Education For Teachers   

Geared primarily for professionals (e.g., regular or special educators, instructional assistants, school psychologists, counselors) serving children and youths presenting behavior problems in the school or community, this course focuses on cognitive and cognitive-behavioral interventions (often lumped together under the rubric "social skills") with an emphasis on teaching students how to change and manage their own behavior. Since previous knowledge and understanding of traditional behavioral (operant) concepts and strategies is required, it is strongly recommended that you take an introductory behavior management course to learn the basic terms and concepts of behavior management prior to taking this advanced course.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions.

This course will help the learner achieve a better understanding of ADHD and intervention strategies to facilitate positive student change. Taught by Mick R. Jackson MS/ED, this course covers the history of the disorder, accepted methods to assess and identify students with the disorder, and various methods, medications, and strategies that are currently used to treat it. For situations in which services beyond what can be provided in the classroom are required, the referral process for getting help for the student will be addressed. Reference materials include a list of resources for both teachers and parents who would like more help or information about ADD or ADHD.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder provides information on the characteristics of the disorders, learning styles associated with the disorders, communication weaknesses commonly seen in this context, and various intervention strategies that have proven successful when working with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The course helps you make sense of why autistic individuals act the way they do and understand what you can do to help them learn behavior that might be beneficial to them. This course also lists resources for educators, related service personnel, and parents who would like more help or information on autism.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions.

This course is designed to further develop the conceptual and technical skills required by teachers to help them identify their educational goals and implement meaningful instructional strategies for effective learning by students with special needs. The focus of the course is on assessment for instructional programming and will outline procedures for designing or selecting, administering, and interpreting a variety of informal assessment measures typically used in schools. The presentation of assessment information in an acceptable format to parents and teachers is also addressed.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Evaluation & Assessment of ESL Students was written to help teachers understand concepts and terms related to evaluating and assessing students whose first language is not English. This course discusses what is a high-quality assessment and the scope of assessments including initial placement, annual assessments, and exit assessments. This course ends with a discussion of classroom assessments including accommodations for those who need language assistance.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Language Acquisition was written to help teachers understand concepts and terms related to educating students whose first language is not English. This course discusses developmental theories and how they apply to English language learners. The focus of this course is on the process of second language acquisition and the role of the classroom teacher. Included in this course is information about the legal obligations of schools and teachers to provide services and about the types of programs schools might provide. Included is information on communicating with parents/guardians.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

ELL: Linguistics was written to help teachers understand concepts and terms related to educating students whose first language is not English. This course discusses how to understand theoretical foundations of linguistics and how to apply the knowledge and skills in linguistics in ELL classrooms and content classrooms.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Methods & Materials was written to help teachers understand concepts and terms related to educating students whose first language is not English. This course discusses how to apply instructional methods in creating lessons; how to create a motivating and caring learning environment; how to integrate teaching reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills; how to differentiate instruction for English language learners; and how to identify culturally appropriate curriculum and instructional resources.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Harassment, Bullying & Cyber-Intimidation in Schools will discuss definitions and the personal, social, and legal ramifications associated with sexual harassment, bullying, and cyber-intimidation. The course will address what we know about these troubling areas. We will then explore preventative strategies as well as how school staff can address these issues when they occur. A clear understanding of what constitutes harassment and the harmful effects of harassment on people and institutions is essential to providing a safe and inclusive school environment for all.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions.

This course is designed to help special and general educators gain a better understanding of inclusion, one of the current educational reform movements that advocates educating students with disabilities in the general education classrooms. Upon course completion, the learner will be able to define key concepts and terms, identify and describe federal legislature and court cases, and list and describe the federal definition of students entitled to special services. This course will also discuss the roles and responsibilities of educators in providing special services to students educated in inclusive classrooms.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Learning Disabilities: Practical Information for the Classroom Teacher, provides an introduction to the field of Learning Disabilities for special education teachers, general classroom teachers, integration teachers and related professionals, especially those working in the areas of language, psychology and counseling.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

The purpose of this course is to improve your knowledge of science and the scientific process. This is the first course in a three-course series. Note: It is recommended that the Reading Fundamentals courses be taken sequentially; however, it is not mandatory that all three courses be taken.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Designed to lay the foundation for effective reading instruction, this course will teach you about the elements of effective instruction and the importance of reading instruction. Note: It is recommended that the Reading Fundamentals courses be taken sequentially; however, it is not mandatory that all three courses be taken.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 
 

This course will focus on learning to read, reading to learn, and an introduction to reading assessment. As part of these key areas of reading instruction, the five elements of effective reading instruction will be highlighted, including definitions, implications for instruction, and future directions. Note: It is recommended that the Reading Fundamentals courses be taken sequentially; however, it is not mandatory that all three courses be taken.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 
 

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is teaching life skills that are foundational to motivation in the classroom and classroom management. Students who have strong social and emotional skillsets will be more successful in the classroom and in life in general. In this course, students will first examine what social-emotional learning is, including the research foundational to SEL. Then students will examine the five SEL competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making—and explore how each of these can be developed first in the classrooms and then in the schools to create optimal learning environments.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

Designed to give the learner the knowledge, tools, and dispositions to effectively facilitate a diverse classroom, this course teaches how to understand and identify differences in approaches to learning and performance, including different learning styles and ways in which students demonstrate learning. An emphasis in this course is on understanding how students' learning is influenced by individual experiences, talents, disabilities, gender, language, culture, and family and community values. The learner is challenged to apply knowledge of the richness of contributions from our diverse society to the teaching field.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

This course is designed to expand your methodology for teaching Mathematics. The course will explore an innovative teaching model that incorporates strategies for teaching concepts constructively and contextually. The goal is for you to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts of various math topics and to explore the principles of teaching those concepts to learners. This course will focus on the topics of number sense, basic operations, and fractions.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

This course explores an instructional methodology that incorporates strategies for teaching concepts, constructively, and contextually. The goal is for you to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts of various math topics and explore the principles of teaching those concepts to learners. The course also explores teaching methodologies that support many federal and state standards. This course focuses on the topics of integers, fractions, factoring, and functions.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions.

Try DI! is designed to provide you an opportunity to learn about an instructional framework, Differentiated Instruction (DI), aimed at creating supportive learning environments for diverse learning populations. Students will be presented a method for self-assessment of the extent to which their current instructional approach reflects the perspective, principles, and practices of the DI approach. The course reflects an approach that aligns the principles of DI with the practices of DI. The concept of a "theory of action" will also be provided within a DI context. The course has also been designed to introduce students to a range of strategies associated with a DI approach. Strategies included in this course have been selected on the basis that they are effective in the widest possible range of educational K-12 settings. This course follows Why DI?: An Introduction to Differentiated Instruction, which addressed the What, Why, and Who of a classroom that reflects a DI approach. The focus of Try DI!: Planning & Preparing a Differentiated Instruction Program is on the When, Where, and How of the DI approach.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions.

This course, Understanding & Implementing Common Core Standards, has been divided into four chapters. The organization of the course covers the rationale for and design of the Common Core State Standards, the "Common Core Mindset" practitioners need for successful implementation, and what specific actions can be taken for deeper implementation across settings.

​​​​​​​View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 

This course includes topics on violence, aggression in the classroom, youth gangs, aggression in sports and on television, how drugs and alcohol play a role in aggression and violence, and "hot spots" that tend to breed aggression and violence. It is designed to help school personnel become more aware of the causes of aggression and ways to evaluate it and intervene before it turns to violence in the schools. The course also discusses aggression in our communities through driving, dating, sports, television, and music, and how these issues are dealt with in modern society.

View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions. 
 

This course is an interactive computer-based instruction course, designed to give you an understanding of the framework of and need for creating supportive learning environments for diverse learning populations. In this course you will learn what is meant by Differentiated Instruction (DI) and the common myths associated with creating the differentiated classroom. We will discuss the legal, theoretical, and pedagogical foundations in the field of education that support the utilization of differentiated instructional practices and principles. We will reflect on best practices and national trends in the design of the educational setting to meet the needs of a diverse learning population. Why DI?: An Introduction to Differentiated Instruction will also provide connections to a variety of concepts, variables, and resources that will assist practitioners in aligning their own professional practices with those found in the differentiated classroom.

​​​​​​​View Syllabus and Instructor Description. Contact CommunityEd@pencol.edu or (360) 417-5683 if you have any questions.