The Montana Professional Learning Collaborative (MTPLC) is an ESA and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing educational outcomes for students by providing comprehensive professional development and support services to educators and schools. MTPLC serves schools of all sizes, including those in extremely rural and tribal communities. MTPLC offers affordable self-paced online courses for continuing education credit through the University of Montana focusing on English Language Arts, Gifted Education, and Indian Education for All (IEFA), a Montana constitutional mandate that all students learn about the history, diversity, cultures, and sovereignty of Montana’s tribes. Other program areas include in-person and virtual workshops on such topics as Artificial Intelligence in Schools, Dyslexia, Behavioral and Mental Health and hosts the yearly August Institute, a three day hybrid conference currently in its 28th year.
MTPLC also delivers specialized consulting and administrative support in the areas of special education, teacher mentorship, Title I program development and monitoring. Finally, MTPLC administers a Stop School Violence Grant, which includes programs like Montana Cares, Mandt training, and Character Strong, providing mental health support and social emotional skill development for rural and tribal students.
If you are interested in taking any of the English Language Arts Courses listed below, visit English Language Arts Courses - MTPLC.ORG for information on registration and further course description.
All Courses are available for Undergraduate or Graduate Credit, unless noted. Students must complete the course through MT-PLC, with a passing grade, before registering for credits. If you were not instructed by MT-PLC to use one of the portals below, please do not register for any open section. If you have questions about the registration portals, please email coco.ponce@mso.umt.edu
Available Courses:
EDU 455/555 Contemporary Issues Helping Students with Dyslexia
This 8 week, two-credit offering is based on the premise that children of all ages and across grade levels can learn, but that they do so differently. We know that for some students, learning to read and write will be one of the most challenging school tasks they will ever undertake. Accordingly, practitioners must be knowledgeable about (1) the spectrum of oral and written language disabilities and (2) how a teacher can be an academic coach-guide who helps all students experience success. We will study what experts in the field have to say about learning disorders and consider how teachers can rethink their current practices, identifying ways to differentiate learning to maximize individual student success. This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.
EDU 455/555 Helping Student Writers Gain Skill and Confidence
This 8 week, two-credit course explores how mentor texts can be used to jump-start analytical writing: writing to inform and explain, writing arguments, and writing to evaluate (Common Core Anchor Standards 1 through 3.) We will study forms of written discourse and identify genre characteristics of expository writing. Students will analyze writing assignments for developing student-writers and then adapt these to more complex, layered writing exercises. Participants will learn about analytical writing from a teacher’s perspective as well as from direct experiences with composing pieces that inform and explain, that take a position and propose a solution, and that evaluate and form judgments based on evidence. This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.
EDU 455/555 Language Study in the Common Core Era
This 8 week, self-paced, online Moodle course is designed to develop participants’ knowledge of English language fundamentals. We will study grammar, punctuation, and usage. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
*Identify the eight parts of speech.
*Identify punctuation rules, including those that govern the comma and semicolon
*Design active learning activities that makes language abstractions understandable.
*Identify what makes English conventions and usage complex.
This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.
EDU 455/555 Writing Improvement_Sharpen Prose with Focused Revision
This 8 week self-paced, 2-credit online Moodle course is designed to develop participants’ knowledge of writing improvement through an inquiry approach that involves reflective decision-making and critical thinking. We will study how revision differs from editing. Then we will explore specific strategies that start at the sentence level and transition to paragraph improvement. Knowing how to make improvements with paragraphs (internal text structure) lays the foundation to target external text structure (or the overall unity)—whether it is a personal narrative or critical essay. This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits.