“Man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior

Professional
Development
Opportunities
2009-2010

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Dear Reader,

The Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center is offering a wide range of professional development topics, many based on discussions with our consortium districts about professional development needs. With these offerings, we invite teachers to be active participants in planning their professional development within their own districts.
Accordingly, the professional development programs listed in this catalog can be tailored to teacher needs in terms of scheduling, location, and content. They may be offered in the form of workshops, seminars, study groups, district conference days, and /or in-service courses. If you have a special request for a workshop or program that is not in the catalog, please let us know. Using our large instructor database, we can help you find a qualified instructor.
Getting Started: Programs can be initiated by professional development teams, teacher unions, teacher groups, individual teachers and/or school district administrators working with teacher-driven initiatives or faculty study groups. All programs need the approval of the staff development leader within your district. For full program descriptions, the professional development request form and a list of the staff development leaders in each of our consortium districts, please visit our website at www.seteachercenter.org and click on Professional Development.
Angelique Johnson-Dingle, Director
Carol Weintraub, Educational Program Specialist

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Table of Contents

Growth and Development ………...………..Page 3
Content Areas..…………………………..….Page 8
AIS/Assessment…………………………… Page 15
Technology………………………………… Page 18
Instructional Strategies…………………….. Page 24
NEW! Support Staff…………………………. Page 31
Grant Programs……………………………..Page 33
Fees
The Teacher Center will work together with the requesting district to establish fees, based primarily on our standard fee system, with flexibility to adapt to district and/or requesting group needs.

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A Mentoring Primer
A mentor is defined as an experienced person who provides guidance and support in a variety of ways to the developing novice. This person acts as teacher, sponsor, counselor, developer of skills and intellect, host, guide, exemplar and one who supports and facilitates the realization of the mentee’s goals. Learning from other teachers is a valuable way to become an effective teacher, second only to one’s own experience. The NYSED mandate that all districts implement a mentoring program for all new teachers went into effect in February, 2004. This training will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the mentoring process, the means to implement the different stages of the coaching process, and practice. K-12 teachers.
Building Positive Relations with Parents
Developing relationships with parents is crucial for teachers. Staying proactive and maintaining good communications will help to create the ideal working environment. Understanding how to effectively deal with difficult parents will also be discussed to provide guidelines for staying professional and under control during confrontations. K-12 teachers and support staff.
Collegial Circles/Study Groups (for inservice credit)
Have you had a classroom issue that you’ve been itching to learn more about? Or an instructional strategy that you and your colleagues have been curious about? This program provides a unique opportunity for teachers to design professional development learning opportunities tailored to their own needs in content, dates, time, etc. Contact the Teacher Center for information and an application. K-12 teachers.
Collegial Circle Facilitation
Are you interested in starting a collegial circle in your school? Don’t know where to begin? This hands-on workshop is designed to give you the skills you need to get started. Topics that will be covered include: choosing a focus, getting faculty involved, keeping the discussion going, and facilitating conversation and research. K-12 teachers.

Growth and Development
Licensing requirements and New York State Education Department expectations must be met by all new teachers. Whether you are a beginning or experienced teacher, or one who is almost ready to retire, these professional development activities can help you to satisfactorily meet those requirements and your own professional goals.

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Dealing with Difficult People
As an educator, you will encounter difficult students, difficult parents, and difficult colleagues. This workshop will help you resolve conflicts with these difficult people and diffuse difficult situations. Role playing and self-reflection will be used to help you implement strategies to deal with the difficult people in your workday.
K-12 teachers, administrators, and support staff.
Effective Communication in the School Environment
This course will assist teachers in analyzing their communication style and how it compares with the four major communication styles; identifying and addressing “hot button” communication problems; understanding the powerful role of active listening; building rapport and improving the delivery of their message. Taught by a trained mediator and experienced public school district administrator/school attorney, this course offers engaging classroom activities designed to foster enhanced communication, and offer constructive feedback. K-12 teachers.
The Ethical Classroom
This course enables educators to carefully examine and reflect upon ethical issues and how to restore their students’and the public’s trust, particularly given the regional concerns that abound about the operation of public schools. Through activities designed by an public school district administrator/school attorney, teachers will devise practical applications for implementation. Participants will leave with proven strategies to communicate to students and parents the premium placed on ethics in the classroom to support and enhance student achievement. K-12 teachers.
How to Write A Winning Grant
If you’re interested in a great way to get funding for classroom projects, here’s a workshop for you. First-time grant writers will learn how to form a grant committee, research for grant opportunities, and write a winning grant application. This workshop is presented by members of a team that has won many Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center mini-grants and other grants. K-12 teachers.
Living in A Silent World: An Introduction to American Sign Language
This course is designed to teach participants the basic fundamentals of American Sign Language. Participants will learn to take an active role in communicating using sign language. Participants will be able to answer such questions as: “What is it like to be deaf in today’s society?” and “What is deaf culture?” Teachers will have the opportunity to incorporate American Sign Language into their existing lesson plans and then to discuss their experiences. K-12 teachers.
teachers K-12.
Retirement offers a special chance for you to expand, explore and undertake new endeavors. In this 6-hour workshop you’ll gain understanding of your interests, skills, talents, and how they combine to make you unique. Then learn how to look for opportunities that match your capabilities and interests or how to create new opportunities for rewarding and enriching work. Learn valuable networking and “self-marketing” tips as well. For teachers K-12.

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Looking at Student Work
Wouldn't you like an opportunity to explore a collaborative, non-threatening process to help you and your colleagues achieve high standards for teaching and learning? This workshop offers that opportunity through collaborative examination of teacher and/or student work in a safe, non-threatening environment. It recognizes that teachers themselves are often the best examiners and evaluators of their work. In this hands-on workshop, a variety of collaborative structures will be demonstrated and practiced. K-12 teachers.
National Board Certification
Are you thinking of applying for National Certification? The chance to raise your standard of teaching is an exciting one, but the process is rigorous and demanding. Learn from a teacher who has accomplished it how to complete the four-part portfolio and prepare for the performance assessment. The instructor will deliver a workshop or mentor a candidate one-on-one. K-12 teachers.
New Teacher Training
How does a new teacher become an accomplished professional? Trial and error alone makes for slow and difficult early months and years. Teachers can be taught good practice from the very beginning. Setting effective routines, questioning techniques that encourage critical thinking, and the encouragement of active learning all may begin even in the first months of a teacher's career. They can have an immediate positive impact in the classroom and will provide fruitful avenues for study and practice for many years to come. This workshop provides an opportunity for active learning and direct application to each new teacher's classroom. K-12 new teachers.
Peer Coaching
Peer coaching is a confidential process through which teachers share their expertise and provide one another with feedback, support, and assistance for the purpose of refining present skills, learning new skills, and solving classroom-related problems. Coached teachers experience significant positive changes. Learn the coaching method along with your colleagues. K-12 teachers and administrators.
School Law For Teachers
Specifically designed with the public school teacher in mind, this course offers practical knowledge about legal issues commonly facing teachers and other school employees. Taught by an experienced public school district administrator/school attorney, course topics include: students’ free speech and other constitutional rights; negligence including school personnel and district liability; sexual harassment awareness and prevention; teachers’ rights and employment protection; and special education law and collective bargaining. K-12 teachers.

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Special Education Law (workshop or inservice course)
A practical overview of federal and state regulations governing the delivery of special education services in the public schools delivered by an experienced school district attorney/central office administrator. Workshop topics include IDEA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as New York State Education Law and Commissioner's Regulations. This course is designed to assist both the Special Education teacher and all other subject-area and special-area teachers in making sense of the myriad laws and regulations governing this important area of public school educational services and to understand their respective legal obligations and responsibilities. K-12 teachers.
So You Want to Teach Adults
Teachers have wonderful ideas regarding good teaching practices, presenting curriculum and increasing student learning. These ideas can be developed into a workshop or course for teachers, by teachers, using an easy step-by-step format. Highlights include exploring ideas, establishing outcomes, structuring sessions, infusing activities, application of the NYS Learning Standards, and assessment components. At the end of the program, each participant will have a well-developed program for presentation. K-12 teachers.
Requirements: At least half of the course will require the use of a computer lab for internet research and Microsoft Word for word processing.
One inservice credit will allow for participants to develop a three-hour workshop. Two inservice credits will provide enough time to develop a one credit inservice course.
Retirement: Make it the Best Chapter of Your Life
You’re going to take some time to enjoy your life. But there’s a lot of time ahead of you! Retirement offers a chance for you to undertake new endeavors. You’ll gain understanding of your interests and talents, and how they combine to make you unique. You’ll look for opportunities that match your capabilities or create new opportunities for rewarding and enriching work. Learn valuable networking and “self-marketing” tips as well. K-12 teachers. No inservice credit
available.
Substitute Teacher Training
Substitute teachers are an important but often overlooked resource. They experience many of the same anxieties and encounter many of the same problems as first year teachers. Valuable classroom time is often wasted with instruction that is lacking in effectiveness or where the instructor is merely “babysitting.” Strong skills in classroom management are a critical part of the substitute teacher’s success. This training will provide substitute teachers with the tools they need to successfully perform their assignments. Classroom management skills will be emphasized, along with effective teaching

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strategies, lesson preparation, fill-in activities and understanding of how to meet district expectations. Invest time and effort in their training and you will be rewarded with a high retention rate of reliable substitute staff. K-12 teachers.
Training in Child Abuse Identification and Reporting
This course fulfills the state licensing requirement, Chapter 544 of the Laws of 1988. The 2.5 hour program is offered to educators and health professionals to fulfill NYS mandated requirements for certification, registration, and licensure. All staff.
Western Suffolk BOCES Conference Room, Division of Instructional Support Services, 31 Lee Avenue, Wheatley Heights. We can also set up a training in your district.
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Courses, workshops, and seminars in this section are taught by instructors such as:
Charlotte Lipfert, a social worker certified to teach and to present the certificate of completion for Child Abuse ID and Reporting. She has had a long career as a classroom teacher and social worker.
Barbara Luna, retired elementary teacher from Harborfields CSD, She is also an adjunct teaching graduate courses. Her courses deal with many of the issues that educators face today. She has been involved with the NYSUT Effective Teaching Program for the past 20 years and has conducted numerous staff development workshops on a broad array of topics.
Jane Lombardo, a former elementary teacher, Director of Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center, Stony Brook University adjunct professor, and NYSUT instructor. She has delivered staff development on many topics for over fifteen years with SETC.
Susan F. Alevas, Esq., a successful business executive for 25 years in both the private and public sectors. An experienced attorney, she is also an adjunct faculty member at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Dowling College, and Stony Brook University.
Shelley Borman, has thirty-three years of teaching experience in grades 2, 4, and 5 with Bay Shore UFSD. For the last seven years, she has been a teacher coach, conducting a wide range of staff development workshops and courses.

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Another Look at Teaching Secondary Mathematics
Using cooperative group techniques and a constructivist approach you will look at standard secondary mathematics topics in a new way. This workshop is designed to get you away from “chalk and talk” and “full frontal teaching.” Think out of the box. Try a variety of approaches to enliven your lessons and get your students involved in learning. 7-12 Math teachers.
Balanced Literacy
Balanced Literacy is the ideal mix of skills-based and whole language-based literacy instruction. In Balanced Literacy, teachers use Modeled, Shared, and Guided Reading and Writing with whole class and small groups to differentiate instruction for students and assist students in mastering the ELA standards. Participants will watch balanced literacy in action, and develop schedules and lesson plans to implement balanced literacy in their classrooms. K-8 teachers.
Follow-up instructional coaching is available.
Career Plan Awareness Training
The Career Plan Initiative is a K-Adult collaborative venture with NYS Dept. of Labor, VESID and school districts. Spring 2003 marked the first time reporting of the Career Plan and CDOS progress was required on the School Report Card. As a result of this workshop, your district will have the tools to begin, update, and maintain a Career Plan Initiative. If your district has not begun implementation of the Career Plan, this workshop will help you to get started quickly. Identify a team to participate composed of teachers involved in career development and/or academics, school administrators, guidance counselors and special education representatives. Call to schedule the training at your district location.
Digging DBQs
Kids often need help with document based questions. Effective use of cooperative groups, graphic organizers and scaffolding questions that lead to meaningful conclusions are powerful tools in helping the whole class understand and interpret a wide range of documents. Demonstration lessons will provide patterns and techniques that can be directly applied to every teacher’s classroom. Teachers K-12.

Content Areas
In every subject area, new and innovative ideas in instructional strategies are constantly emerging. They join the “tried and true” to constantly refine the learning environment for the student. The topics described below offer enrichment for your classrooms.

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Forensic Science and Crime Scene Investigation
Forensic science is exacting work. Have you ever wondered if what you see on the television show CSI is an accurate portrayal? This workshop helps to dispel CSI myths. Topics discussed will include controlled substances, DNA, trace evidence, documents, analysis and accident reconstruction. Participants will learn how each of these disciplines is used to solve crimes (i.e. homicides, assaults, forgeries, bank robberies, narcotics enforcement). K-12 teachers.
Help! My Students Can’t Read the Textbook!
In a secondary content-area classroom, teacher attempts to skillfully impart knowledge can be hindered by a student’s low reading ability. Many secondary teachers were never trained in teaching reading. However, a student who can not read the textbook can not master the class. This workshop will give secondary content-area teachers instructional strategies to use to boost their students’ achievement levels and increase reading comprehension of the textbook without losing content-teaching time. 4-12 teachers and administrators. Bring a copy of your class textbook.
Inquiry Strategies for Elementary, Intermediate, and Commencement Level Science Educators
MST Standard One is the Inquiry Standard. Scientific inquiry involves questioning, observing, inferring, experimenting, finding evidence, collecting and organizing data, and drawing valid conclusions. The inquiry workshop will address specific ways teachers can seamlessly incorporate these inquiry processes and skills into everyday classroom use. This will include strategies to convert cookbook labs into inquiry labs. K-12 teachers.
Kick it Up A Notch! Great Ideas to Make and Take
Are you looking for new ideas for your classroom? This workshop is designed for beginning and experienced teachers at kindergarten through second grade level. Enhance your curriculum with interactive charts, multi-sensory activities, and skill games to make learning more FUN! Be prepared to make and take activities you can use for the school year. K-2. Excellent for beginning teachers. Materials Fee: $20.
Literacy Works, LLC
Literacy Works LLC Education Consultants offer literacy workshops for elementary and secondary school staff, as well as assistance in evaluating and planning district-wide professional development programs. A Curriculum Development Professional Plan is developed at a meeting during which consultants and clients establish professional development goals to guide planning and workshop sessions. The Curriculum Development Professional Plan provides the framework to clarify expectations, customize workshops to meet the needs of the district, and enables both parties to match topics, materials and schedules. K-12 teachers.
Mastering Public Speaking
All four ELA standards stress the importance of reading, writing, listening and speaking for fulfillment of each standard’s objective. Reading, writing and even listening get substantial classroom attention, but too often public speaking takes a back seat. Yet the mastery of public speaking skills is an absolute necessity for success in many

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careers. Join this workshop to learn and translate into classroom practice the simple principles and strategies that well-known organizations such as Toastmasters International use to develop effective and powerful public speakers. Participants will practice with three and leave with six lessons of increasing sophistication. Use them and watch your students grow in self-esteem as they master how to put power and passion in all their presentations. 3-12 teachers.
Physiological Series: The Physiology of Health, Performance, and Fitness
This series of classes explores human physiology, biology, and human performance. The classes provide the educator with a fundamental understanding of the many processes of the human body that contribute to health, fitness, and performance capacity, including: anatomy and physiology of human performance, fad diets and eating disorders, physiological responses and adaptations to resistance training, physiological responses and adaptations to cardiovascular resistance training, cardiovascular assessments, cardio-respiratory fitness, and fitness safety. Modifications for special-needs students will be covered. K-12 teachers
Call the Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center for details.
Protein Finger-Printing Lab
This two-part workshop is for secondary science teachers interested in introducing their students to a separation technique known as Protein Agarose Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The underlying concepts of this procedure are similar to those employed by DNA Gel Electrophoresis, so this experiment can be used to reinforce the concepts of separation according to size and the use of a "ladder." The lab content is appropriate for use in: The Living Environment, Honors Biology, AP Biology, Genetics, and Biotechnology courses. 7-12 science teachers.
Reading Workshop
An introduction to basic reading workshop for the primary and elementary grades. Management of the reading workshop, obtaining materials and resources, decoding instruction, comprehension, and meeting the needs of struggling readers will be covered. K-6 teachers.
The Road to Reading Fluency
Effective reading instruction is complex, requiring the integration of many components to develop students’ skills and positive attitudes toward reading. Studies illustrate the importance of foundation skills, including decoding and reading fluency. With fluency and automaticity in decoding, readers can focus attention on comprehension and recall. Participants will extend their repertoires of informal assessments, engaging instructional strategies, and appropriate materials to increase reading fluency and build reader confidence. 3-12 teachers.

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Six Traits of Writing
The Six Traits of Writing program gives teachers and students a shared language and a shared plan for the purpose of improving student writing through revision. In this two hour workshop, teachers will begin to learn how to teach students the six traits of competent writing: ideas, organization, word-choice, voice, sentence fluency, and conventions. Special attention will be given to writing in the content areas. K-12 teachers.
Spanish for School Personnel
This course is designed to help English-speaking employees in all positions in the schools to master “need to know” language and put it to immediate use. It will provide an understanding of cultural differences to enhance good communication with Spanish-speaking people. The course will focus on basic vocabulary and situations related to the school setting. K-12 teachers and other school staff.
Step Up to Writing
Many students, including high-achievers, have trouble creating clear and concise expository text. Step Up to Writing is an organizational method that teaches students how to organize their writing and also improves speaking and reading comprehension skills. Teachers find Step Up to Writing a valuable tool that is easy to implement and very successful with their students. In this workshop, you will learn how to teach writing successfully using Step Up to Writing methods. K-12 teachers.
Write to Succeed: Helping the English Language Learner and Struggling Student
This overview of writing strategies will cover the link between higher thinking skills and organization, vocabulary acquisition, content area writing strategies, and the use of graphic organizers. Strategies for students including self-evaluations, checklists, and rubrics will be taught. 2-9 teachers.
Writing Workshop
This is an introduction to writing workshop, including the stages of pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. The theory of Lucy Calkins’ writer workshop from Columbia University and practical application of that theory for today’s classroom teacher will be discussed. K-12 teachers.

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Using Mandalas, an Innovative Art Form, to Help Students Focus
Help your students to find internal equilibrium and achieve a calming atmosphere for classroom activities across the curriculum. Students collaboratively create a unique colorful pattern drawing. The process dramatically affects student demeanor and performance. The technique is a “stress-buster” for teachers too. The workshop is done with students in your class, both inclusion and regular classes. Particularly recommended for teachers with developmentally disabled students. K-12 teachers.
Using Poetry and Movement in the Elementary and Special Areas Classroom—Part 1
This course will explore current practices and strategies for using poetry in combination with movement in the classroom. Discussions will include the rationale for dance and poetry instruction, a history of dance in education and an examination of the NYS Standards for the Arts, ELA and for English as a Second Language. Participants will learn to define, identify and use movement poems in the classroom as well as develop a simple movement vocabulary and understand basic principles of choreography. An anthology of movement poems and a repertoire of appropriate musical accompaniment is provided. Participants will also have the opportunity to create original works. Instruction includes lecture, video, hands-on activities, dance and group discussions. K-6 teachers.
Using Poetry and Movement in the Elementary and Special Areas Classroom— Part 2
This course is designed as a sequel to Part 1, but can also be taken alone. Participants will review beginner level dance vocabulary and the tools of the choreographer. They will expand their knowledge of dance to include beginner techniques of modern, ballet and folkloric dance and analyze movement poems with a focus on multicultural poems. They will work with props and music to enhance poetic themes, and in creating original thematic movement poems. K-6 teachers.
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Courses, workshops, and seminars in this section are taught by instructors such as:
Lucio Costanzo, taught secondary math, from basic arithmetic to AP calculus, for 35 years. He has worked with skills-deficient and intellectually gifted students and developed questions for the Math A and Math B assessments. He is currently consulting for a number of school districts on Long Island.
Rochelle DeMuccio, the Reading/Language Arts Coordinator for the Half Hollow Hills CSD. She has been a primary and intermediate classroom teacher, reading specialist, special education facilitator, and co-director of Adelphi’s Reading/Learning Disabilities Clinic.
Kathleen McCready, has taught all levels of Spanish for the South Huntington School District. She is currently an adjunct professor at Molloy College and is an instructor for the South Huntington Parent-Teacher Resource Center.
Peter C. Tracy, a forensic scientist for the Suffolk County Crime Lab in Hauppauge. He has a BS in Forensic Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and additional education in a myriad of crime investigation topics. He is an expert witness in court trials and also has delivered presentations on special cases to the International Association for Identification and other organizations.
Joan Wagner, President and Science Consultatnt of Focus on Learning, has been a consultant for the NYS Education Department who worked with the state assessments. She is the past president of the Science Teachers Association of New York State, and co-authored the Science Big 8 Review Book and the Learn Science series by DK publishing.
Beverly Zimmerman, an educational consultant with Literacy Works, LLC. Her areas of expertise lie in Balanced Literacy, Meta-cognition, Theme Teaching, Content Area Reading and Middle School Restructuring.
Sandra S. Bullock, an educational consultant with Literacy Works, LLC. She was formerly an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and Literacy at LIU and Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Support in School District 13, Brooklyn, NY.

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Carol Weintraub, the Educational Program Specialist for the Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center. She is a staff developer and instructional coach with a background as a literacy specialist, and an adjunct professor for Stony Brook University.
Jo Ann Miles, ESL and Dance teacher in the Port Washington School District. She has presented a wide variety of workshops and courses in both areas including the BOCES Long Island Educators Conference and the America Reads Challenge Program at LIU. Ms. Miles is an adjunct professor at Long Island University teaching advanced Methods and Materials of ESL and Assessment in ESL.
Chris Maiorano and Theresa Polestino, kindergarten teachers in Half Hollow Hills CSD for the last twelve years.
Stephanie Costanzo, art teacher, school administrator, lecturer and artist, who has presented programs at the Abigail Adams Smith Museum, The Museum of American Folk Art, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission in Manhattan and Mather Museum and Gallery North on Long Island. Her works have been subjects of feature articles in The New York Times and Newsday. Stephanie has conducted numerous workshops for schools and libraries as well.
Mike Gatto, has taught social studies for 32 years and has been an active staff developer for 25 years. He is the recipient of many awards and was among the first 78 teachers in the nation to be certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Teri Mosey, M.A. Exercise Physiology, AHA, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, is the head instructor for the Academy of Applied Personal Training Education and Hofstra University College's Personal Training Health Fitness Instructor Certification prgrams. She continues to challenge traditional perspectives of human physiology related to health, fitness, and human performance.
Lynn Stock, retired Special Education department chairperson and NYSUT Effective Teaching Program instructor, has been educating teachers since 1989 in the varied areas of special education, cooperative learning, authentic assessment, literacy, and classroom management.
Mirelle Taub, a member of NYSATL (NYS Academy for Teaching and Learning) and a former literacy specialist in the Freeport Schools. She currently works with NYSUT as an instructor, and conducts review for the NYS ELA assessment teams. She is the co-author of Daily Life In NY State, strategies for the fifth grade NYS social studies assessments, and a member of the Molloy College ELA advisory board.

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Assessment Literacy: The Connection to Student Learning
Evidence of student progress and student learning needs is easily gathered in the classroom in a variety of ways. Testing, individual student and group work, student journals and simple observation all provide rich sources of data. Often, however, much of the data is overlooked in developing curriculum. Learn how to collect and connect data to student learning. K-12 teachers.
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Participants in this course will learn about the different types of disorders falling under the autism spectrum including Asperger’s, PDD-NOS, Rett Syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Course participants will learn to identify the various autistic traits most commonly manifested by children with spectrum disorders. Treatments for autism will be discussed, speech, OT and PT services. ABA techniques will also be covered. K-12 teachers.
Data-Driven Assessment: Using Assessment Results to Improve Instruction
Student testing yields a wealth of data that can help direct your teaching efforts to meet student needs. However, the data from various sources, including state ELA and Math Assessments and other norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests, often is not interpreted to influence curriculum. Here you will learn how to interpret information from assessments to fill the curriculum gap and more thoroughly and precisely address student needs. K-12 teachers.
Early Literacy Assessment for Elementary Teachers
In a recent statement, the Learning First alliance reminded us of the importance of ongoing assessment of developing readers, and the use of that information for planning instruction. Frequent assessment is one key to preventing children from falling behind and staying behind. If intervention is delayed, 75% of children will continue to have difficulties learning to read throughout their high school years. This program will examine classroom-based assessments that primary grade teachers can implement to monitor the development of early literacy learners, to identify students in need of intervention, and to inform instruction for all students. K-5 teachers.
Inclusive Classrooms for High School Children
This program is designed to give participants the opportunity to develop materials and instructional strategies for working with students in the inclusive classroom in the content areas, to understand and meet the needs of children with communication disorders, learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional disturbances and to adapt the instructional environment for positive impact on all students. 7-12 teachers.

AIS/Assessment
School districts are now required to provide academic intervention services to students who score below the state designated performance level on state assessments and/or who are at risk of not achieving the State Learning Standards. The descriptions below encompass additional instruction that supplements the general curriculum, instructional approaches, and educational strategies for special needs students.

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Middle School Math: Developing Rubrics for Assessment
In this program, participants will learn how to develop rubrics to effectively assess student progress in middle school math along with new techniques and strategies for teaching math to middle school students. Middle school math teachers.
The Portfolio Assessment Workshop
This workshop can be offered on any of three outcome levels, awareness level, skill level and curriculum level. At the awareness level participants will be introduced to portfolio assessment and its benefits. At the next level, participants will see how using rubrics and peer evaluation can help their students improve their writing skills. At the third level, the participants will create their own unit in which they incorporate portfolios as a means of assessing their students’ progress. 8-12 English Language Arts teachers.
Running Records: Going Beyond the Level
Running Records are a wonderful informal assessment that can drive appropriate instruction for individual literacy needs. Learn to go beyond a level number and analyze a student’s reading behaviors to maximize the effectiveness of future planning and instruction for that student. Basics of running records will be reviewed for beginners, and role playing of a post-assessment guided reading lesson will be employed. K-12 teachers.
Special Needs Students in the Regular Classroom
Participants will learn about the various disability classifications and how to recognize these difficulties in the general classroom. Participants will learn different techniques and modifications for assuring these students meet success in the regular education classroom. Disabilities explored will include language delays, learning disabilities, auditory and visual memory difficulties, organizational problems, attention disorders, spectrum disorders, and more. K-12 teachers.
What It’s Like to Have a Learning Disability: A Case Study
The goal of this presentation is to give teachers a unique perspective in understanding learning disabilities. Learn how learning disabilities are diagnosed and the role of the Resource Room in addressing each student’s individual needs through an IEP. Techniques for each teacher to use to adjust lessons and classroom environment to accommodate learning disabled students will be discussed. K-12 teachers.
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Courses, workshops, and seminars in this section are taught by instructors such as:
Lynn Stock, retired Special Education department chairperson and NYSUT Effective Teaching instructor, has been educating teachers since 1989 in the varied areas of special education, cooperative learning, authentic assessment, literacy, and classroom management.
Catherine Bongo, Special Education teacher for the last 15 years. She has worked in the Resource Room for the last seven years at Commack High School.
Barbara Luna, retired elementary teacher from Harborfields CSD, She is also an adjunct teaching graduate courses. Her courses deal with many of the issues that educators face today. She has been involved with the NYSUT Effective Teaching Program for the past 20 years and has conducted numerous staff development workshops on a broad array of topics.
Mary Linton, retired teacher from Port Jefferson School District, Recipient of NYSEC Educator of Excellence Award, 2003. Mary has
written curriculum, advised the school literary magazine, which won literary excellence awards, run Poetry Day and Creative Arts Day Festivals and has been a peer coach in her district.
Christine Harbison, who teaches English at Deer Park High School in both the tenth and eleventh grade Integrated English programs for the last four years. In addition to developing helpful strategies for the ELA Regents exam for her students, she co-wrote curriculum to help resource room teachers assist students with their English Regents essays.
Carol Weintraub, the Educational Program Specialist for the Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center. She is a staff developer and instructional coach with a background as a literacy specialist, and an adjunct professor for Stony Brook University.
Gloria Anest, a special education teacher with a concentration in early childhood for over 20 years. She has been a workshop presenter and in-service course instructor for the last 13 years. Her areas of expertise include instructional technology, working with students with special needs, art techniques for the classroom, and calligraphy.

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Create Your Own Video
Participants will create their own learning videos using a free program that comes with Windows XP operating system. We will shoot, edit, and burn DVDs. Learn how to use Microsoft Movie Maker and how to transfer video from the camera to the computer. K-12 teachers.
Creating Classroom Presentations Using MS PowerPoint
The basics of designing a good PowerPoint presentation will be the focus of this workshop. Participants will discuss what makes a good presentation, will review rubrics for assessment, and will create a presentation for classroom use. K-12 teachers.
Creating Websites for Communication between School and Home
Using Microsoft Front Pate, learn how to creat a simple website to use as constant communication between school and home. This is a very easy approach to web design. Post things online such as enrichment work, webquests, classroom rules and policies, newsletters, homework assignments, field trip dates, and other important information. K-12 teachers.
Creating WebQuests
A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented learning activity in which most or all of the information is drawn from the Web. Good WebQuests focus on the critical thinking skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Participants will first view established WebQuests and then develop Web Quests tailored to their own needs. Teams of educators from a district are encouraged to work together. K-12 teachers.
Demystifying Technology for the Visually Impaired (one inservice credit- 15 hours)
This intermediate workshop is designed for teachers and aides who work with students who are visually impaired, blind and/or have severe perceptual disabilities. Teachers/aides should have basic knowledge of computer setup, familiarity with interfacing computers and laptops, and familiarity with using embossers, scanners, tactile enhancers, Duxbury, Omni page, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Familiarity with WYNNR and TEXT HELP is advantageous (but not required). Participants in this course will gain knowledge of the assistive technology that plays a significant part in the provision of accessible materials: Braille/Emboss, Nemeth math, higher functioning math, science, foreign language and tactile graphics as well

Technology
The use of technology makes all teachers and students participants in the global village. In order to maximize teaching effectiveness, however, technology cannot stand alone as an isolated skill. The focus of the activities listed below is integration into classroom practice.

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as learn advanced setup of of JAWS 6.0, Duxbury 10.5, WINBRAILLE 4.10 and TGD 2004. Participants will also gain working knowledge of WYNNR screen reader and TEXT HELP screen reader.
GradeQuick: Maintaining an Electronic Grade Book
This workshop is designed for teachers who want to replace their paper grade books and calculators with an electronic grade book. GradeQuick not only keeps class averages up-to-date, but also prints missing work lists and progress reports. Instruction will also be included on how to take period-by-period attendance in GradeQuick and how to print attendance information for your records. GradeQuick data can be read on a PC or on a MAC. This workshop can be tailored to train participants to become turnkey trainers. NOTE: If GradeQuick is integrated w/your student administration system, instruction can be provided on sending interims and report card grades and how to send attendance to your student administration system. K-12 teachers.
Infusing Students’ Technology with Ours
Students are well-versed in the technologies of the 21st century. They navigate blogs, wikis, podcasts, and the internet with ease. This workshop will familiarize you with these tools, and provide you with ideas to use them in the classroom for motivating and bestpractice student learning. K-12 teachers and administrators.
Inspiration: Learn to Organize and Create Ideas With This User-Friendly Classroom Tool
Teachers will be introduced to the basics of creating webs and idea maps for the classroom using Inspiration 7.6. The program, which aligns with state standards and integrates diagrams and outlines, allows for more creative and organized writing. Inspiration webs can also combine hyperlinks to the Internet, graphics, and audio. Participants will create lessons and/or materials for classroom use. Teachers grades 6-12.
Integrating Excel Into the Classroom
Microsoft Excel has many classroom applications as well as the ability to facilitate classroom record-keeping. In this course, you’ll learn how to use Excel as a classroom instructional tool. K-12 teachers.
Intel Teach to the Future
The Intel® Teach to the Future U.S. inservice program offers K-12 classroom teachers curriculum designed specifically for their needs. Teachers learn how, when, and where to incorporate technology tools and resources into their teaching. They also learn how to create assessment tools and align lesson plans with state and national standards. K-12 teachers.

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Internet-Based Projects
Learn about some amazing tools available for teachers that assist in using the internet in all types of classroom environments. In this course you will create a virtual field trip, Trackstar activity, and take Filamentality to the limit. All activities can be implemented in the classroom immediately! Teachers will learn to effectively and efficiently tap into the endless possibilities of the Internet. K-12 teachers.
Introduction to Microsoft Publisher
Use Microsoft Publisher, a desktop publishing application, to create great classroom projects, display items, and make handouts. Easily create a professional class or club newspaper, special event brochure, display calendar and other typical projects. K-12 teachers.
Introduction to Smart Board
This workshop will move participants from a basic understanding and use of SmartBoard tools and software to a level that will enable them to take it beyond its use as a presentation board. Teachers will incorporate research based methodology into their lessons in order to produce at least one interactive SmartBoard lesson aligned with NYS Standards. Throughout the workshop, best practice strategies will be modeled and incorporated into the instruction. Teachers will emerge with a greater understanding of the potential for interactive whiteboard technology to improve their ability to incorporate differentiation strategies at all levels, reach desired learning outcomes for all students, model principles and practices that promote global understanding, seamlessly and efficiently incorporate hands-on manipulatives into an information packed curricula, and help them meet the needs of 21st century learners. K-12 teachers.
Kidspiration: Organize and Create Ideas
Teachers will be introduced to the basics of Kidspiration 2.1. The program, which aligns with state standards, allows students to build graphic organizers by combining pictures, text and spoken words to represent thoughts and information. K-5 teachers.
Maintaining the Home-School Connection with Edline
Edline, a Web-based program that integrates with your student administrative system, gives teachers their own Web pages that are updated with classes, rosters, and information from your SAS. Teachers can post homework, class calendars, assignments, and check out their GradeQuick classes through Edline. Participants learn how to set up and maintain their own Web page. They will have their Edline site ready for student/parent access by the end of this workshop. K-12 teachers.

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MarcoPolo NY / Thinkfinity
MarcoPolo NY (now branded as Thinkfinity) is an Internet tool for all content areas and all grades K-12. The 2500+ lesson plans and interactive learning activities of Thinkfinity are all aligned to the New York State Standards and performance indicators. Teachers are finding that Thinkfinity has the power to revolutionize their instructional planning and differentiated instruction. In this hands-on class, participants will gain experience in the use of Thinkfinity and share instructional planning ideas with colleagues that can be used immediately. K-12 teachers.
Microsoft Office for Project Based Learning
Workshop participants will use their current classroom curriculum to develop classroom projects that will allow students to collaborate, research, and evaluate their own learning. Participants will learn and use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher to create classroom multimedia presentations. K-12 teachers.
MS Word – The Basics and Beyond
Participants will review the basics of MS Word and then explore some additional features, such as columns, borders, WordArt, and symbols. K-12 teachers.
My First Web Page: Part 1
This course is designed for individuals who would like guidance and instruction in how to create Web pages without having to learn HTML. During this four-week course, you will learn the basics of Web creation and design while using Netscape Composer to build a Web page of your own. K-12 teachers.
My First Web Page: Part 2
It's time for your Web site to evolve. In this course, you'll use Netscape Composer to transform your page into a dynamic Web environment. Topics range from basic page design to putting your page online and maintaining it while it's there. By the last class, your site will be ready for guests! K-12 teachers.
Multimedia Magic (PC and/or Mac) (one inservice credit)
Join this program and discover the magic of multimedia and the possibilities it has for enticing students to learn and explore the world around them. The course will leave members with a project that allows them to experience first hand what multimedia is and how it can be used in the classroom. Master the scanner, the digital camera, the video-cam, and learn to use paint/graphic programs and animators in each successive session. NYS Standards addressed are Visual Arts and Technology. K-12 teachers.

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Troubleshooting School Technology
From a simple task, such as naming a file, to a larger issue like restoring a network connection, troubleshooting school technology is a
vast task. This course explores technology issues such as hardware maintenance and error messages, and offers possible causes and solutions. K-12 teachers.
Using Laptops in Your Classroom
This course is designed to help educators introduce laptops into their classrooms. Learners examine how schools are currently using laptops under different applied models, and what advantages and challenges are in store when using laptop technology instead of traditional desktop computers. K-12 teachers.
Using the Net to Create Thematic Units
The Internet's vast resources can help creative teachers develop exciting thematic learning units. During this six-week course, learners get to know the thematic unit development model, critique thematic units available online, and refine their skills in developing thematic units. K-12 teachers.
Virtual Field Trips: Exploring the World Without Leaving the Classroom
Virtual field trips allow you to take journeys without ever stepping outside of the classroom. Learners in this course create their own virtual field trips with help from topics on finding the best online resources, writing activities to guide students' explorations, and assessing student learning. K-12 teachers.
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Courses, workshops, and seminars in this section are taught by
instructors such as:
Tom Diener, retired Computer Specialist at Copiague Public Schools, who has 31 years experience in public education. Tom is the educational technology coordinator for Stony Brook University. Tom is Technology Program Specialist for Western Suffolk BOCES.
Dr. Annette Shideler, past Director of Information Technology for the Commack UFSD. She now adjuncts for Stony Brook University in their Educational Computing Department. She teaches Internet skills and integration strategies for teachers and school administrators.

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Joanne McEnroy, a Policy Board member for the Smithtown Teacher Center, has taught for 34 years. A teacher/trainer, she has trained over 300 educators in Smart Board technology. She also serves as an executive officer for the Smithtown Teacher Association, and writes a monthly column for the Association newsletter.
Linda Domanico, library media specialist at Lindenhurst UFSD, an elementary teacher providing district inservice instruction on educational technology as a curriculum and literary resource as well as a tool in the Media Center and classroom.
Craig Stanton, computer resource teacher at Northport Middle School. Craig is involved in all aspects of technology, including instruction in software, maintenance of the school website and intro-
duction of cutting-edge technology to students.
Michael Mazur is a teacher with the Commack school district. He has taught inclusion and regular classes, and also acts as the webmaster for North Ridge Elementary School.
Jeanette Altruda, a Special Education and Computer Mentor in the Copiague Schools. She has a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology from New York Institute of Technology. She has been a staff developer in technology use and integration for the past five years.
Ellen Robertson, Assistant Director of Instructional Computing for the last seven years in Half Hollow Hills UFSD. She has presented technology workshops locally and nationally (BOCES/SCOPE, NYSCATE, NSBA, School-Tech Expo, NECC, ASSET) and was designated the “2003 Outstanding Technologist” by NYSCATE, the NY association for Computers and Technology in Education.
Phyllis Miron-Schwartz, retired from Western Suffolk BOCES, where she worked with students and teachers to implement assistive and adaptive technology.

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Building Character in the Classroom
Teachers participate in two interactive workshops which will demonstrate building students’ character in the classroom setting and throughout the day. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the qualities of character education and how to implement a program with their students. K-12 teachers.
Classroom Management
This course will include a variety of topics that help a teacher in establishing a well-managed classroom. Some of the topics include classroom management (discipline, plans, expectations, consequences, and procedures), direct instruction (multiple intelligences, learning styles, interdisciplinary units, etc.), lesson design, aligning standards with lessons, group instruction, and authentic assessments. The course will be conducted using a variety of methods which will include, but are not limited to, cooperative work, class discussions, group inquiry, and hands-on learning experiences. Please bring your particular classroom management concerns and/or questions for helpful discussion, suggestions and ideas. K-12 teachers.
Conflict Resolution
The stresses of modern life present many challenges for the public school teacher to mediate conflict. This course offers teachers a venue to explore the nature of conflict, various strategies to diffuse conflict and strategies to manage conflict. Designed and taught by an experienced public school district administrator/school attorney and trained mediator, this course offers teachers interesting activities to develop and hone their conflict resolution skills. Many practical tips and proven techniques will be shared. K-12 teachers.
AIS and Beginning Reading

Instructional Strategies
Effective instructional strategies help teachers organize time, space, materials, students and activities to heighten student learning in the classroom. Subject matter and pedagogy are connected to give teachers opportunities to expand their repertoires of methods of instruction. The topics below offer learning in varied instructional strategies.

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Cooperative Learning in the Elementary Classroom
Structuring student learning groups so that all children are learning is a challenge! Sometimes getting students to be responsible to complete their assignment can be a daunting task. This workshop will help teachers structure lessons to include social skill teaching along with subject content. Successful, productive groups are possible! K-6 teachers OR 7-12 teachers.
Cooperative Learning Structures
This program will give teachers specific cooperative learning structures (activities) that are generic and may be applied to a wide range of instructional situations. Each structure will be taught through a hands-on learning experience. Teachers will then apply the structure to their own classroom. The workshop is interesting, enjoyable and gives teachers practical tools to immediately begin to facilitate cooperative groups in their own classrooms. K-12 teachers.
Critical Thinking
This workshop encourages teachers to use critical thinking strategies for challenging their students. Learning taxonomies, graphic organizers and cooperative groups all are integral components of a classroom that encourages kids to think. Demonstration lessons will suggest patterns and techniques that can be applied to many classrooms. K-12 teachers.
Differentiated Instruction—Meeting The Needs of All Learners
True differentiation requires the realization that all learners vary in their readiness, interests, and learning profiles. Jumping off from this point, teachers can set up classrooms where everybody works toward essential understandings and skills, but uses different content, product, and processes to get there. This course offers guidance in developing and facilitating plans in response to students’ learning differences. The goal is to create a learning environment in which teachers’ instruction corresponds with each student’s level of understanding. K-12 teachers.

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Emotional Intelligence: Hidden Key to Classroom Success
Learning is often regarded as a cognitive achievement, a result, for example, of the child’s intellectual abilities. Such a view ignores the importance of emotional states in the learning process. Research shows that children’s emotional states can help or hinder learning, depending on the circumstances. In this workshop, we’ll consider how emotional factors influence learning, explore how educators can help learners to improve their management skills, and investigate how the right kind of teaching maximizes the likelihood that learners will experience emotional conditions conducive to learning. K-12 teachers.
ESL in the Mainstream Classroom
This course will help you understand the process of learning a second language, the normal stages an English language learner goes through, and the ways you can make students feel comfortable and succeed in your classroom. Learn how to communicate through the use of body language and basic words, how to engage the student’s prior knowledge and how to accurately assess English language learners’ progress in your class. K-12 teachers.
Fostering Resiliency in the Classroom
In this workshop, participants will learn the nature and function of resiliency, how to assess risk and protective factors in individuals and systems, and explore techniques and strategies that foster resiliency in the classroom. Teachers and related service personnel. K-12 teachers and support personnel.
Get "Hooked" on Interactive Learning
In this "make it and take it" course, interactive charts will be created based on poems, songs, and literature. These charts can be used as shared reading lessons, introductions to books, and as child-centered literacy activities. You will be sure to grab the attention of your students without having to ask for it! Materials Fee: $20.00. K-5 teachers.
Learning Styles
Children not only learn at different rates, but also in different ways. They may prefer to take in and process information visually, kinesthetically, by reflection or by action, by logical reasoning or by using intuition, steadily or sporadically. Some children learn better by reading about a topic and others are hands-on learners. Participants will discover new ways to observe and assess their students’ learning styles and to tailor their daily teaching to the style that makes it easiest for students to grasp new learning. K-12 teachers.
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Multiple Intelligences
It’s not if students are smart, but how they are smart, says noted researcher Howard Gardner. His research shows that people have at least eight intelligences that they use to process and learn content. You’ll learn these eight intelligences, how to spot strengths in your students, and how to build more intelligences into your everyday activities and lessons. K-12 teachers.
Special Needs Students in the Regular Classroom
Participants will learn about the various disability classifications and how to recognize these difficulties in the general classroom. Participants will learn different techniques and modifications for assuring these students meet success in the regular education classroom. Disabilities explored will include language delays, learning disabilities, auditory and visual memory difficulties, organizational problems, attention disorders, spectrum disorders, and more. K-12 teachers.
Understanding by Design
This course will focus on providing teachers with the basic philosophy and understanding of Grant Wiggin’s and Jay McTighe’s backward design model. The workshop will assist teachers in identifying the desired learning outcomes of their lessons, effectively measuring student progress, and actively planning instruction to meet their goals. Highly effective and easily implemented hands-on activities will be incorporated throughout the workshop. Course experiences will be differentiated to meet the specific needs of each participant. K-5 teachers and support personnel.
Using Questions Effectively to Improve Learning and Thinking
Asking the right questions to advance student understanding is a challenging task and an often neglected area of professional development. Much of the teaching process revolves around the art of asking questions that provoke clear thinking and purposeful reflection and lead to deeper and broader understanding. In this hands-on research-based workshop, participants will gain an understanding of their strengths as questioners and improve their questioning skills. Participants will learn how to generate questions for a variety of learning conditions including differing cognitive levels, differing student learning styles, different kinds of texts and selected reasoning processes. Classroom strategies to engender student questioning will be explored and practiced. K-8 teachers.

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Using Students’ Focus on Socializing to Your Advantage
It goes without saying that many students are more oriented toward their social lives than their academic work. This is often seen as a reason for academic underperformance and classroom management problems, but students’ proclivity for socializing need not hamper classroom learning. In this workshop we’ll explore theory and research in social development, with emphasis on ways to tap students’ social energies to design effective vehicles for curriculum and instruction. K-12 teachers.
What Works in Classroom Instruction
Noted researcher, Robert Marzano, has done a meta-analysis of more than 4,000 research studies to determine the best strategies for teaching and learning. This workshop, based on his work, will examine the nine most effective strategies for instruction that teachers can use. 3-12 teachers.
Who You Are is How You Teach...Who They Are is How They Learn
Most learning style theories focus on the learning styles of students, but that is not always the whole picture. Teachers carry out instructional strategies and learning activities in ways that are comfortable and natural for them. Similarly, students learn best when using their own natural, preferred styles. Using Jung’s framework of psychological type and its’ assessment tool, the MBTI, teachers learn their personality type and how it influences their teaching. With this knowledge, they can modify teaching strategies, develop new skills, and implement practices to meet student needs. K-12 teachers.
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Courses, workshops, and seminars in this section are taught by instructors such as:
Mike Gatto, taught social studies for thirty-two years and has been an active staff developer for twenty-five years. He is the recipient of many awards and grants, and was among the first group of seventy-eight teachers in the nation to be certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Jane Lombardo, a former elementary teacher, is Director of Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center and a NYSUT instructor. She has delivered staff development in a wide variety of areas in more than ten years with SETC.
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Sharon Stepankewich, an Elementary School Assistant Principal in Half Hollow Hills. Her prior classroom teaching experience includes all grade levels from pre-kindergarten through sixth. In addition, she has acted as a district coordinator for a gifted and talented program and a turnkey teacher trainer.
Lynn Stock, retired Special Education department chairperson and NYSUT Effective Teaching instructor, has been educating teachers since 1989 in the varied areas of special education, cooperative learning, authentic assessment, literacy, and classroom management.
Chris Maiorano, kindergarten teacher in Half Hollow Hills for the last ten years, has delivered numerous workshops in hands-on classroom strategies for SETC.
Ron Mincio, retired after 34 years of teaching elementary/middle school. He currently teaches graduate courses for Stony Brook University and consults in the Amityville School District, running teacher workshops and student math problem-solving seminars.
Barbara Luna, a retired teacher from Harborfields CSD. She teaches graduate courses as an adjunct. Barbara has been involved with the NYSUT Effective Teaching Program for the past 20 years and conducts staff development workshops on an array of topics.
Pat Sommerstad, a recently retired Education Program Specialist at SETC. She has been delivering staff development in many school districts for over fifteen years.
Candida Harper, presently the ESL teacher at Sachem North High School and an adjunct associate professor at Stony Brook University and Suffolk County Community College. She taught English as a Second Language in Greece, Holland and Switzerland for a total of 16 years before returning to the United States 7 years ago. Over the years she has taught children, teenagers and adults who spoke more than 30 different native languages.
Carol Weintraub, the Educational Program Specialist for the Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center. She is a staff developer and instructional coach with a background as a literacy specialist and an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University.
Bruce Torff, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Teaching, at Hofstra University, teaches courses in cognitive, developmental and educational psychology on a graduate level. He holds a PhD in Education from Harvard University and a Master of Music in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music.

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Diversity in the Workplace
Building an awareness of the changing demographics of today’s society is the focus of this workshop. Topics include preparing for the changing demographic, exploring cultural bias, and viewing diversity as a strength. Participants will be asked to examine their own fears about change and differences in order to see their schools from another perspective.
The Changing Role of Support Personnel
This workshop is designed for the support staff professional and focuses on the issues relating to their changing role in the administrative culture of today and tomorrow. The specific topics include changes in operations, motivation and team building, leadership skills through effective communications, and creative problem-solving. The participants will have the opportunity to examine their past, present, and future roles in the key positions they hold.
Dealing with Difficult People
As an educator, you will encounter difficult students, difficult parents, and difficult colleagues. This workshop will help you resolve conflicts with these difficult people and diffuse difficult situations. Role playing and self-reflection will be used to help you implement strategies to deal with the difficult people in your workday.
K-12 teachers, administrators, and support staff.
Playground and Lunchroom Management
Effectively managing students in the lunchroom and/or playground setting is the focus of this workshop. Specific topics include establishing a discipline plan, developing rules and procedures, dealing with challenging situations, maintaining pupil safety, handling multiple demands, and fostering cooperative play.
Spanish for School Personnel
This course is designed to help English-speaking employees in all positions in the schools to master “need to know” language and put it to immediate use. It will provide an understanding of cultural differences to enhance good communication with Spanish-speaking people. The course will focus on basic vocabulary and situations related to the school setting. K-12 teachers and other school staff.

Support Personnel
Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center can help you meet the professional development needs of paraprofessionals and teacher’s aides on staff. The following inservices are specifically designed to address issues encountered by support staff.

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Current Language Arts Practices for Teacher Assistants and Aides
The focus of this workshop is to enable the classroom assistant to fully support the teacher. Topics covered will include: invented spelling, phonics, and integrating reading and writing. How to motivate students will also be discussed.
Wellness: Learning How to Be Fit for Life
Our society is at risk for disease due to a sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, stress, and lack of exercise. Other drawbacks include missed working days and poor job performance. You do not have to be an athlete to receive the benefits of developing healthy habits. You can utilize community resources, learn wellness concepts, and create a personal wellness plan to enjoy the benefits of being healthy.
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Courses, workshops, and seminars in this section are taught by instructors such as:
Carol Weeks, a consultant of C. Weeks Associates, has been providing staff development for teachers and classified support personnel since 1989. She believes in realizing the full potential of support personnel through training.
Mike Sims, a Health and Physical Education Teacher for the Harborfields Central School District, has been educating teachers as a mentor and instructor for 5 years. His coaching accomplishments have led the soccer and baseball teams to multiple championships, and have taught students, families, and staffs lifelong wellness.
Carol Weintraub, the Educational Program Specialist for the Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center. She is a staff developer and instructional coach with a background as a literacy specialist, and an adjunct professor for Stony Brook University.
Kathleen McCready, has taught all levels of Spanish for the South Huntington School District. She is currently an adjunct professor at Molloy College and is an instructor for the South Huntington Parent-Teacher Resource Center.

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Mini-Grant Program
The purpose is to provide educators in the SETC consortium an opportunity to develop unique projects. The SETC awards up to $1500 for a group project and up to $1200 to an individual interested in developing a project. The Mini-Grant Program is designed to involve teachers in school-based activities that provide sustained professional growth. Since February 1987, the SETC has funded over 300 Mini-Grant projects.
Mini-Grant projects may be used to: 1) research programs for district or school use; 2) create unique classroom projects; 3) develop innovative curriculum resource materials; 4) initiate projects that a school district will augment or continue to fund in the future; or 5) focus on professional development programs.
The funds may be used for:
teachers' time spent in preparing the project (maximum $40 per hour)
supplies (e.g., blank tapes, laminating film, overheads)
teacher-produced instructional materials
Staff members employed by a school district that is a member of the SETC consortium are eligible to apply. At least one applicant must be a teacher. Awards are determined by a screening committee, comprised of Policy Board members.

SETC Grant Programs
Since its beginning, Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center has awarded numerous grants each year for creative classroom projects, curriculum projects and professional growth and development. Our three grant programs are described below. Watch for grant applications throughout the year.

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Become a Teacher Center Consultant……
Each day you teach and watch your students grow and learn, you are developing your expertise in the art of teaching. There is nothing that can substitute for the experience and skill you gain working daily in the real world of school. We know that in our consortium of 11 districts and over 80 schools, we have hundreds of “experts” who could contribute to the professional growth of others by sharing their unique teacher expertise.
Some of these teachers are listed in our catalog. Please take time to consider this invitation to join them and become one of our “experts”. If you have a particular professional strength or capability, you use strategies and teaching techniques that you know work, your experience over time has deeply informed your practice or you have an exciting innovation to share we’d like to hear from you.
Please contact us to identify your particular strength areas (new technology, differentiated instruction, process writing, etc.). Let us know if you are interested in working with the teacher center as a consultant. Phone 254-0107 or email teacher_center@wsboces.org. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Western Suffolk BOCES
Non-Discrimination Notice
The Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Western Suffolk County, New York does not discriminate on the basis of age, religion, creed, ethnic origin, marital statues, race, gender, veteran status, disability or handicap in the educational programs it operates. This policy of non-discrimination includes the recruitment, hiring and advancement of employees; salaries, pay and other benefits; counseling services to students; and student access to course offerings; lawful political activities, and the business activities of the Board. The coordinator of activities relating to Title IX and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended) is Dr. Michael J. Mensch who may be contacted at: 507 Deer Park Road, Dix Hills, New York 11746

Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center
31 Lee Avenue
Wheatley Heights, NY 11798

31 Lee Avenue,
Wheatley Heights, NY 11798
Phone: 631-254-0107
Fax: 631-623-4917
Email: teacher_center@wsboces.org
www.seteachercenter.org

Member Districts
Amityville, Babylon, Bay Shore,
Copiague, Deer Park, Diocese of Rockville Center,
Half Hollow Hills, Harborfields,
Kings Park, Northport-E. Northport,
West Babylon, Western Suffolk BOCES

Spring 2003

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What it is Like to Have a Learning Disability: A Case Study
The goal of this presentation is to give teachers a unique perspective in understanding learning disabilities. Learn how learning disabilities are diagnosed and the role of the Resource Room in addressing each student’s individual needs through an IEP. Techniques for each teacher to use to adjust lessons and classroom environment to accommodate learning disabled students will be discussed. Most importantly, teachers will hear from a student who is academically successful and self-motivated and has learned to compensate for severe reading and writing deficits. He will share aspects of his experience coping both academically and socially. He will shed insight into how it feels for a learning disabled student in your classroom, and he’ll suggest some ideas for the classroom to make learning easier for everyone.
Early Literacy Assessment for Primary Grade Teachers
In a recent statement, the Learning First alliance reminded us of the importance of ongoing assessment of developing readers, and the use of that information for planning instruction. Frequent assessment is one key to preventing children from falling behind and staying behind. It has been estimated that if intervention is delayed, 75% of the children will continue to have difficulties learning to read throughout their high school years.
This program will examine classroom-based assessments that primary grade teachers can implement to monitor the development of early literacy learners, to identify students in need of intervention, and to inform instruction of all students.
Inclusive Classrooms for High School Children
This program is designed to give participants the opportunity to develop materials and instructional strategies for working with students in the inclusive classroom in the content areas, to understand and meet the needs of children with communication disorders, learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional disturbances and to adapt the instructional environment for positive impact on all students.

Looking at Student Work
Wouldn't you like an opportunity to explore a collaborative, non-threatening process to help you and your colleagues achieve high standards for teaching and learning? This workshop offers that opportunity through collaborative examination of teacher and/or student work in a safe, non-threatening environment. It recognizes that teachers themselves are often the best examiners and evaluators of their work. In this hands-on workshop, a variety of collaborative structures will be demonstrated and practiced. K-12 teachers.
National Board Certification
Are you thinking of applying for National Certification? The chance to raise your standard of teaching is an exciting one, but the process is rigorous and demanding. Learn from a teacher who has accomplished it how to complete the four-part portfolio and prepare for the performance assessment. The instructor will deliver a workshop or mentor a candidate(s) one-on-one. K-12 teachers.
New Teacher Training
How does a new teacher become an accomplished professional? Trial and error alone makes for slow and difficult early months and years. Teachers can be taught good practice from the very beginning. Setting effective routines, questioning techniques that encourage critical thinking, and the encouragement of active learning all may begin even in the first months of a teacher's career. They can have an immediate positive impact in the classroom and will provide fruitful avenues for study and practice for many years to come. This workshop provides an opportunity for active learning and direct application to each new teacher's classroom. K-12 new teachers.
Peer Coaching
Peer coaching is a confidential process through which teachers share their expertise and provide one another with feedback, support, and assistance for the purpose of refining present skills, learning new skills, and solving classroom-related problems. Coached teachers experience significant positive changes. Learn the coaching method along with your colleagues. K-12 teachers and administrators.
School Law For Teachers
Specifically designed with the public school teacher in mind, this course offers practical knowledge about legal issues commonly facing teachers and other school employees. Taught by an experienced public school district administrator/school attorney, course topics include: students’ free speech and other constitutional rights; negligence including school personnel and district liability; sexual harassment awareness and prevention; teachers’ rights and employment protection; and special education law and collective bargaining. K-12 teachers.

AIS/Assessment
School districts are now required to provide academic intervention services to students who score below the state designed performance level on State assessments and/or who are at risk of not achieving the State Learning Standards. The descriptions below encompass additional instruction that supplements the general curriculum, instructional approaches, and educational strategies for special needs students.

Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center

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Data-Driven Assessment: Using Assessment Results to Improve Instruction
Student testing yields a wealth of data that can help direct your teaching efforts to meet student needs. However, the data from various sources, including state ELA and Math Assessments and other norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests, often is not interpreted to influence curriculum. Here you will learn how to interpret information from assessments to fill the curriculum gap and more thoroughly and precisely address student needs.
Assessment Literacy: The Connection to Student Learning
Evidence of student progress and student learning needs is easily gathered in the classroom in a variety of ways. Testing, student individual and group work, student journals and simple observation all provide rich sources of data. Often, however, much of the data is overlooked in developing curriculum. Learn how to collect and connect data from many classroom sources to student learning.
The Portfolio Assessment Workshop
This workshop can be offered on any of three outcome levels, awareness level, skill level and curriculum level. At the beginner level participants will be introduced to portfolio assessment and its benefits. At the next level, participants will see how using rubrics and peer evaluation can help their students improve their writing skills. At the third level, the participants will create their own unit in which they incorporate portfolios as a means of assessing their students’ progress. English Language Arts teachers grades 8-12.
Using Rubrics for Scoring ELA Regents in an Inclusion Setting ( 3-5 hours)
This course is designed to help teachers learn the best strategies and techniques for teaching and grading the ELA regents exam. Teachers will be provided with graphic organizers, outlines, sample essays, and rubrics that will be analyzed with the goal of addressing students' individual needs. Target Audience: special education teachers, but open to all high school teachers.
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Courses, workshops, and seminars in this section are taught by instructors such as:

Spring 2003

Suffolk’s Edge Teacher Center