Program Descriptions
Summer 2004

Administration

Administration I: Communication

1.      Title:  Using Communication to Create a Collaborative Professional Culture in Schools

2.      Target Audience:  This is a practical seminar for 25 school administrators interested in improving their communication skills and making their schools more collaborative as they seek innovative ways to improve student learning.

3.      Brief Description:  The goal of this seminar is to help school administrators create and support a school culture based on the norms of collegiality; experimentation; high expectations; a solid knowledge base; appreciation of diversity and individual talents; personal recognition; caring; humor; protection of what is important; acknowledgment of traditions; provision of tangible support; decision-making; individual and group initiative; and frank, civil, and open communication. Participants will analyze the organizational culture of their schools as well as their personal leadership styles. They will develop an emergency management plan that can be implemented during disasters or crises. The goal of the seminar is to provide practical strategies to use with teachers to enhance communication in building a collaborative culture in their schools.

4.      Lecturers:

• Phyllis A. Deringis, PhD, Assistant Executive Director, Maine Principals’ Association, Augusta, Maine, USA

• K. Phil Taylor, PhD, Professor and Division Head of Interpersonal & Organizational Communication, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida,USA

Administration II: Educational Reform

 1.       Title: The Reform Process: Opportunities for Dialogue and Action

2.       Audience: This session is designed for 25 school administrators, directors, assistant directors, and lead teachers.

3.       Description: Lithuanian schools have been engaged in a reform effort for the last ten years. We will examine these reforms and identify how school personnel can be proactive in supporting educational reforms and communicating changes to their constituents. We will use the research data collected by Skukauskaite to examine the role that teachers have played in the reform movement. Participants will complete a variety of exercises aimed at increasing dialogue and action in their professional roles. They will develop an emergency management plan that can be implemented during disasters or crises.

4.      Primary lecturers: 

• Barbara D. Henriques, MDiv, MS, EdD, Coordinator for School Partnerships and Visiting Assistant Professor of Educational Studies at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
• Robert Lorinskas, PhD, Associate Professor, Center for the Study of Crime, Delinquency, and Corrections, Southern Illinois University, Murphysboro, Illinois, USA
• Audra Skukauskaite, MEd,  Doctoral Candidate, University of California at Santa Barbara, California, USA

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Computer Science

Computer Science I: Technology for Administrators

1.      Title: New Computer Technologies for School Administrators

2.      Audience: 12 school directors and administrators with basic computer skills

3.      Description: Computers have dramatically changed the social context of education.This program will teach basic computer skills to administrators who want to learn to use the software program Mimosa for scheduling and Microsoft Office in the administration of a school. Participants will gain the information and skills needed to access the Internet and conduct efficient web-based research using web browsers, plug-in software, and search engines.

4.      Lecturers:

• Amanda Muliolis, Technology Coordinator and Teacher (Retired), St. Augustine Academy, Lakewood, Ohio, USA
• Rasa Alaburdiene, computer science teacher, assistant director, and Mimosa consultant, Prienų Ravuonos School, Prienai, Lithuania
• Vilija Tarnaviciute, Teacher, Zapiskis pagrindine mokykla, Kauno raj, Lithuania

Computer Science II: Online Teaching & Learning

1.      Title: Online Teaching & Learning

2.      Audience: 12 computer-literate educators who want to create distance learning modules in their subject areas. Participants need to be able to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer. They need to know some HTML.

3.      Description: There are fundamental differences between being an effective “traditional” classroom teacher and an effective “online” teacher. In this program, participants will learn how to transfer traditional teaching skills and methods into the online environment. They will learn methods to develop positive online relationships that will ensure success as an online teacher. Participants will learn to use the Lotus LearningSpace program for creating and conducting on-line lessons. Equally important, they will establish a network of support from peers in the virtual learning community. Lesson will include didactic materials; activities that emphasize social aspects of learning, such as collaboration; an online discussion topic; and a list of resources.

4.      Primary Lecturers:

• Sarah Paliulis, BA, Instructional Technologist, School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
• Sue Kohfelt, Teacher, Michigan Virtual High School, Milan, Michigan, USA

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Elementary Education

Elementary Education I: Basic Academics

1.      Title: Super Science and Remedial Reading

2.      Audience: This is a basic, introductory course for 25 elementary school teachers, special education teachers, supervisors, and tutors

3.      Description: This seminar will address the basic academic fields of science and remedial reading. The reading program will enable reflective teachers to meet the needs of students with mild learning disabilities by presenting a framework that includes integrated knowledge of student characteristics, evaluation methods, and research-based multi-sensory instructional strategies. Topics include designing and managing environments and materials, critical teaching behaviors, individualized assessment, and skill and strategy instruction specifically for students that do not respond to traditionally effective methods of reading instruction. The science curriculum, entitled Super Science Connections, integrates hands-on science with other curricular areas, particularly the language arts. It is written for teachers in grades K-3, but its activities are easily adapted for the middle and upper grades. Activities include science background information, science process skills, classroom management suggestions, extensions of the original activity, and connections to other relevant areas. The five units of study are Color and Light, Insulation, Pressure, Surface Tension, and Water and Its Changing State.

4.      Primary Lecturers:

• Pledger Fedora, Teacher, The Hill School, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Doctoral Candidate, Educational Psychology, Measurement & Evaluation Department, School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina USA
• Patricia B. McKean, Teacher and Science Department Chair, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, Connecticut, USA

Elementary Education II: Pupil Support

1.      Title: Communication and Character: Creating a Positive School Climate

2.      Audience: This is an introductory course for 25 elementary classroom teachers, special education teachers, and administrators.

3.      Description: This program will incorporate ideas that teachers and administrators can use to foster communication between and among students, teachers, and parents. Participants will learn to conduct effective meetings that support student learning and attainment of social skills. They will learn how to develop behavioral plans; create solutions to difficult problems or events in a child’s life; and general planning and goal setting. Part of this strand will include an in-depth workshop on effective communication using strategies and techniques from the Process Communication program. Embedded throughout the strand will be ways to incorporate concepts from the National Program on Character Counts project for developing social skills lessons and creating a caring and positive school climate. Participants will gain a repertoire of strategies and activities to create a strong relationship and improved communication between home and school. Participants will also develop an annual plan that incorporates effective communication into the curriculum.

4.      Primary Lecturers:

• JoAnn Hammer, EdD, Professor, National University, Sacramento, California, USA

• Nancy Hansen, MS, Resource Teacher, Poway Unified School District; Adjunct Professor, School of Teaching and Learning, University of San Diego, San Diego, California, USA

English As a Second Language (ESL)

1.      Title: Current Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language

2.      Audience: 25 teachers of English at the primary and secondary school levels

3.      Description: In order to master the English language, students must develop confidence and aptitude in listening, speaking, reading, and writing at the expected proficiency requirements for their grade level. Teachers participating in this seminar will experience practical applications of these four skills at various levels of challenge and difficulty. They will receive samples of many creative materials to take with them to apply in their own classrooms. Group exercises and games involving English language practice will be demonstrated and analyzed.

4.      Lecturers:

• Irena Ross, MEd, Professor of English and Communication (Retired), George Brown College, Toronto, Canada

• Sharon Lorinskas, MA, Teacher, Carbondale Community High School, Carbondale, Illinois, USA

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Library and Information Science

1.      Title: Teaching Library Research

2.      Audience: This is a basic, introductory course for 25 school librarians.

3.      Description: School librarians need methods to (1) help students increase their research skills and (2) help teachers develop appropriate assignments that encourage student research. This seminar will teach these skills. Participants will also learn how to build a website for their school library that will provide information about their library and its materials and services; will provide a place for teachers to record their homework and other assignments; and will link to online resources for their library users.

4.      Primary lecturers:

• Blanche Woolls, MA, PhD, Director and Professor, School of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA
• Barbara Immroth, MLS, PhD, Professor, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA

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Religious Education

1.      Title: Christian Communication

2.      Audience: 25 teachers of religion and ethics and others interested in the topic

3.      Description: Lithuania is steeped in its tradition of the communicating arts. This course will assist teachers of religion and ethics to address a variety of issues surrounding the art of communication. Today, art, music, and the media communicate a world view that—however exciting and promising—can have devastating effects upon our children and their families. Christian ethics can guide moral choices and can aid the understanding of how people grow into moral persons. The Bible has always been a guide to right relationships, and it is the source of God’s communication with us. Building upon the firm foundation of Catholic morality and biblical spirituality, participants will learn ways of communicating the content of the Catholic tradition to their students, their students’ families, and their colleagues in education. This course will also address the process of certification of teachers of religion and the skills needed for good administration of this process. It will include lecture, classroom discussion, and the practice of skills needed for the art of communication. Studying the implicit messages conveyed through art and architecture will help participants become more aware of their power and influence in the broader community.

4.      Primary Lecturers:

• Sister Dr. Jeanette Lucinio, S.P., DMin professor emerita, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Sister Dorothy Jonaitis, O.P., MA, religion professor, University of Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA
• Sharon Allison, MREd, Director of the School of Religion, Sacred Heart Parish, Palos Hills, Illinois, USA 

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Secondary School Programs

Secondary Education I: Biology

1.      Title: Increasing Student Involvement in the Learning of Biology

2.      Audience: 25 secondary biology teachers at any level of experience

3.      Description: Participants will learn to increase student involvement in designing experiments and reporting results. As opposed to the traditional “cookbook” approach to laboratory activities, participants will be encouraged to design and conduct individual and team experiments related to the topics being explored by the class. Participants will also explore appropriate assessment of student achievement. The immediate objective is to provide experience in developing laboratory activities that are inexpensive, that use materials and supplies that can be obtained locally, and that demonstrate the fundamental principles of biology.

4.      Lecturers:

• Robert Hiscox, High School Biology Teacher, Newington, Connecticut, USA

• Jerome C. Servaites, Ph.D., Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Secondary Education II: Inclusion

1.      Title: Inclusive Teaching, Self-Determination, and the “Art of Possibility”

2.      Audience: 25 teachers, special education teachers, lead teachers, administrators, social workers, community members, and parents

3.      Description: In this workshop, participants will reflect on possibilities in school and the wider society for people with disabilities. The program will begin by examining the transition of people with disabilities from institutions to community-based programs and—eventually—community membership. Topics include civil rights, learning styles, self-determination, the effectiveness of inclusive education, and change strategies. Lecturers will present examples of their work in the field of inclusive teaching and the concept of self-determination for all. Through music, games, group projects, and creative thinking activities, ideas for multi-level teaching will be explored. The sessions will include a lecture format, but the workshop will rely heavily on participation and input from members to make the class stimulating and beneficial. All the participants should be prepared with questions that will enable the group to discover new perspectives, leadership skills, and the “Art of Possibility.”

4.      Primary Lecturers:
 

• Katie Hoyle, MA, Music/Drama Teacher, Blue Ridge K-12 School, Sylva, North Carolina, USA
• Vitas Underys, MA, Special Education Teacher and Inclusion Specialist, William Grace Elementary School, Farmington, Michigan, USA
• Augiene Viliuniene, Director, The Viltis School, Vilnius, Lithuania

Secondary Education IV: The Performing Arts

1.      Title: Expanding the Role of the Arts in the Classroom

2.      Audience: 25 classroom teachers, special education teachers, and administrators

3.      Description: Teachers will learn to use the performing arts (photography, video/film, music, public speaking, and role-playing) to enhance student self confidence, motivation, cooperative learning, and academic success. The performing arts help reach and teach visual learners; strengthen memory; bring history and cultural diversity alive in the classroom; and provide success and mastery experiences for many students whose talents lie in the arts rather than in the core curriculum. Adding performing arts to the curriculum develops critical thinking and problem solving skills as students learn to accept and grow from giving and receiving constructive criticism in a supportive environment. As they see the product of their group revisions, students begin to trust and expand their ability to analyze, interpret, and make positive choices.

4.      Primary Lecturers:

• Marvin Bienstock, MSW, Performer and Music Specialist, Columbia Jewish Day School, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

•  Gregory Strom, Professional Photographer and Fine Arts Department Chair, Fryeburg Academy, Fryeburg, Maine, USA

Secondary Education V: Pupil Support

1.     Title: Effective Communication for Career Life Skills

2.      Audience: This is a basic course for 25 secondary student support specialists—psychologists, social workers, social pedagogues, special education teachers, tutors, parents, and administrators.

3.      Description: Today’s students need practical reasons to motivate them in school. Career development provides a rationale, motivation, and skills to succeed in school and in the work place. Participants will experience the career planning process as a means of preparing them to work with secondary students. Topics covered will be career decision-making theory, strategic planning, employment skills, resume writing, job searching, interviewing, and parent/community involvement. Instructional techniques include lecture, group discussion, simulations, and the use of the media.

4.      Primary lecturers:

• Jackie M. Allen, MFT, NCC, EdD, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of Education, Sacramento, California, USA
• Marilyn Harryman, MS, adjunct faculty, La Verne University,  La Verne, California, USA

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Social Work

1.      Title: Creating Safe Spaces in Schools for Teachers, Students and Parents

2.      Audience: This program is designed for 25 classroom teachers, special education teachers, social workers, truant officers, administrators, and other support staff. No previous experience in social work or pupil support is required.

3.      Description: This program will explore the process of conflict resolution. Participants will learn ways to cope with bullying at a systemic level that involves administrators, staff, parents, and students. They will engage in a collaborative examination of student development and explore ways to create safe spaces for students who are different. They will learn to develop class cohesion and to create school communities that are governed by rules. Participants will learn to manage a classroom through the constructive use of discipline, rather than punishment.

4.      Primary Lecturers

• Gail Bienstock, MA, PhD, Student Support Specialist, Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School, Columbia, South Carolina USA
• Marjorie Gaysunas Pett, MStat, DSW, LCSW, College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
• Mara Servaites, MSW, School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA