Description: Participants will explore the meaning of Diversity and consider who are our diverse children. They will be given ideas and resources in order to enhance a sense of community with all the children. They will be shown how each member in the classroom can be accountable to the sense of community.

November 21, 2009 - Teaching Across the Curriculum with Music (CLASS FULL)

Sandra Miller, instructor

8:30am - 12:30am

Act 48/DPW = 4hrs

Description: Participants will discover the unique benefit music has to help teach children various literacy skills (both in language, math, science). Participants will discover how music can teach concepts. Participants will briefly discuss characteristics of Multiple Intelligences and how music in the classroom can have a positive impact on children.
Participants will be actively involved in various hands-on activities to demonstrate how music can be incorporated across the curriculum. Participants will discover how to create various musical instruments using free or inexpensive materials. Participants will explore the internet to find resources to use within their classroom.

December 5, 2009 - Let's Explore

Jennifer McNellie, instructor

8:30am - 11:30am

Act 48/DPW = 3hrs

Description: This workshop will focus on helping early childhood educators feel comfortable with children's curiosity and to value it; to recognize curiosity in infants, toddlers and preschoolers and to learn strategies for encouraging that curiosity in both boys and girls. It is designed to help educators understand that science is a process, a way of looking at the world, to understand how it works and it is okay not to know all of the answers. Nobody does!

December 12, 2009 - What Do You Do With the Mad that You Feel

Sandra Miller, instructor

8:30am - 11:30am

Act 48/DPW = 3hrs

Description: This workshop will explore anger, where it comes from, and how young children can gradually learn the self-control necessary to manage anger and channel it into productive activities. Methods for dealing with mad feelings are included in the workshop discussions.

January 9, 2010 - Teaching Across the Curriculum with Your Favorite Authors

Sandra Miller, instructor

8:30am - 12:30pm

Act 48/DPW - 4hrs

Description: Participants will be actively engaged in cross-curricular activities revolving around popular children's authors. They will examine how children's literature can be used to meet the state and school academic standards. During the course, participants will create an action plan for using children's literature to help develop student's emergent literacy skills.

January 23, 2010 - Learning Discipline

Carolyn Gilles, instructor

8:30am - 11:30am

Act 48/DPW - 3hrs

Description:The participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to learn more about the Learning Discipline model design by Famliy Communications. They will learn best practices to present the material to practitioners so that they can enhance their work with children.

February 6, 2010 - Challenging Behaviors

Jennifer McNellie, instructor

8:30am - 11:30am

Act 48/DPW - 3hrs

Description:This 3-hour professional development, a follow-up to the "Mad Feelings" event, takes a closer look at the children who have more serious problems with anger management. It acknowledges the strong feelings of frustration, helplessness, and even anger such behavior can engender in practitioners and teachers. By encouraging a long term approach that stresses the importance of relationships with the child, with colleagues, with parents, and with intervention specialists, practitioners can come to see the important difference they can make in the life of even the most challenging child

February 20, 2010 - Early Literacy: Lullabies to Literacy

Jennifer McNellie, instructor

8:30am - 11:30am

Act 48/DPW - 3hrs

Description: Participants will develop strategies for helping caregivers and parents nurture early literacy skills. The training focuses on the kinds of experiences that help young children develop a positive attitude about literacy. It offers insights and strategies into emergent literacy in three areas: spoken language, reading, and writing. Through video segments, hands-on activities, and group discussion, participants will explore how everyday experiences can make children want to learn to read and write.