Professional Development

Pre-Calculus

Presented by Tad Krupa, a tenured math professor with a strong track record in the field. During his career, Tad has taught pre-Calculus and Calculus for over seven years, equipping him with in-depth knowledge and a keen understanding of these subjects. His teaching journey also included a position at Niagara County Community College, where he made a significant impact on students pursuing higher education. With over seven years of experience working with the AP curriculum, Tad of Significant Educators is well-versed in preparing students for advanced mathematical challenges.

Passcode: 71t*L597

Webinar Series for School Districts and Teachers

Sponsored by:
The Department of Elementary and Literacy Education
Minnesota State University, Mankato

Courses and Workshops

The National Reading Panel identified five pillars of effective reading instruction. They were a few pillars short. This Zoom session will describe the ten elements of comprehensive reading instruction and the seven elements of effective reading interventions. There will be plenty of time for face-to-face discussion. Join us with your questions and comments.

What’s the Deal with the Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading – Science of Reading advocates seem to be putting out a great deal of misinformation about reading instruction.  Literacy experts are being ignored in favor of radio journalists.   For-profit entities are promoting ideas that serve only to enhance their profit at the expense of our students. 

IMPROVING READING FLUENCY

Reading fluency is the ability to quickly process text.  Reading fluency is correlated with word identify, conceptual knowledge, and comprehension.  This course provides an overview of reading fluency and a variety of strategies that can be used to develop students’ ability to process text quickly.

Dyslexia: Helping Students with Severe Reading Difficulties

There is a great deal of misunderstanding and misinformation related to dyslexia. This course offers a view of dyslexia that examines a wide variety of research perspectives. It also presents specific elements of reading instruction and interventions should look like for students with severe reading difficulties.

This workshop will explain the Action Assessment Project approach to engaging in collaborative work that advances racial equity in educational spaces. Participants will explore how this approach might be useful within their own professional learning communities.

Presented by Dr. Beth Beschorner, a Professor and Department Chair in Elementary Education. Dr. Beschorner works with teacher educators and teacher candidates to develop the next generation of educators by providing an exceptional teacher preparation program and conducting research that advances equity and innovation in education. Dr. Beschorner has published approximately 20 peer-reviewed articles, several book chapters, and conducted more than 30 national presentations. Dr. Beschorner holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Iowa State University.

In this professional development opportunity, elementary educators and pre-service teachers will have opportunities to learn about book clubs as opportunities to engage students in critical literacies. Professors will provide 5 recommendations for how to design, lead, and monitor critical literacy book clubs in the elementary classroom. Participants will have opportunities to share resources and make connections to their own experiences with critical literacy pedagogy.

All students can learn to write and to write well.  Teaching them how to do this is easy if you know and understand the five-step writing process.  This free, interactive Zoominar focuses on how to develop students’ ability to write.  Participants will leave this session with an understand of how to teach the writing process and a variety of new strategies and activities that can be used in classrooms from kindergarten through grade 8.   

Webinar Topics can also be Identified by the Needs of Participating Schools.

If you think your school might be interested in participating in this next year, or if you have specific topics you would like addressed, click below:

International Seminar Series

Tutor Chest’s online International Professional Development workshops are presented by experts in the field of education. Professors of education from around the world provide FREE, interactive, real-time lectures and discussions – with one goal: increasing student achievement through diverse and inclusive learning communities. Teaching in a classroom, especially online, can feel isolating. Our team believes that collective and collegial growth has a greater impact on student learning.

At Tutor Chest, we are united in our desire to ensure great learning for every child, every day.  Tutor Chest wants to do their part to ensure a successful education experience for every child, in every community.  The International Professional Development workshops offered through Tutor Chest are for all educators worldwide, so they can improve their performance and raise student achievement.

Virtual Reality Educator Certification

Through this Professional Development program, you will earn your Micro Certificate in Virtual Reality Education. By completing both the synchronous and asynchronous portions of this tutorial series, VictoryXR will offer you a well-rounded understanding of VR best practices, our tech tips and tricks, and the most effective and engaging ways to implement VR into your existing curriculum.

Individual Courses

Let’s Discover Ourselves

Free Online Live and Self-Paced Workshops

This interactive workshop gives participants the opportunity to experience a mini self–assessment, powerful questions, and a future visualization. All of which will help to gain deeper self-awareness.

The workshop is aimed at teenagers, young adults, parents, and teachers.

Instructor: Jasmine Navarro, a certified family coach and a qualified teacher.

Jasmine has been living abroad for over fifteen years. Her diverse background and experience have enabled her to relate to all walks of life. She works with teens and young adults struggling with self-confidence to find their place in society. Her mission is to create a safe space for teens and young adults to connect, share, and express through kindness, creativity, and humor. Jasmine believes having grit in life is key.

Free Self-Paced Online Workshop

This live interactive webinar hosted by Dr. Andy Johnson, Professor of Literacy will describe ideas for addressing the emotion element when working with struggling and reluctant readers at home and at school.

Topics Include:
• How negative emotions develop
• The fight or flight mechanism
• How stress impacts learning
• Enhancing self-esteem and self-efficacy at home and school • Four simple word identification strategies

Credits: CEU and Certificate of Attendance

DYSLEXIA – SEVERE READING DIFFICULTIES (20 clock hours) – $99

This course examines dyslexia or severe reading disabilities from a psycholinguistic perspective, and it describes the types pedagogical strategies and other elements that are appropriate for reading instruction and interventions with this population. Course goals: As a result of taking this course, students will be able to —

• Understand the condition of dyslexia.
• Implement a variety of pedagogical strategies appropriate for students with dyslexia.
• Describe the type of reading instruction necessary for students with dyslexia.
• Describe the types of strategies used for reading instruction for students with dyslexia.
• Design an appropriate intervention for students with dyslexia

Credits: 20 Clock Hours and Certificate of Attendance

READING AND THE BRAIN (15 CLOCK HOURS) – $99

This course is designed to provide an overview of how the brain creates meaning with print and to describe and demonstrate eight pedagogical strategies.

As a result of taking this course, educators and parents will be able to —

• Describe the salient processes related to creating meaning with print.
• Compare and contrast meaning-first vs. code-first approaches.
• Identify and implement new pedagogical strategies.
• Engage in a reflective analysis and response related to three pedagogical strategies.

Credits: 15 Clock Hours and Certificate of Attendance