Educators and psychologists know that learning is significantly affected by factors such as stress, anxiety, self-image, cultural expectations and societal expectations. The increasing number of students diverse backgrounds in today’s classrooms introduces a tremendous diversity of lived experience which influences how students learn.

In today’s public schools, the majority of teachers, 80% are white, and the majority of learners are students of color. This fact alone suggests a strong potential for a cultural and communication gap between teachers and their students. Research findings confirm that black students face significant challenges to their learning as a result of unconscious bias and lack of cultural awareness on the part of teachers. It is well documented that black students, particularly boys, are more likely to be on the receiving end of disciplinary action, more likely to be suspended from school, and are at greater risk of failing than are other students. It is also well documented that black children are perceived to be older than white children of the same age and are more likely, as a result, to have expectations for behavior that are developmentally inappropriate. These factors, along with micro-aggressions that are common, and sometimes racially motivated aggression by peers render the learning environment for black students fraught with challenges that may be unseen or unrecognized by educators.

In this course, we will examine the factors that come together to create unique challenges to black students in the classroom and explore ways in which teachers can minimize those challenges and support school success for all students.

New research and information is coming out frequently now about how your learners - and you - learn. Here’s what we know. In the last century, you taught everyone equally by teaching them the same.  But we know we each learn differently. So in this century, you teach everyone equally by teaching them differently. 

In this Certificate in Learning Styles, you get the most advanced information about the three most important and most prevalent characteristics you experience with your participants: generation, gender, and the autism spectrum. 

Your instructors are some of the foremost authorities in the world on these subjects. They write, and speak around North America, on learning styles.

Classes included in this certificate program are: 

• Developing the Socialization Skills for Students with
   ASD in the Inclusive Classroom
   Winter ( February 6th - March 3rd )
   Spring ( April 3rd - April 28th )

• Gender Matters: Gender in the Classroom
   Winter ( March 6th - March 31st )
   Spring ( May 1st - May 26th )

• Generational Learning Styles
   Winter ( April 3rd - April 28th )
   Spring ( June 5th - June 30th )