations where new instructors find themselves. An array of strategies will be provided to help educators embed coping skills and other positive behaviors into their everyday practice. Private one-to-one mentorship and discussion will be made available upon request.

Participants will explore the following topics:

• Every day, school-setting questions

• Generic workplace agreement situations (non-specific contract issues)

• Overall license/certification issues (NYSED)

• Professional Development

• Social Media - Do’s and Don’ts

• Current Educational Climate and Issues

• Additional topics will be added based on participant needs

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CANVA FOR TEACHERS

Instructor:  Jeannette Walsh                                                          45 CTLE hrs; 3 Ins. Credits                                                     Grades K-12

Dates:  October 26 – December 7, 2025                                                                                                                                                     Fee: $150

Time: Online Asynchronous 

This asynchronous professional development course trains K–12 teachers with the skills to design engaging, New York State standards-aligned lesson units using Canva’s powerful digital and AI tools. Creating high-quality, effective, and interactive teaching materials is critical for student success. This course guides teachers through building a complete 6-lesson unit incorporating lesson plans, texts, assignments, visuals,

interactive presentations, assessments, and collaborative activities to meet that goal. Teachers will gain confidence using Canva’s features to design high quality resources ready for immediate classroom use.

Participants must have a personal Google account as well as a Canva account to fully utilize Canva’s tools and participate in course activities.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Align lesson objectives and activities to NYS Learning Standards.

• Use AI tools (Magic Write, Magic Switch, etc.) to generate and refine lesson resources.

• Create visuals, presentations, screencasts, quizzes, and rubrics in Canva.

• Support differentiated instruction and collaboration.

• Build and share a 6-lesson unit, complete with a written reflection.

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STEM FOR THE CLASSROOM

Instructor: Michelle Marino                                   45 CTLE hours: 3 in-service credits                                                       Grades K-12 

Dates: October 1 - December 10, 2025                                                                                                                                 Fee:  $150

Mandatory Synchronous Meetings:   

October 1- 4:30-6:30 pm

December 10 - 4:30-6:30 pm        

 * Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course. 

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  It's an approach to education and careers that emphasizes the integration and application of these disciplines to solve real-world problems and foster critical thinking.  These four areas of study are closely related and are important for our economy and future. STEM careers are expected to grow much faster than other jobs in the next few years. This means that people with STEM skills will be in high demand.

STEM education helps students develop important skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. These skills are useful in many different careers, not just STEM jobs. STEM education also encourages students to be curious and to think creatively. This can help them find success in any field they choose.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Develop 5 stem project lessons specific to their teaching course.

• Align these 5 with Next Generation Science Standards.

• Include Content and Language Objectives. (SIOP)

• Apply a self reflective observation of at least one of these stem projects using Danielson. 

• Add all projects to a share folder to which the class will have access

• Integrate digital tools and AI platforms to enhance instructional time and increase individualized and small group interaction opportunities.

• Demonstrate leadership and professional growth by exploring technology-based solutions that support continuous instructional improvement.

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BUILDING NUMBER SENSE: EMPOWERING TEACHERS TO INSPIRE MATHEMATICAL CONFIDENCE

Instructor: Roseanne Hennig                                    45 CTLE Hours; 3 Inservice credits                   Grades: K-5

Dates: October 13, 2025 - December 12, 2025                                                                                                                 Fee: $150

Time: Asynchronous                                                                             

* Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course. 

Transform your classroom by mastering the art of teaching number sense! This dynamic course equips educators with strategies to help students develop a deep, intuitive understanding of numbers. Explore practical approaches to teaching mental math, estimation, place value, fractions, and patterns while fostering a growth mindset in learners of all abilities. Through hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and real-world applications, you’ll gain insights into identifying and addressing common misconceptions, encouraging mathematical reasoning, and making numbers accessible and exciting for every student. Join me to deepen your expertise, inspire your students, and create a classroom where numbers truly make sense!

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Develop a strong understanding of  what number sense is 

• Analyze young learners’ number sense development in terms of learning trajectories

• Understand the four different types of relationships that children can and should develop with numbers from 1-10

• Develop an understanding of how the foundational ideas of numbers from 1- 20 can be extended to larger numbers, fractions, decimals and operations, basic facts, and computation.

• Create learning activities to develop number sense

• Develop visual routines that use student thinking to orchestrate work

• Create counting routines to understand place value and the number system from grades K-5

• Gather a multitude of tools for students to use in order to solidify their number sense

• Develop techniques for assessing all components of number sense

• Be ready and excited to engage families in understanding and supporting number sense

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FLEXIBLE INSTRUCTION TOOLBOX~ ELL, SWD & GEN ED STUDENTS

Instructor: Laurie Ott                                            45 CTLE  hrs / 3 inservice credits                                                        Grades K-12 

Dates: October 1 - December 10, 2025                                                                                                         Fee: $150

Time: Asynchronous

 * Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course. 

This course prepares educators to design and implement differentiated

and flexible instruction to meet the diverse learning needs of students in K–12 settings.

Emphasis is placed on inclusive practices that support Students with Disabilities, EnglishLanguage Learners, and Students in General Education. Participants will explore instructional models, assessment strategies, and culturally responsive practices to create equitable learning environments that foster inclusive and supportive learning experiences for all.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Define and explain the principles of differentiated and flexible grouping.

• Analyze student needs through assessment data and other diagnostic tools.

• Develop lesson plans that incorporate tiered instruction, scaffolding, and accommodations.

• Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in instructional design.

• Implement strategies that support English language acquisition in content areas.

• Collaborate effectively with co-teachers, support staff, and families.

• Reflect on and adjust instructional practices based on student outcomes and feedback.

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AI IN THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM  

Instructor: Beth Read                                  45 CTLE Hrs.; 3 inservice credits                                               Grades K-5  

Dates: October 3 - December 12, 2025                                                                                                                                           Fee: $150

Time:  Asynchronous

Get ready to explore the future of teaching! This course is designed for elementary educators who want to dive into the world of artificial intelligence and discover how it can transform their classrooms. You’ll try out a variety of AI tools, learn what makes each platform unique, and start building lessons that are smarter, more creative, and tailored to your students. As AI keeps evolving, so will this course—so you’ll always be learning something fresh. By the end, you’ll choose the tool that worked best for you, share your experience with your colleagues, and walk away with real strategies you can use right away. Join me on this exciting journey into the world of AI and see what’s possible!

Course Objectives:

• Build foundational AI literacy

• Explore ethical and instructional applications of AI

• Practice lesson creation using AI tools

• Reflect personally and collaboratively on AI’s role in teaching

• Strengthen core teaching practices through AI-enhanced planning

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TECH TOOLS FOR THE MODERN CLASSROOM

Instructor: Jennifer Kelly                        45 CTLE Hrs.; 3 inservice credits                                     Grades K-12 

Dates: October 10  - December 5, 2025                                                                                                                                Fee: $150

Time:  Asynchronous

Through exploration of different technology tools, teachers will learn how to elevate their use of technology in the classroom as well as modify and adjust previous practice to redesign  lessons and projects for a more tech savvy approach.  Participants will explore creative options for projects for students to showcase what they have learned which embrace the option of student choice.

 Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Enhance/transform your content and teaching through technology

• Master new forms of technology to utilize in your classroom

• Develop a collection of lessons and assessments that incorporate technology in new and engaging ways

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HABITS TO BREAK: HELPING STUDENTS ACHIEVETHEIR GREATEST POTENTIAL  

Instructor: Debbie Salitsky, LCS                            45 CTLE Hrs.; 3 inservice credits                                                     Grades K-12 

Dates: October 10  - December 5, 2025                                                                                                                                                Fee: $150                   

Time:  Asynchronous

This 8-week asynchronous course empowers educators with research-based information and strategies to gain awareness, identify, and reshape students’ unproductive, maladaptive academic and behavioral habits. Through neuroscience, SEL principles, and trauma-informed practices, educators will learn how habits are formed, be able to foster growth mindsets, emotional regulation, and healthy learning behaviors. Selected readings, videos, discussion boards, and a creative culminating activity will lend to the completion of this course.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• • • Understand how habits form and the concept of habit loop: cue - craving - response - reward.

    • Greater awareness of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) on the relationship of habit.

    • Identify common educator habits and mindsets that unintentionally limit student growth, such as deficit thinking, over-reliance on compliance, or unconscious bias.

    • Reflect on personal teaching practices and how they may impact student engagement,

    • motivation, and achievement.

    • Understand the impact of fixed vs. growth mindset language and behavior on student

    • outcomes.

    • Review the habit of negative chatter and its impact on anxiety and low self-confidence.

    • Practice communication and feedback techniques that promote student agency, ownership, and a belief in their ability to improve.

    • Commit to an ongoing cycle of reflection, feedback, and growth to sustain positive change in teaching practices.