Online Courses for Teachers

PDI Course Number: 66T02

UCSD Course Number: EDUC41473

Learn how to receive UCSD graduate-level credit for completing this course.

Course Timeline

Participants have one year to complete the course. Participants must spend a minimum of three weeks in this course.

Course Description

How many times have you thought that you could accomplish a great deal more in the classroom if only your students would just behave? This online course focuses on helping teachers explore a variety of classroom management strategies including shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach, teaching management routines, and learning how to develop and establish an effective discipline plan, among others. Teachers will learn many useful and practical techniques for working with students. A particular focus is effective strategies for working with special populations such as difficult students, English language learners, and students with learning disabilities. Teachers will also spend time learning about the importance of establishing clear and concise classroom rules and routines. Character education will also be introduced as it relates to classroom management. Teachers will also learn the benefits of cooperative learning in creating a positive classroom environment. Conflict resolution strategies that can be taught to students are also explored, particularly within the context of bullying situations. Finally, teachers will learn how to properly and effectively create individualized behavior plans. By the end of this course, teachers will feel better equipped to handle several common classroom management issues.

Educational Outcomes

1. Teachers will become familiar with how to create a positive classroom environment.
2. Teachers will learn how to enforce their discipline plan.
3. Teachers will learn techniques for working with parents on discipline issues.
4. Teachers will learn how to identify and define the necessary steps for a classroom routine.
5. Teachers will learn how to effectively teach routines to students.
6. Teachers will learn strategies for working with small groups.
7. Teachers will learn techniques for dealing with difficult students.
8. Teachers will learn how to develop an effective behavior intervention plan.
9. Teachers will become familiar with the six building blocks of character education.
10. Teachers will learn conflict resolution strategies.
11. Teachers will learn how to teach students specific conflict resolution strategies.
12. Teachers will learn important communication skills and how to best communicate with different personalities in a variety of situations.
13. Teachers will learn techniques for shifting reactive behavior to proactive behavior.
14. Teachers will learn observation techniques, how to record observations, and how to use the documentation.
15. Teachers will understand important considerations when working with children with learning disabilities and how it impacts the direction of your management plan.
16. Teachers will learn about how their actions and behaviors impact the classroom and how students may interpret their observations.

Instructional Media

• Online Discussions
• Online Engagement
• Online Collaboration
• Instructor Feedback
• Instructor Interaction
• Online Resources and Websites
• Supplemental Instructional Materials
• Printable Classroom Resources

Evaluation

• Online Discussions
• Online Engagement
• Test #1 (5% of final grade)
• Test #2 (5% of final grade)
• Test #3 (5% of final grade)
• Test #4 (5% of final grade)
• Test #5 (5% of final grade)
• Autobiography and Goals for the Course (10% of final grade)
• Article/Video Reflection (15% of final grade)
• Course Collaboration/Share Ideas with the Class (10% of final grade)
• Cumulative Assignment/Project: Respond to Five Classroom Management Scenarios (20% of final grade)
• Culminating Practicum (20% of final grade)

Topical Outline

Unit One

• The Importance of Classroom Management
• Establishing an Effective Learning Environment
• Shifting From Reactive to Proactive
• Cooperative Learning
• Assignment #1

  Write an autobiography including information about yourself, your grade level and what you specifically hope to learn about incorporating the 21st century skills of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, culture, and civic and global readiness into your teaching practices. Your autobiography should be a minimum of three paragraphs.

• Test #1

Unit Two

• Getting to Know Your Students
• The Importance of Observation and Documentation
• Developing a Discipline Plan
• Assignment #2

  As an educator, it is important to be aware of the research, studies, and professional work done in the field. In the course, you will find an article and video that are relevant to the specific course content. Read the article and then write an essay with your thoughts.

• Test #2

Unit Three

• The Impact of a Teacher’s Actions, Behavior, and Communication
• Creating Directions for Routines
• Teaching Management Routines
• Assignment #3

  Online Discussion Board Participation/Engagement: Please post a tip, strategy, or idea that specifically relates to effectively incorporating the teaching of 21st century skills into the classroom so that students will be college and career ready. The tip, strategy, or idea that you share needs to make a difference to other teachers in their own classrooms. Your assignment should be a minimum of three paragraphs and detailed enough for another teacher to follow easily. This is a great opportunity to share and collaborate with other teachers at your grade level around the country. Take time to review and respond to other postings that are relevant to your classroom population in order to gain effective ideas to use immediately in your classroom.

• Test #3

Unit Four

• Working With Students with Learning Disabilities
• Working with Small Groups
• Working with Difficult Students
• Test #4

Unit Five

• How Character Education Impacts Classroom Management
• Conflict Resolution Strategies
• Home-School Connection
• Test #5

Unit Six

• Working with English Language Learners
• How to Handle Bullying
• Behavior Intervention Plans
• Assignment #4

  Choose five scenarios and write a minimum one-paragraph response for each explaining how you (as the teacher) should respond to each situation using best classroom management principles. Each response should be written in no less than six detailed sentences and should be directly related to the chosen scenario. Each response should also address what the problem is and what you, as the teacher, can do to resolve the issue so the class runs more smoothly.

• Assignment #5

  The culminating practicum is a three-step process. (1) In the first assignment, you were asked what goals you had and what you hoped to learn from the course. Think back to your original goals for this course. Write a minimum two-paragraph reflection specifically describing how what you learned can be used to help you reach those goal(s). (2) Next, write a minimum three-paragraph plan that specifically describes the ways in which you intend to implement a particular strategy you learned in this course into your own teaching situation. (3) Last, write a minimum two-paragraph reflection describing a student you have or have had in the past. Then, discuss how the strategies you learned in this course will specifically benefit that student as you put your plan into action.

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