Assignment of Professional Development for Non-licensed Personnel
ArkansasIDEAS accounts are assigned according to the individual's designation in the Arkansas Educator Licensure System (AELS). There are two types of designations in AELS, Non-Licensed and Certified Teacher.
- Certified teachers have access to all courses available from ArkansasIDEAS.
- Non-Licensed accounts have a limited number of courses available.
Before assigning ArkansasIDEAS professional development courses to non-licensed personnel, please check the list below. If the course is not listed, it is unavailable to non-licensed account holders. As more courses are made available, this list is updated, so be sure to check back periodically.
Attention: Individual courses cannot be added to non-licensed accounts, nor can non-licensed accounts be upgraded to certified teacher or given access to the Certified Teacher Audience courses. This is based on intellectual property rights and copyrighted materials provided by subject matter experts at the time the course was created.
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.
RTI Arkansas: Overview
RTI Arkansas: Overview is the first module of the RTI Arkansas educational initiative, which is designed to be a comprehensive, cultural shift within schools. In this overview course, educators from across the state share their insight on Response to Intervention (RTI) to show how it has made an impact. Response to Intervention is defined in detail, including its essential components, the multi-tiered system of supports, screening, progress monitoring, and data-based decision making.
Creating a Culture that Connects
Creating a Culture that Connects showcases Joel Lookadoo, 2020 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, as he provides understanding that the culture of our classrooms helps build students’ identities and that developing the whole person and high-quality, academic instruction are not mutually exclusive. Developing the whole person is for adults just as much as it is for kids, and this course is designed to help you explore that. Joel will provide strategies on incorporating academic content alongside skills that develop the whole person and evaluate the use of technology and instructional strategies for their ability to foster connection to create innovative experiences.
Hands on Nutrition
One in four Arkansas children is food insecure, one in three is obese, and poverty is a major risk factor for both food insecurity as well as obesity. This course’s curriculum from The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance Cooking Matters at the Store $10 Challenge will sensitize us to the prevalence of food insecurity and obesity in Arkansas and provide resources and adaptable lesson plans teachers can use to teach their students how to plan healthy meals on a budget.
The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance Cooking Matters at the Store $10 Challenge is a lesson plan focused on integrating healthful eating, meal planning, and comparing food labels and unit prices into core courses. The lesson plan is written very generally to allow for content-specific modifications, if desired.
Understanding Alternative Education in Arkansas
This course highlights successful Alternative Learning Environments (ALEs) across the state and the techniques and approaches that are used to reach struggling learners. Students are given the chance to voice their opinion on the experiences they have had in an ALE. The teachers and experts discuss a variety of topics, covering everything from student-teacher ratio to the advantages and disadvantages of hiring security guards.
Dyslexia: A Three-Part Professional Awareness
Please Note: Referral policies for school districts may vary. Before making a referral, please investigate your school's policies and follow them accordingly.
In this three-part dyslexia professional awareness program, we look at some of the indicators of dyslexia, the need for screening and early intervention, and important processes like Response to Intervention and referral for evaluation. We hear from students, parents, and various professionals in the fields of medicine, psychology, and education regarding the importance of the science behind teaching a student who is dyslexic. Experts and students themselves say it takes patience, long hours, hard work, and practice to overcome dyslexia. It is our hope to whet your appetite and to instill in you the desire and a sense of urgency to learn more about Specific Learning Disabilities, especially dyslexia, and how to make a lasting impact in the life of each student, every day.
More Than Sad: Teen Suicide / Depression - Prevention and Awareness Programs
This course meets the requirements of ACA 6-17-708. This course, provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), is designed to help teachers and other school personnel learn more about teen suicide and how they can play a role in its prevention. This course features two films and their supporting documents. The first film, “More Than Sad: Preventing Teen Suicide”, educates teachers, counselors, other school personnel about the causes of youth suicide as well as warning signs and steps they can take to get help for students. The second film, “More Than Sad: Teen Depression”, features four vignettes- each designed to present to teens as a recognizable picture of depression, reduce fears and misconceptions about treatment, and promote help-seeking behavior. Both films were produced by AFSP in conjunction with the award-winning Break Thru Films.
Special thanks specifically to the Arkansas Chapter of AFSP for their contribution of the films. Schools interested in obtaining a free copy of the More Than Sad films can find contact information at the end of the each video.
This course meets the suicide awareness and prevention components of ACA 6-17-708.
Mind Movement: Move the Body, Expand the Mind
Everybody, out of your seats! Movement isn’t just for physical education class. New research tells us that if we want our kids to learn and achieve, no matter the age level or subject area, we will get them out of their chairs to move their bodies—and their minds. This physical education course produced by ArkansasIDEAS and the Arkansas Department of Education identifies the problems with a sedentary learning method, teaches the science behind the mind/body connection as it relates to physical activity, and explains how educators can be part of the solution for healthier, happier students. You will learn how physical activity can be integral to classroom learning and just how serious the problem of physical inactivity is for our students here in Arkansas. Judy LoBianco joins us all the way from New Jersey to provide insight from her background as a national health and physical education expert.
Tackling Heat Illness
Credit Hours: 1
Vendor: IDEAS
Arkansas summers are hot, and according to the National Weather Service, the days are likely to become hotter. Consequently, exertional heat illnesses are a valid concern for coaches, trainers, parents, and students who participate in summer activities such as practices and competitions. The most severe exertional heat illness is exertional heat stroke which is 100 percent survivable with proper and quick response. This course will discuss the dangers of heat, the proper methods of prevention, and most importantly, how to recognize and treat exertional heat illnesses should they occur.
Hunter Midkiff, a junior at Piggot High School, died on August 15, 2020, as a result of exertional heatstroke. You will hear his story and how his death has impacted those who knew and loved him.
Our host, Krista Bradley, and our expert, Dr. Michael Israel, Pediatric Sports Medicine for Arkansas Children's Hospital and UAMS, discuss ways to recognize and treat exertional heat illnesses as well as ways to prevent them altogether. He also shares the effect that heat has on the body, the proper way to measure the heat, and the steps to take that can save a life.
This course meets the heat illness prevention training requirements for coaches as set forth in ACA 6-18-708.