RETHINKING RIGOR:  Intentional Teaching for Lasting Impact   

Instructor: Kim Turri                        45 CTLE hours/ 3inservice credits                                         Grades K-12

Dates: January 26-March 27, 2026                               Time: Asynchronous                                                 Fee: $150

Inspired by the book "Rigor Unveiled," this course offers a friendly, down-to-earth exploration of what rigor truly means and how it can enhance student learning. Together, we’ll clear up common misconceptions and focus on how rigor can support your growth as a teacher and leader. Using the RIGOR Walk model—Relationships, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance—you’ll explore what makes a classroom truly thrive. You’ll dive into short videos that explain key concepts, see real classrooms in action, and hear from coaches as they share their observations. This course is designed tobe practical, engaging, and directly useful in your everyday teaching.

Optional Book: RIGOR Unveiled: A Video-Enhanced Flipbook to Promote Teacher Expertise in Relationship Building, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, et al. | Feb 11, 2025

Although it is optional, this highly recommended resource is ideal for educators, coaches, and leaders. It offers practical tools and video-enhanced strategies to deepen understanding and promote effective, rigorous teaching practices across key areas.

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

• Explain common misconceptions about rigor and clarify its meaning within the context of a learning environment.

• Identify and describe the five components of the RIGOR model: Relationships, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance.

• Analyze classroom instruction to recognize strengths and opportunities for increasing rigor.

• Apply the RIGOR model to evaluate and improve instructional practices.

• Observe and reflect on peer instruction to identify and articulate how rigor is demonstrated in practice.

******************************************************************************************************WEARING THE MANY HATS OF AN EDUCATOR

 Instructor: Debbie Weinstein              45 CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits   Grades K-12    

Dates: January 27- March 24, 2026             Time: Asynchronous                                                   Fee: $150

Throughout your career, you will wear the metaphorical hats of an educator, a therapist, a nurse, a comedian, a disciplinarian, a parent, etc.  This course will touch upon some of the many roles you have taken and will take in the future, while offering strategies and advice to best support your students. 

Personal Google accounts will be required to access this course. 

The course will address the following topics: 

• The Motivator, Inspirer, and Entertainer: Fostering an Optimal Learning Environment

• The Organizer and Role Model: Organization for Teachers and Students

• The Disciplinarian and Mediator: Classroom Management

• The Designer of Learning: Lesson Planning to Cater to All Diverse Learners

• The Technology Guru: Applications for Learning

• The Advocate, Nurse, and Therapist: Accommodations, Modifications, and Life Skills

• The Lifelong Learner: Professional Development

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LEARNING IN ACTION: A PROJECT-BASED APPROACH

Instructor: Debbie Fitzpatrick                     45 CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits   Grades K-12                                             Dates: January 26- March 13, 2026             Time: Asynchronous                                                   Fee: $150

This course will help educators master Project-Based Learning (PBL). You will gain the knowledge and confidence to design, run, and assess PBL lessons that keep students deeply engaged.  The course introduces participants to PBL where knowledge is gained through hands-on projects instead of traditional lectures.   After this course you will be able to transform your classroom into a dynamic space where students own their learning and create meaningful work that showcases their creativity and critical thinking. 

Course Objectives: 

• Design top-quality projects and learn to build rigorous, long-term learning units.

• Guide student learning effectively and understand how to manage the complex, multi-step project process.

• Use authentic assessment and develop fair and clear methods to evaluate student work and skill development during and after the project.

• Transform the classroom role and shift your job from "giver of information" to "learning coach" while empowering students to take ownership of their learning.

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      NAVIGATING YOUR POSITION:Mid to End of Year

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

Dates: January 26- March 27, 2026                                                                                                                                                   Time: Hybrid       

Synchronous dates: 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/9, 3/23/2026                          6:30 - 8:00 pm

Fee: Free for OWL Consortium Members - All others $100

Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course. 

This course provides a safe space for educators to examine and evaluate their performance. We will use the “Ten Rules for the Ride of Your Life” from The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon to point participants toward a direction within their teaching practice. The Energy Bus “introduces us to the power of positive energy to help individuals, teams(classroom), to overcome negativity and bring out the best in themselves and others (students).” We will utilize discussion, case studies, written responses, and a mentorship approach to typical (and atypical) situations in which 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.

It is recommended, but not required, that you purchase the book: The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon

Participants will explore the following topics.

• Every day, school-setting questions

• Current Educational Climate and Issues

• Interpersonal colleague issues

• How perspective/perception influences our behavior

• Additional topics will be added based on participant needs

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INNOVATIVE SCIENCE INSTRUCTION: HARNESSING AI FOR STEM INSTRUCTION            INSTRUCTOR: Michelle Marino                        45 CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits   Grades K-12

Dates: January 28- March 11, 2026             Time: Hybrid Format                                                   Fee: $150

Mandatory Synchronous Meetings:

January 28 - Google Meet - 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. - Course overview

March 11 - Google Meet - 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. - Sharing Unit Plans and Reflections

Personal Google accounts are 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.  STEM education helps students develop important skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. STEM education also encourages students to be curious and to think creatively. STEM education is not just about learning facts and formulas, it's about developing a way of thinking that can help students solve problems and make a difference in the world. These skills are also important for success across the curriculum in STEM careers. 

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 for all of us to have access to. 

• 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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BEST PRACTICES FOR SUPPORTING ELLS

Instructor: Denise Baldini                 15 CTLE hours/ 1 inservice credit   Grades K-12

Dates: January 29, 2025 – March 5, 2026                                                                   Time: Asynchronous     

Mandatory Synchronous Meeting:  Thursday, January 29 · 6:00 – 9:00pm Fee: $50

 Whether you have a class full of English Language Learners or just a few, this 15-hour course will provide methods and techniques that can help you make the English language and your subject matter easier to understand for ELLs and all students in your classroom. This course will introduce the key components of the SIOP model (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) which is just a fancy name for the best, research-based practices for designing, implementing and reflecting on lessons to support English Language Learners. This class will inspire you to think about what you’re already doing to support your students, and what else you can do to set them up for success.

Personal Google accounts will be needed to access this course.  

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

• Understand important components of the SIOP model

• Apply new strategies for teaching and learning

• Experience strategies through an immersive hands on activity

• Take away ready to use strategies for making learning accessible for English Language Learners

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ENGAGE AND INSPIRE:  A Book Study  

Instructor: Amy Koutsakos                           45 CTLE hours/ 3 inService credits                   Grades K-12

Dates: January 26 -  March 13, 2026                                                                             Time: Asynchronous     Fee: $150

Join us for an engaging book study of 50 Strategies to Boost Cognitive Engagement: Creating a Thinking Culture in the Classroom by Rebecca Stobaugh  Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947604775

This professional learning experience helps educators build classrooms where students think deeply, question purposefully, and engage actively with learning.Participants will explore practical, ready-to-use strategies that strengthen critical thinking and promote a true culture of thinking. Each session includes opportunities to reflect, collaborate, and plan for immediate classroom application.  Educators will leave with resources that elevate student voice, deepen understanding, and make cognitive engagement a daily reality.

This is an asynchronous course utilizing Google Classroom as the delivery platform. 

Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course.

Participants Will:

• Identify key principles of cognitive engagement from Rebecca Stobaugh’s 50 Strategies to Boost Cognitive Engagement and explain how they contribute to a thinking-centered classroom.

• Analyze and reflect on current instructional practices to determine opportunities for increasing student thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving.

• Apply research-based engagement strategies from the text to design lessons that promote deeper learning across content areas.

• Implement thinking routines and instructional structures that foster active participation, metacognition, and higher-level questioning.

• Collaborate with peers to share ideas, discuss classroom scenarios, and model strategies that support a culture of thinking.

• Develop a personalized action plan for integrating cognitive engagement strategies into daily instruction to enhance student voice and ownership of learning.

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STREAMING SEL: USING FILM TO SPARK MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS

Instructor: Melissa Levy                            45 CTLE hours/ 3 inservice credits                                                   Grades K-12

Dates: January 26 - March 20, 2026                            Time: Asynchronous                                                                      Fee:$150

This 45-hour asynchronous course centers on the intentional use of film and video to support social-emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom. Participants will explore strategies for selecting and analyzing movies and clips, designing SEL-focused lessons and activities, and creating student-centered materials such as reflection prompts and movie review sheets. Through readings, video examples, and hands-on assignments, teachers will gain practical tools to engage students, foster empathy, resilience, teamwork, and other SEL skills, and apply these strategies across grade levels and subjects.

Personal Google accounts will be required to access the course. 

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

• Identify and analyze SEL themes in films and video clips.

• Design classroom activities and lessons that integrate film to teach social-emotional skills.

• Create student-centered reflection tools, such as movie review sheets or discussion prompts.

• Apply active-viewing strategies to promote engagement, empathy, and critical thinking.

• Reflect on personal teaching practices and develop creative approaches to using media for SEL instruction.

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INSPIRING GREATNESS

Instructor:  Doug Read                45 CTLE Hrs; 3 Inservice Credits                                 Audience: K-12 Dates:    1/26/2026 to 3/20/2026                       Asynchronous                                                     Fee: $150

Through documentaries, articles, and research participants will analyze the lives and character of some of the world's most extraordinary humans.  From Mother Thersa to Duke Kahanamoku these figures offer a glimpse into what is possible.  The goal of the course is to inspire educators and help them use these examples to develop character and citizenship in their students.

Personal Google accounts will be needed to access this course.

Course Objectives:

• Use examples of resilience, advocacy, and creativity to motivate students toward empathy, civic engagement, and personal excellence.

• Reflect on personal teaching practices and identify opportunities to embed character education.

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BACK TO BASICS: EFFECTIVE LESSON PLANNING WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM AI

 Instructor:  Christine Sanfratello               15 CTLE Hours: 1 in-service credit Grades K-12 

Dates : January 29 - March 11, 2026   Asynchronous                                                          Fee:$50

         Personal Google accounts will be needed to access this class.

STOP feeling overwhelmed and overextended by the many demands of teaching! It is time to take a breath and ground our pedagogy in the foundations of education...with a little help from AI! “Back to the  Basics” is designed to help educators reaffirm, refine, and strengthen the core foundations of effective classroom teaching. Through practical exploration and reflective practice, teachers will revisit essential instructional strategies including effective lesson planning, classroom structure and management, high-impact questioning, building positive student rapport, and fostering an engaging learning environment.

Throughout the course, participants will also explore how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be used responsibly to reduce workload, streamline planning, support differentiation, and enhance instructional practices—without replacing the teacher’s professional voice and expertise. By blending time-tested teaching strategies with modern AI supports, this course empowers educators to return to the essentials with renewed confidence, clarity, and efficiency.

By the end of the course, participants will leave with practical tools, refreshed instructional strategies, and ready-to-use resources to immediately impact teaching and learning.

Course Objectives:

• Reflect upon and evaluate current educational practices to determine their effectiveness & efficiency.

• Develop a renewed understanding and application of the essential elements of great teaching.

• Explore the use of AI to reduce workload while creating effective instructional lessons and resources.