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Courses

Study Skills: Strategies to Support Executive Function, Worcester – 6 Weeks – Summer Online 2021

This course is exclusively for Worcester educators. If you have been given this link by an administrator in your district, please stay on this webpage to complete the registration process to ensure you are placed in the correct section. Please do not visit the Outreach Courses section of our website to register.

Course Credit 15 Hours/PDPs
With an option to add 1 additional credit from Colorado State University – Pueblo.

This professional development course provides educators with an understanding of components of study skills, which include the management of materials, time and information. The course explores the importance of developing strong study skills in order to achieve goals and improve overall academic proficiency, particularly for students with a language-based learning disability (LBLD) and an executive function deficit.  As a result of the learning experiences in this course, participants will be more competent in their ability to:

• Identify study skills that are relevant to their setting and students
• Implement and adapt targeted strategies to help students develop strong study skills
• Design activities and lessons to promote students’ effective management of time, materials and information
• Improve students’ ability to achieve their goals by providing an appropriate level of individualized study skill instruction

Due to the impact of the pandemic, we understand that it’s important to address how to implement instructional strategies in a variety of formats to meet students’ needs. Opportunities to adapt instructional practices for in-person and remote learning will be available in all of our online courses.

The course is divided into six, self-paced modules:

• Overview of Study Skills: This module presents an overview of study skills and its importance for developing strong executive function and overall academic achievement, particularly for students with language-based learning disabilities.

• Materials Management: This module outlines how materials management skills help students improve their ability to successfully complete tasks.

• Time Management: This module addresses the importance of time management as an essential skill for achieving goals.

• Prerequisite Comprehension Skills:  This module explores prerequisite comprehension skills that are essential for students to independently understand written or oral language.
• Note-Taking: This module outlines the importance of note-taking as an active reading strategy that can help students engage with a text or lecture and effectively manage information.
• Test-Taking: This module outlines the strategies that students can implement before, during, or after a test or assessment in order to effectively manage information.

Each module will follow the same basic outline:

• A reading of course content followed by a short quiz
• A video featuring students and teachers discussing how the module topic has impacted their own experiences followed by a discussion post
• Strategy demonstration videos of Landmark School teachers employing practical instructional strategies followed by a related assignment
• An opportunity for participants to submit reflections about how the strategies presented support students’ executive function

Specific Assignments:

• Pre and Post-Assessments: These ungraded questionnaires will be completed at the beginning and end of the course in order for participants to self-assess knowledge and application of course content.
• Quizzes: The quizzes will assess comprehension of the content from the required reading.  The quizzes will be automatically graded within the course platform.  Although participants must earn an 80% or higher to move on to the next section of the course, there are unlimited attempts allowed.  
• Discussion Posts: The discussions will require participants to post an initial response and reply to at least one other post.  These tasks will be assessed using specific rubrics.  
• Assignments: The assignments in each module will require participants to apply their understanding of course content to follow the assignment directions and use examples provided as a guideline for format, length, and quality of writing. These tasks will be assessed using specific rubrics.
• Concluding Thoughts/Reflection Responses: These tasks require participants to briefly synthesize takeaways and/or make connections between course content and will be assessed using specific rubrics.

MATERIALS

There is not a required text for the course.

GRADUATE CREDIT

We offer an optional (1) graduate credit for this course through Colorado State University – Pueblo. Graduate credit must be paid for by the participant and may be added by selecting the check box labeled “Grad Credit Fee” before clicking “Register.” The cost of 1 graduate credit is $125 and must be paid for now at the time of registration. If you select the graduate credit option, you will be required to submit a registration form at the start of your course. Additional and/or alternative assignments may be required for participants seeking graduate credit.

See our FAQ page for specific information about our online courses.