Southwest Suburban Federation of Teachers
 
Diverse. Dedicated. Determined.

September

Fostering Communities of Belonging and Safety Through an Examination Of Our Own Biases and Tools to Respond to Microaggressions - IN PERSON

Date/Time: Wednesday, September 27th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Registration: All Teachers and Support Staff Members are invited to email Karen O’Dea at kodea@ift-aft.org (708-633-0943)

NOTE: Space is limited, so registration is based on a first-come, first-serve.  

Place:  AFT Local 943 Office located at 15521 S. 70th Court, Orland Park, IL 60462

Professional Development Hours = 2 hours

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Description: In order to ensure that every member of our educational community feels a sense of belonging and feels safe, seen, heard and understood within our schools, it is necessary for us to examine our own biases and also be equipped with tools that will allow us to best support all students.  This workshop, presented in partnership with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, encourages all school staff to think critically about one’s own biases and how they may affect interactions with students and families. Together, with presenters and former local teachers, Dr. Monique Redeaux-Smith and Omar Salem, we will work to examine our own biases, understand what microaggressions are, understand how they impact students and school staff and practice concrete ways to work with students and staff to ensure that each member of our educational community feels a sense of belonging, connectedness and safety.

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Outcomes:  

Participants in this class will:

• Identify some of their own biases in order to be able to find ways to overcome them

• Understand how our own biases can impact our interactions with students, community members and staff

• Understand what a microaggression is and look at examples of how they might show up without our educational community

• Learn and practice using concrete strategies to respond to microaggressions in order to support all members of our educational community

October

Foundations of Effective Teaching

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 4th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Instructors - Michelle Gustafson and Beth Keblusek

This course addresses the fundamental aspects of teaching and learning that are relevant for teachers and classroom paraprofessionals in all subject areas. We will take a deep dive into practices and strategies to maximize engagement for learning at all levels. Topics include strategies for: student engagement, collaborative learning, scaffolding, and questioning techniques for differentiated learning.

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Creating A More Inclusive Curriculum to Allow Students to Learn From Multiple Perspectives and Experiences - IN PERSON

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 11th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

NOTE: Space is limited, so registration is based on a first-come, first-serve.  

Place:  AFT Local 943 Office located at 15521 S. 70th Court, Orland Park, IL 60462

Professional Development Hours = 2 hours

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Description: We know that our instruction is most engaging and effective for students when all students are able to both see themselves and see the experiences and perspectives of multiple groups of people reflected within their curriculum. This workshop, presented in partnership with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, will give teachers resources, guidance and the time needed in order to create intentional shifts in curriculum to ensure that our curriculum is anti-racist, inclusive, and allows students and staff to learn from multiple perspectives and experiences. Led by Dr. Monique Redeaux-Smith and Omar Salem of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and open to all staff members, this workshop will allow staff to build and reconsider curriculum and instructional activities to provide learning experiences that foster belonging, connectedness, and safety.

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Outcomes:

Participants in this class will:

• Understand the benefits of an inclusive curriculum

• Engage in dialogue around ways to create more inclusive learning spaces

• Receive and practice using resources and tools to help analyze current curriculum for inclusivity

• Spend time working with other teachers and facilitators to make changes within current lessons and units in order to increase inclusivity

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SEL Strategies for a Calm Classroom

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 18th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm  Instructor - Pia Conte

This interactive session will include chair yoga, breathing techniques and other SEL strategies to create a calm classroom environment.

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November

Primary Writing

Date/Time: Wednesday, November 8th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm   Instructor - Pia Conte

Explore creative strategies to help young writers become independent writers. This interactive session will explore activities that teachers can use in their classroom the next day.

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January, 2024

Foundations of Effective Teaching

Date/Time: Wednesday, January 31st - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm    Instructors - Michelle Gustafson and Beth Keblusek)

This course addresses the fundamental aspects of teaching and learning that are relevant for teachers and classroom paraprofessionals in all subject areas. We will take a deep dive into practices and strategies to maximize engagement for learning at all levels. Topics include strategies for: student engagement, collaborative learning, scaffolding, and questioning techniques for differentiated learning.

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February

SEL Strategies for a Calm Classroom

Date/Time: Wednesday, February 7th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm  Instructor - Pia Conte

This interactive session will include chair yoga, breathing techniques and other SEL strategies to create a calm classroom environment.

 

Beginning Reading

Date/Time: Wednesday, February 21st - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm   Instructor - Pia Conte

The Beginning Reading class will include engaging strategies for students to master the 5 Pillars of Early Literacy. The 5 pillars are Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension.

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Vocabulary Strategies for Informational & Narrative Texts

Date/Time: Wednesday, February 28st - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm  Instructor - Shannon Mural

This workshop will guide educators of all content areas and grade levels to become familiar with research and understand how individuals acquire and remember words. This course will offer tips to help your students engage in a variety of online platforms while working on vocabulary practices.

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March

 

Improving Comprehension of Narrative Text

Date/Time: Wednesday, March 13th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm  Instructor - Shannon Mural

This workshop will guide teachers to use the structure of expository texts to help us plan instruction to improve students’ comprehension of informational text. In this unit, we will explore a framework to use when planning comprehension instruction for expository texts. We will identify specific strategies to address the goals within this framework, highlighting effective questioning strategies that will help students gain a deeper understanding of expository texts.

April

Improving Comprehension of Expository Text

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 10th - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm  Instructor - Shannon Mural

This workshop will guide teachers to use the structure of narrative texts to help us plan instruction to improve students’ comprehension of narratives. In this unit, we will explore a framework to use when planning comprehension instruction for narrative texts. We will identify specific strategies to address the goals within this framework, highlighting effective questioning strategies that will help students gain a deeper understanding of narrative texts.

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