Based upon a background of positive psychology (Seligman), and strengths psychology (Clifton) strength-based leadership emphasizes the development of employee strengths, rather than the remediation of individual weaknesses as a way of doing business. Using the framework of strength-based leadership, students will learn how to apply leadership theory in a way which promotes a culture of commitment, rather than simply compliance. Students will study their own strengths and how to build an educational community around the strengths of each employee to move their schools to greater academic achievement. Florida Leadership Standards will be addressed via a crosswalk of the strength-based approach to traditional leadership practice.
- Teacher: Ivette Kestenbaum
Using acquired knowledge of historical and current school finance concepts students will review applicable state, federal and private revenue considerations. Additionally, students will explore funding procedures including computation, accounting, auditing and reporting within the framework of planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating a school budget.
- Teacher: KaLinda Bass-Barlow
In this course, students will explore brain research to examine developments in the field of neuroscience, and how these new understandings about the brain and learning can influence classroom practices. Class participants will actively construct their own learning making it personally relevant to their various teaching settings. Topics to be explored include how the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information, art infused across the content areas, processes involved in higher order thinking and learning, transfer of learning, and critical thinking.
- Teacher: Elena Rosemond
An introduction to children’s literature, values of literature, genres of children’s literature, the qualities of classic and current children’s literature, and methods to integrate literature into the preschool and elementary Montessori classroom. The Montessori view of fiction, fantasy, and realistic literature and children will be explored.
- Teacher: Monica Johnson
Explore the origin and art of oral storytelling. Provide a variety of oral storytelling techniques, styles and exercises to enhance the understanding and delivery of telling stories. Storytelling literature and the history of storytelling will be surveyed. Assist in the integration and application of storytelling to the learning environment in the classroom. The practice of telling stories orally to children will receive the major emphasis.
- Teacher: Heather White
An introduction to developmental psychology, the course explores the different stages of human
life- Prenatal, Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, and Young Adulthood- and the biological,
psychological and social changes occurring in individuals during them. Concepts related to the
Montessori’s theories of development will be integrated throughout the course.
Application of theory to the pre-school and school setting are discussed. Topics also include the
impact of culture and diversity on learning.
- Teacher: Louise Reid
This course will present methods of teaching the arts (music, dance, drama, visual art, and
storytelling) in the preschool and elementary grades, as subjects in their own right, and integrated
with other curricular areas.
- Teacher: Elena Rosemond
This course will examine eight key elements of what Montessori called Total Reading as it is taught in Montessori programs. These are Creating a Literacy Culture; Emergent Literacy; Working with Words and Grammar; Penmanship and Creative Writing; Passing from Writing to Reading; Oral Language, Vocabulary, and Fluency; Speaking; and Listening and Viewing. Each of these will be examined in terms of importance, and applicability. Special attention will be paid to materials and methods for implementing these areas in Montessori classrooms.
- Teacher: Debbie Couldrey