Online Course Helps Turn Diversity Into Opportunity for Educators

PETERBOROUGH, N.H., April 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With educators being faced more and more each year with a mix of students with learning disabilities, neurobiological disorders, and physical challenges, the modern classroom requires an efficient and effective teacher who can prioritize under tight deadlines and be creative on demand. Staff Development for Educators (SDE)'s online course on Creating the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies for Success, designed for K-12 educators, provides the training needed to reach the diverse mix of students teachers face every day.

The proven strategies introduced in this course provide the foundation for guiding each student toward academic success. Over the course of 12 lessons, teachers will discover creative, low-budget strategies for creating inclusive classrooms that nurture and support all students.

Lessons are devoted to incorporating students with special needs as part of the mainstream, the traits of an inclusive classroom, exploring how all students can benefit from an adaptive learning environment, and examining how each child learns and how teachers can help each develop new strengths. While gaining a deeper understanding of the opportunities offered by inclusion, educators will also gain strategies for building collaborative partnerships with special educators and classroom aides.

The course is led by veteran educator Ellen Arnold, who has spent most of her professional career helping learners unlock their potential as a teacher and special educator.  Arnold has been a reading specialist at the primary level, a social studies and reading teacher at the middle school level, and a special educator at the high school level. She holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education and a master's degree in special education—credentials that prepared her to see each student for his or her greatest strengths. Arnold has taught hundreds of students and teachers the secrets to creating highly effective classrooms.

Designed for new and veteran teachers alike, lessons in the course address some of the most prominent issues of inclusion today, including how to properly manage the classroom, how to identify each child's cognitive strengths, how to turn strengths into goals and learning strategies, overcoming common learning traps, and collaboration between teachers, school support professionals, and parents.

Staff Development for Educators is America's leading provider of professional development for PreK through Grade 12 educators. SDE believes that educators have the most important job in the world. That's Through Onsite PD, PD Events, Web-based PD, and PD Resources, the company empowers teachers and administrators across the country with ongoing professional development that is not only research-based, innovative, and rigorous, but also practical, motivating, and fun. All SDE training is presented by the nation's top authors and educational experts, with the goal of creating extraordinary classrooms that prepare students for the evolving demands of the 21^st century.

Creating the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies for Success is offered each month and runs for six weeks. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. Educators will have access to all lessons until the course ends. Upcoming sessions begin on May 21^st, June 18^th, and July 16^th. To find out more information about this course or other online courses offered by SDE, visit www.sde.com/onlinelearning.

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