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Drawn from over 50 years of combined experience, founders Lindsay Pontius and Craig Maravich introduce Courageous Stage’s premier professional development course.

 

A positive and reinvigorating opportunity for you to dive deep, reflect upon your chosen profession and learn new models and practices to activate your students and your classroom culture.

 

This is a fully accredited, asynchronous course designed to equip you with strategies for supportive community building and the daily challenges of a classroom. 

WHO IS IT FOR?

This course is targeted to all grade levels and subjects who want to build their capacities in a creative and collaborative approach and who hold an earned bachelor’s degree. 

WHAT IS THE FORMAT?

Our predominantly online approach offers several layers of instruction:

  • Video segments with theory, examples and practical invitations

  • A curated reading packet with connection questions

  • A strategic relationship planning workbook

  • Fun multi-disciplinary projects.

 

There are three required full cohort zoom sessions that encourage peer to peer learning and support. Through the above, you will further develop your classroom as a safe container that invites creativity, intrinsic motivation and collaboration.

COURSE GOALS

The course emphasizes skill building in creative capacities and a strength-based perspective. You will practice methods for class regulation and meeting each student where they are while attending to the classroom as a whole.

You will come away with new practices for establishing a mindful, fully present and strength-based approach to classroom management. You will build opportunities to practice the following capacities in your classroom:

  • Generating ideas;

  • Awareness of process;

  • Experimenting, and

  • Understanding multiple perspectives.

Finally, you will finish the course with a SMARTER (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time bound, Evaluable and Revisable) plan for building relationship and classroom resiliency.​

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • Develop an understanding of and ways to implement noticing/ awareness and reflective practices.

  • Name and unpack various creative and collaborative practices and build new ways to engage your students

  • Reflect on your teaching practice through the lenses of courage and artistry.

  • Frame an actionable, joyful and exciting strategic plan for a reflexive relationship with students that is centered on building intrinsic motivation.

DATES

Start date: March 3rd, 2025 (3/3/2025)

Length: 25 days

PRICING

25-Day asynchronous course.........................................$1,100

25-Day accredited* asynchronous course......................$1,535 

 

*Includes 3 graduate credits awarded by Vermont State University

CONTACT

For additional course information

Courageous Stage Team

gianna@courageousstage.org 

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

cfs@castleton.edu

 

COURSE OUTLINE & SCHEDULE

Week 1: Me and My Class

Readings: Palmer, Packet: Brentro, Muhammed

Assignments:  3 Journal responses over week, reflecting on Circles and Signals

Complete Evaluation, due Sunday

Week 2: Me as Learner

Readings: Palmer, Pontius pamphlet Packet:

Assignments: Discussion, Me as a Learner, due Monday, 2 journal responses on Strength-based Approach.

Project: Dreamscape due Sunday

Week 3: Me and Process

Readings: Packet: Booth, Rilke

Assignments: Reflection on Creative Capacities due Sunday, Evidence of collaborative time with partner via Canvas on “ Letters”

Projects: Begin “Letters” project based on a TED TALK

Week 4: We as Learners

Readings: Packet: Lederach, Brown

Assignments: Reflections on Me as Artist and list of community agreements

Projects:” Letters” completed project and bibliography due on Friday, Relationship Plan Workbook due Sunday.

Weeks 5 & 6: We as a community of learners

Readings: Muhammad

Assignments: Strategic Relationship Plan completed Friday of week 6.​

 

Required Texts: Booth, Eric. Making Change: Teaching artist and their role in shaping a better world (2023). Betteryet Press.Muhammad, Gholdy. Unearthing Joy: a guide to culturally and historically responsive teaching and learning. (2023) New York: Scholastic.Pontius, Lindsay (2024). Relationships matter: Lessons from a half-ton teacher, Middlebury College.Courageous Stage. Teaching with Courage Packet (2024) with readings fromBrentro, L. (2017), Palmer, P. (2020), Rilke (2017 ed.), Lederach, J.P. (2005), brown, a.m. (2017)

 

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