Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/281716
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org March 2014 11 TEACHING & LEARNING cINDY's coRNeR Professional Development Classes School psychologist frank ogden and educational consultant candice benjamin of Educate Teachers have a combined 70 years experience working with iowa teachers at all levels. two of the issues they consistently hear teachers voicing concerns about are how to make grades meaningful and fair and how to provide homework that is not busy work but is beneficial to learning. in response to these questions, ogden and benjamin have developed two new classes now being offered through the iSeA academy: "examining: Making homework a win/win!" and "examining: Grading for the benefit of the Student." "homework" emphasizes how to develop and differentiate effective homework assignments, and how to implement strategies and interventions that get results. "Grading" is aimed at assisting veteran and novice educators in navigating grading pitfalls with a plethora of grading strategies and fixes that better reflect student academic achievement. the iSeA Academy helps members take charge of their professional learning by offering a variety of online and face- to-face courses at exclusive member discount rates! Go to www.isea.org and click on the teaching and learning tab for more information about these classes and more. Supporting Homeless Students in School homelessness is a hidden problem in our schools and communities. while many know it is a problem, many educators are unaware of students who are homeless and what to do when a student discloses this. Students and families may be homeless due to a variety of a reasons including disasters such as fire or flood, eviction due to financial hardship, or students may be kicked out of their homes. this course provides an in-depth look at the problem of homelessness and provides educators with an opportunity to explore a school's responsibility. this course is taught as a collaboration between iowa Safe Schools and the iSeA. the course counts toward relicensure credit. if necessary, it can also count toward drake university Graduate credit. for Social workers, this course counts toward15 cus. Go to www.iowasafeschools.org for more information about how to sign up for this course and many more! by Cindy Swanson, ISEA Teaching & Learning Specialist cindy.swanson@ isea.org Foster the love of literacy! Year round, the iSeA sponsors a community outreach program for the blank children's hospital pediatric therapy department serving the greater des Moines metro area. the project, entitled the birthday book project, provides a new book given to pediatric therapy patients on their birthday. So far, the iSeA has collected over 200 books! You can help foster the love of literacy and assist us in stocking the therapy unit libraries at all three blank clinics for their patients. Anytime you are out and about and see a book you like or on sale, please consider donating it to the iSeA's birthday book project. drop it off at your local Association, your uniServ office, mail it to the iSeA communications department, or bring it to any iSeA event or meeting. we will make sure your K through 12 books get into the right hands! for more information please contact Jean hessburg at jhessburg@isea.org