RTI Arkansas: Preparing for PBIS

RTI Arkansas: Preparing for PBIS is the second in a series of two courses on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS. The purpose of this course is to teach the basic steps necessary to begin building a PBIS framework.

In this course Anne Merten, PBIS Consultant at Arkansas State University, provides a supplemental guide for tier one training in PBIS. Ms. Merten explains each stage in the creation and implementation of a PBIS framework. She also shares many resources and suggestions helpful to the process. Relevant responses from Arkansas teachers and administrators, interviewed about the use of PBIS in their own schools, are included throughout this course.

This course was recorded on October 25, 2016 at AETN studios in Conway, Arkansas.

RTI Arkansas: Data-Based Decision Making

Even with Arkansas's Response to Intervention (RtI) Model, meeting lofty district goals as a school or implementing new plans in your own classroom can be intimidating. In this course Dr. Judy Elliott, education consultant, explains how to use the four-step problem solving process to make data-based decisions in RtI. She leads participants through a step-by-step study of this process, describing the elements of each step using real-world examples to illustrate the data-based decision making that occurs throughout the process.

This course, which was recorded on October 24, 2016 at AETN studios in Conway, Arkansas, is intended to assist school leaders and teachers in the implementation of data-driven problem solving, which is the backbone of RtI. It contains a variety of helpful resources, including a facilitation guide for those who would like to use the content within this course to facilitate whole-group professional development sessions in their schools or districts.

Better Together: Critical Components of Co-Teaching

The goal of the Better Together co-teaching series is the creation of more inclusive classrooms in Arkansas where ALL students have equal access to the general education curriculum as well as social-emotional learning.

The first course in this three-part series focuses on the critical components of co-teaching: co-planning, co-instructing, and co-assessing. In this course, we discuss the importance of each component and how the components work together to build the foundation for effective instruction in the co-taught classroom. Co-teachers that participate in this course will gain knowledge that will aid in planning effective lessons, delivering those lessons using specially designed instruction, and assessing for the purpose of data-driven decision making, while working together cohesively to benefit all students.

Better Together: Six Instructional Formats for Co-Teaching

The goal of the Better Together co-teaching series is the creation of more inclusive classrooms in Arkansas where ALL students have equal access to the general education curriculum as well as social-emotional learning. 

The second course in this three-part series focuses on the six instructional formats recommended for providing effective co-taught instruction. In this course, we discuss the uses of each instructional format and their potential benefits and challenges. Participants will gain a better understanding of how each format works in the classroom and will learn to choose the best format to use with various lessons.

The Learning Classroom: How People Learn

This program introduces the main themes of the course. Teacher interviews and classroom footage illustrate why learning theory is at the core of good classroom instruction and demonstrate the broad spectrum of theoretical knowledge available for use in classroom practice.

The Learning Classroom: Learning As We Grow

This program examines the concept of readiness for learning and illustrates how developmental pathways - including physical, cognitive, and linguistic - all play a part in students’ learning. Featured are a first-grade teacher, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher, and a senior physics teacher, with expert commentary from University of California at Santa Cruz professor Roland Tharp and Yale University professor James P. Comer.

The Learning Classroom: Building on What We Know

This course covers how prior knowledge, expectations, context, and practice affect processing, using information, and making connections. Featured are a first-grade teacher, a ninth- and tenth-grade mathematics teacher, and a special education teacher, with expert commentary from Stanford University professor Roy Pea.

The Learning Classroom: Different Kinds of Smart

This course delves into Harvard University professor Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and describes how people have learning skills that differ in significant ways. Featured are teachers who share a class of five- through eight-year-olds, including several mainstreamed special needs students, and a ninth- and tenth-grade social studies teacher, with expert commentary from Howard Gardner.

The Learning Classroom: Feelings Count

This course introduces ways to create an emotionally safe classroom to foster learning and to deal effectively with emotions and conflicts. Featured are a fifth-grade teacher and an eighth-grade band teacher, with expert commentary from Daniel B. Goleman, author of the book, Emotional Intelligence, and Yale University Professor James P. Comer.

The Learning Classroom: The Classroom Mosaic

This program discusses how culturally responsive teaching enables students to create connections, access prior knowledge and experience, and develop competence. Featured are a sixth-grade teacher and two ninth-grade teachers, with expert commentary from University of Wisconsin professor Gloria Ladson-Billings and University of Arizona professor Luis Moll.