External Educational Affiliates

We have had many great partnerships through the years with organizations that provide specialized access and knowledge to subject areas outside of the traditional professional development course offerings. All courses below are professional development courses for educators and have been approved to award graduate credit through the Office of Continuing Education. The number of credits awarded is listed with each course description.

Current Affiliations

External Affiliates Course Descriptions

 

Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center Course Descriptions

EDU 508L Language I: Sounds and Syllables
This course provides instruction in Sounds In Syllables, an Orton-Gillingham based, multisensory, structured language therapy program.  Following an introduction to dyslexia and multisensory instruction, the course focuses on the structured procedures of the Sounds In Syllables approach, its basic terminology, and the proper speech sounds of the English language.   This course was developed and offered by the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (ASDEC). 3 credits

EDU 509L Language II: Sounds and Syllables
The goal of Language 2 is to introduce the students to the higher linguistic concepts taught from level 2 through level 4 of Sounds In Syllables. In addition to learning these concepts, the student will demonstrate multisensory instructional methods for teaching these concepts to their students. Sounds In Syllables has gradual changes in procedures and in the structure of the lesson plan and these, too, will be explored and practiced. Additional areas of study will include reading in-depth articles and chapters on multisensory instruction by leaders in the field of dyslexia. Areas of concentration will include higher levels in alphabet skills, handwriting, spelling, and verbal expression, as well as discussion of written expression, vocabulary, and etymology. This course was developed and offered by the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (ASDEC). 3 credits

EDU 510L Language Foundations: Multisensory Structured Language Instruction
Developed at the Payne Educational Center in Oklahoma as a classroom-based reading curriculum, Language Foundations incorporates the most effective instructional techniques of Alphabetic Phonics, a widely used Orton-Gillingham teaching method.  The Payne Center has trained over 9,000 teachers in Oklahoma and hundreds more in Texas.  A clinical study of over 40,000 first grade students from low-income inner city schools in Oklahoma demonstrates that the treatment group receiving Language Foundations (SLB) instruction showed statistically significant gains in reading comprehension, phonological awareness, and decoding. (Joshi, Dahlgren and Boulware-Gooden, 2002) 3 credits

EDU 511L Sounds In Syllables Practicum This practicum course presents ASDEC Academic Language Therapists the opportunity to deliver evidence-based Sounds In Syllables instruction under daily supervision by master teachers.  Participants will also learn to deliver structured literacy methods for reading, spelling, handwriting, verbal and auditory expression. Through daily one-to-one and group therapy and lectures students will master instructional procedures proven to remediate students with even the most severe language based learning disabilities. 3 credits

EDU 614S Learning Strategies and Study Skills
This course presents researched-based methods to help students improve executive functioning, test-taking skills, and comprehension.  Instruction is based primarily on the SKORE method developed by Claire Nissenbaum, a Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy.  Participants will also learn to provide students with an overview of phonics and general study skills.  In addition, they will learn how to boost test-taking skills that emphasize understanding directions and identifying key words.  This course was developed and offered by the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (ASDEC). 3 credits

EDU 636L Neuro-Psychology of Learning Differences and Disorders The course offers full, up-to-the-minute research findings in the brain functions underlying learning, with emphasis on language learning. Students will learn about the history of psychology, brain structure, brain development, and neurological anomalies that produce learning differences. The course will discuss how to use different intervention strategies based on a better understanding of how neurological conditions affect learning. Specifically, students will learn how to analyze behaviors and create more effective learning environments both in a one-to-one teaching environment as well as in the classroom. Students will also learn how to read and analyze neuro-psychological testing to design the most effective learning interventions. This class is ideal for all teachers; academic therapists, tutors and parents who wish to better understand the neurological strengths and weaknesses of their learners. 3 credits

EDU 912M Multisensory Mathematics I: Strategies for All Learners
Based on the Orton-Gillingham philosophy of teaching, Multisensory Mathematics I applies the research-based Concrete-Representation-Abstract (CRA) approach to teaching mathematics as advocated by the National Math Panel and the National Council for Teachers of Math (NCTM).  Participants learn to apply this methodology in guiding students from foundation skills and numeracy to place value, operations, fractions and decimals.  Participants learn to use manipulatives effectively to introduce and reinforce mathematical concepts, aid memory and enhance performance for all students.  Strategies for helping students learn and retrieve math facts are stressed, as well as structured procedures for computational accuracy. This approach is especially effective with students who learn differently, inclusion classes, and ESL learners. The approach is effective for initial instruction as well as remedial work at all levels and is compatible with all curricula and programs. This course was developed and offered by the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (ASDEC). 3 credits

EDU 913M Multisensory Mathematics II: Applications for Secondary Educators
Based on the Orton-Gillingham philosophy of teaching, Multisensory Mathematics II: Applications for Secondary Educators, applies the research-based Concrete-Representation-Abstract (CRA) approach to teaching mathematics as advocated by the National Math Panel and the National Council for Teachers of Math (NCTM).  Participants learn to apply this methodology in guiding students from foundation skills of place value and fractions through concepts and applications associated with pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, and algebra II.  Participants learn to use manipulatives effectively to introduce and reinforce mathematical concepts, aid memory, and enhance performance for all students.  Strategies for helping students learn and retrieve math facts are stressed, as well as structured procedures for computational accuracy. This approach is especially effective with students who learn differently, inclusion classes, and ESL learners. The approach is effective for initial instruction as well as remedial work at all levels and is compatible with all curricula and programs.  This course was developed and offered by the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (ASDEC). 3 credits

EDU 917W Successful Writing All Year Incremental Writing Instruction for the Classroom Teacher
Participants learn multisensory strategies to teach written expression to students in elementary through post-secondary grades.  ASDEC instructors draw upon original content as well as methods developed by William Van Cleave and Judith Hochman, nationally recognized experts in teaching written expression. Using highly interactive presentations that include practice and demonstrations, instructors teach multisensory methods to improve grammar, sentence construction, paragraph development, and essays (including the college essay).  An incremental, structured, sequential approach builds from basic sentence parts of speech and sentence structure through sentence expansion and a process approach to essays and culminates in an organizational model for producing a research paper. 3 credits

Folger Shakespeare Library

EDU 527F Teaching Shakespeare is Teaching Race
Participants will work with leading scholars, mentor teachers, and Folger staff. As with any Folger program for teachers, participants will leave with scholarly knowledge and classroom tools to help students grapple with the real thing: Shakespeare’s words, critical race work, representation and power in literature, and how all these things connect. Learn about the #ShakeRace movement and what trailblazing scholarship on race and Shakespeare has to do with you and your students. Study recently uncovered elements of early modern and early American history that explode assumptions about our racial past. Learn techniques for getting every student seeing, interrogating, and responding to the language of race in Shakespeare (and any text). Help students use their own minds and voices—and the power of the humanities—as a force for good. Teach Shakespeare for a changed world.
3 Credits

EDU 527F Folger Shakespeare Library Teaching Academy
This course is a powerful professional development course for teachers led by master teachers, scholars, and performance faculty. Participants will work with primary sources in the Reading Rooms, workshop on the Folger stage, and leave with a plan for teaching a play, along with a set of highly effective, universal strategies for teaching complex text.
3 credits

EDU 529F Teaching Shakespeare Institute
In this course, participants will take part in an intensive study of the intellectual, pedagogical, and theatrical dimensions of selected works of Shakespeare. Successful strategies for teaching those works will be explored and participants will create new tools and materials to use in their own classrooms. Participants will take advantage of resources found only at the Folger-the world’s largest Shakespeare collection and the ultimate resource for teaching and learning Shakespeare-in order to connect a new generation of students with Shakespeare’s language.
6 credits

Ford’s Theatre Course Descriptions

EDU 662C Civil War: Washington, D.C. History
This learning adventure will immerse students in the history of the Civil War in Washington, D.C. By preparing and performing historical speeches, interpreting letters, and “reading” artifacts, images and places, participants will develop teaching techniques that strengthen reading comprehension and critical thinking skills while learning the content knowledge that will make the city of Washington a classroom. Participants will come away with an array of resources, such as virtual tours and oratory skills, to get students on their feet performing speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, among others. The course emphasizes practical, content-driven experiential learning adventures including motivation to use classroom drama to help historic characters come alive. 3 credits

EDU 662L: The Lincoln Assassination and Its Legacy
This course explores the Lincoln assassination, its aftermath, Reconstruction, and Lincoln’s legacy. Participants will build understanding through visiting locations around the Washington metropolitan area that shed light on the end of the Civil War. From this course, participants will bring back to the classroom a greater appreciation and content knowledge of the places and personal experiences that help us make sense of this tragic moment in American history and the reverberations felt both immediately and to the present day. 3 credits

National Museum of Women in the Arts Course Descriptions

EDU 505W  Book Arts and Literacy in the Classroom

This hands-on course introduces educators, with or without a visual arts background, to techniques and materials that will support their efforts to integrate the visual arts into their classrooms. Course content centers on Art, Books, and Creativity (ABC), an arts integration curriculum developed by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. ABC highlights the natural connections between visual arts and language arts and fosters students’ critical thinking and writing skills. Developed for 4th and 5th grade classrooms, ABC can be differentiated for a range of age groups (particularly grades 3–8) and learning needs. Participants try out book formats—accordion books, self-portrait books, pop-ups, and more—as well as writing exercises from ABC. Participants also practice the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method for facilitating art discussions and brainstorm ideas for integrating visual arts, social studies, math, and science in their own classrooms.

Application and acceptance required. Participants receive art materials for the classroom and graduate credit from Trinity (with application and payment to Trinity). No prior art experience is necessary, and classroom teachers are especially encouraged to apply. Ideal for educators of grades 3–8.

3 credits

EDU 506W Advanced Book Arts in the Classroom

This course is a continuation of EDU 505W Book Arts and Literacy in the Classroom. Educators who register for this course must have completed the ABC Teacher Institute, with or without Trinity credit. Participants of this course will work with a book artist; curriculum specialists in visual arts, science, and language arts; and National Museum of Women in the Arts’ educators to expand their tool kit of book formats, writing samples, and ABC curriculum integration ideas as well as to explore the parallels between studio habits of mind and STEM innovation thinking. Through in-gallery discussions, participants will experiment with inquiry methods designed to encourage creative and critical thinking among their students. Combining independent reflection, brainstorming with colleagues, and feedback from specialists, each participant will develop a new interdisciplinary unit from concept to final design for their specific classroom needs.
Prerequisite: ABC Teacher Institute

Application and acceptance required. Participants receive art materials for the classroom and graduate credit from Trinity (with application and payment to Trinity). 

3 credits

Ready, Aim, Teach Course Descriptions

EDU 505R Delving into Differentiation This course is designed for participants to learn to develop systems and structures to differentiate instruction for delivery of content, how students process information, and how students demonstrate mastery. Participants explore ways to differentiate instruction to be more culturally sensitive and meet the needs of students who are English Language Learners. 2 credits

EDU 506R Proactive Teaching This course is designed to help teachers practice and implement the proactive strategies to engage students, prevent disruptions, and promote high level thinking and learning. 2 credits

EDU 507R Dynamic Teaching: Igniting the Spark This course is designed to build teachers’ capacity to motivate students to be active participants in their learning and to give teachers strategies to help students understand content at a deep level. 2 credits

EDU 508R Success for English Learners This course is designed to build teachers’ capacity to motivate students to be active participants in their learning and to give teachers strategies to help students understand content at a deep level. 2 credits

EDU 509R Transforming Learning, Thinking, and Relationships This course is designed to build teachers’ capacity to manage student behavior through the use of proactive instructional and relationship strategies. 2 credits

EDU 510R Equity in Education: Interrupting the Status Quo This course is designed to build teachers’ capacity to begin having courageous conversations about race and understand how the factors of diversity and implicit bias impact institutional practices and policies. 2 credits

EDU 511R A New View of the ADHD Brain: What Works, What Doesn’t and Why  This course illustrates the physiological differences in the brain development of students with and without ADHD. Equipped with this new knowledge on the nature of ADHD, this course explores how the ADHD brain works differently from non-ADHD brains and provides scores of practical interventions for improving learning and behavior. Participants learn how to become “the surrogate frontal lobes” for their students with ADHD and how to change their view of ADHD from a purely behaviorally disorder to a unique brain construct that can be accommodated with highly successful outcomes. 2 credits

EDU 512R Voice & Choice: Putting Students in the Driver’s Seat of Their Learning Explore the power of student-driven differentiation in daily learning; jump starting student willingness to put forth effort, participate, study, and take intellectual risks. Examine the impact of educators serving as “choice coaches” to help students design their own pathways to increased achievement. Through a variety of quick, practical, and engaging experiences, learn easy-to-implement steps to begin adding voice and choice into every lesson. This course uncovers how strategically providing choices in learning supports metacognition and promotes positive academic identities as student reflect on the choices they make. See how putting students in the driver’s seat of their learning transforms students from dependent learners to independent scholars. 1 credit

EDU 513T Fold ‘n Learn: Multiple Modalities to Boost Critical Thinking Discover how to engage students, boost retention, and deepen learning. Participants will explore how to move the content from simple recall to long term storage. This hands-on course allows participants to encounter a variety of Foldables® that help convert abstract concepts (like history facts or vocabulary words) into a kinesthetic experience that will deepen the understanding of lessons. Participants will investigate a variety of options for three-dimensional graphic organizers, learn easy-to-implement and content-friendly tools to support struggling students and English Learners, and energize highly able students to think at a deeper level. Get ready to enrich every students’ experience. 1 credit

EDU 514R Together Yet Different To meet the dramatic healing needs our students will bring, teachers can prepare for this ‘new normal’ by boosting their resilience building skills. This course is a deep dive into equipping educators to meet the needs students will bring when we regather in school buildings. Learn how to drastically increase student resilience by designing and implementing a resilience-building culture so that students can heal, grow, learn, and thrive. In this course, we’ll add to your toolbox by providing concrete strategies for building resilience in the complex post COVID19 context. These advanced tools will show you how to reconnect, calm, provide clear direction, manage boundaries, and instill hope with your students. 2 Credits

EDU 515R Wonder Words Using the Power of Language The spoken word is a primary tool teachers use to educate, motivate and positively influence the social and emotional health of students. The use of language that provides teachers with the highest potential impact on student learning, behavior and emotional state has never been more important.
In this course, educators will learn the three pillars of “Wonder Words” to elevate the critical tool of verbally engaging with students: 1) Word choice; 2) Delivery style and; 3) Context. Strategies for building emotionally safe classrooms, boosting motivation, shaping behavior, developing effective academic habits and promoting resilience will be shared and practiced. Participants will walk away from this learning experience with practices they can apply immediately to respond to all the needs and opportunities students will bring to our ever-changing school context. 1 Credit

EDU 516R Teaching the Struggling Reader In this course, participants will learn how to create significant shifts in our most struggling readers by: 1) Keeping it easy – focusing on ensuring student success in every moment; 2) Understanding with great depth what the student CAN do; and 3) Creating lessons for the struggling reader that start with what they CAN do and connecting that to the new learning that the student is now ready for. Participants will actively analyze student data, learn and practice effective strategies and techniques, and plan lessons that will dramatically improve student reading achievement for their most struggling readers.1 Credit

EDU 517R Creating Calmer Classrooms School staff, students, and families have experienced a lot of stressors in the past year – from new ways of learning, to isolation, to traumatic world events. Meeting the needs of students today requires educators to be equipped with tools that create calmer classrooms by mastering de-escalation tactics and harnessing the power of self-regulation strategies. Part of the journey to creating calmer classrooms includes the “know-how” to 1. Develop a student’s emotional intelligence 2. Identify the why behind escalating emotions, and 3. Navigate big emotions in a healthy, productive way. Understanding concepts related to social emotional learning like; trauma, resilience, and emotional intelligence are big ideas that relate to concepts surrounding calmer classrooms. To do this educators need to understand why student behavior can escalate and how to respond before a crisis occurs. 1 Credit

EDU 518R Mastering Mathematics for English Learners No one is a native speaker of mathematics. K-12 math standards (and learning in general) require students to share their thinking, discuss strategy, evaluate options, explain processes, and more. How can we support English learners in the math classroom? In “Mastering Mathematics” we explore the role of language in math and dive into the power of interaction and critical thinking. Participants will leave with specific strategies to ensure student access to instruction, a plan to develop academic language to communicate concept understanding, and be ready to differentiate supports based on English proficiency levels. 1 Credit

The DC Special Education Cooperative

EDU 894S: Include DC Special Education Tools for General Education Teachers
As federal mandates continue to emphasize the provision of a free and appropriate public education to students with special needs in the least restrictive environment, it has become more important now than ever before for ALL educators to be armed with the knowledge and tools needed to successfully educate exceptional learners. This course will emphasize a proactive approach to instructional design and planning for diverse student learners. We will use the history and evolution of special education regulation as a background for understanding why careful, purposeful, and proactive instructional design are essential components of a successfully inclusive classroom.