ArmchairEd
Susan Kane-Ronning, Ph.D., Director
Post Office Box 29137
Bellingham, WA 98228-1137
Overview:
ArmchairEd.com currently provides continuing education to educators, using Educational
Leadership magazine and premiere published books on cutting-edge educational themes
and topics. The program has been operating since Fall, 2000, and has provided
continuing education to hundreds of educators.
Course Goals and Objectives:
As a result of these courses, the student will be able to:
1.
Stay current on educational themes and topics pertinent to teaching and education
2.
Identify current research in education
3.
Apply this knowledge to the student’s current educational position
The following published books are currently being used as a text for the ArmchairEd
course, Understanding Neuroscience: Enhancing Relationships and Mindfulness
for Students and Teachers
Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom (Jennings, P.A.,
2015). Norton and Company: New York, New York. 257 pages
The Invisible Classroom: Relationships, Neuroscience, and Mindfulness in School
(Olson, K., 2014). Norton and Company: New York, New York. 207 pages
This course provides ground-breaking information on creating a positive teaching and
learning environment for students and educators through evidence-based mindfulness
techniques. Based on simple, ready to use, and evidence-proven techniques, educators
can learn to manage the stresses of the classroom cultivate an exceptional learning
environment, and revitalize both their teaching and their students’ knowledge acquisition.
The course draws on the basic and applied research in the fields of neuroscience,
psychology, and education. It focuses on mindfulness, emotional awareness, movement,
listening, with real classroom applications to improve social and emotional context and
student learning.
Credit Options:
 The course will be offered for five credits, based on the length and substance of the
books, and related activities. The five-credit course will include 50 multiple-choice
questions and five required essays.
Grading Rubric:
 Pass/Fail: Coursework must be passed with 70% criterion.
 Letter grade: 90%: A grade
80% B grade
70% C grade
Multiple Choice Test: 50% of overall grade
Essays: 50% of overall grade
Five Total Essays Required
Two Essays Required For The Invisible Classroom
Essay Questions:
Option 1:
Study the diagram of the Hand Model and P. 25-27 that describe its use as a
demonstration. Practice how you would describe this to your class, the situations that you would describe
as you moved your hand and talked. Can you see yourself using this demonstration? Can you think of a
situation that would call for such a demonstration? Is this useful for you to know how to do?
Option 2:
If you’re interested in thinking about your own attachment style, you can access it online.
Several sites have the interview questions. You can work through the interview in whatever way works
for you. Your essay will be your reaction to the interview itself, and any thoughts you have about the
experience.
Option 3:
Reread Strength Spotting, #4 on p. 155 in the text. Observe 3 or 4 students over a few
days, using the list on p. 155-156 in the text. In your essay, profile the students you observed using the
information you gathered. Were there any surprises? Did the students show the strengths you already
knew to be there?
Option 4:
Create your own demonstration of the learning you take from this text. Identify your topic
and describe it in an introductory paragraph. You may choose from the list below or develop your own.
Plan a unit with assessment
Action Research
Extended learning, including research and developed activities
Compare/contrast your current education practice to that of the text
Create forms or systems for use in your classroom including assessment tools
Plan an ‘event’, meeting or other pertinent program and report/reflect on it
All essays must be fully completed and the rubric followed to receive a grade. Essays not
completed to required length will not be processed and revisions will be required.
Two Essays Required For Mindfulness for Teachers
Essay Questions:
Option 1:
Reread Classroom Reflection # 2 and follow the directions for reflecting on a student in
your class now or in the near past. Use the directions in the reflection as a frame for your essay.
Option 2:
Reread Generating and Savoring Positivity on p. 107-108 in the text. Try to focus your
reflection on a classroom episode, a time when you felt pride in your students as a whole class, or some
special incident that occurred with a group or even a single student. Use the directions in the text to
frame your essay about such a time.
Option 3: Use p. 130-131 in the text to do a self-care assessment and a self-care plan. Complete the
charts in the text (you may copy them if you wish.) Focus your essay on the things you would like to do
that emphasize each of the four domains of personal enrichment. How will the activities you choose
actually enrich your life? How difficult will it be to make time for these things? How do you think you will
benefit?
Option 4:
Create your own demonstration of the learning you take from this text. Identify your topic
and describe it in an introductory paragraph. You may choose from the list below or develop your own.
Plan a unit with assessment
Action Research
Extended learning, including research and developed activities
Compare/contrast your current education practice to that of the text
Create forms or systems for use in your classroom including assessment tools
Plan an ‘event’, meeting or other pertinent program and report/reflect on it
One Essay Required from Mindfulness for Teachers and The Invisible Classroom
Essay Option:
You’ve read two texts that talk about a classroom culture that is built on
relationships and mindfulness. Think about your own classroom and its culture. How close is it to the
kind of classroom envisioned in these texts? (You might want to consider the questions on p. 176-177 in
The Invisible Classroom and/or p. 146 -152 in Mindfulness for Teachers to guide your thinking.) In your
essay, talk about some aspects of the classroom culture you’ve read about in these texts that are present
in your own classroom and what you did to put them in place. What more can you do? What more will
you do? Describe the classroom culture you would find most comfortable and the things you need to put
in place to achieve it.
You may e-mail info@armchaired.com if you desire specific permission for your topic. The essay must
demonstrate knowledge of the course and text, and direct application to your own educational position.
Essay scoring rubric:
Two essays required for Mindfulness for Teachers, 2-3 pages each
Each essay 15% of overall grade
One essay required for both Mindfulness for Teachers and The Invisible Classroom
Three to five pages, 40% of overall grade
Single spaced, 10 to 12 size font
Use of introduction and summary statement (even when a unit is developed)
Demonstration of grammar, spelling and writing skill
Demonstration of applied knowledge
All essays must be fully completed and the rubric followed to receive a grade. Essays not
completed to required length will not be processed and revisions will be required.
Essay Scoring Rubric
Five Essays Required
Two essays required for Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the
Classroom:
2-3 pages, each essay 15% of overall grade
Two essays required for The Invisible Classroom: Relationships, Neuroscience, and Mindfulness in
School :
2-3 pages, each essay 15% of overall grade
One essay required for both Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the
Classroom and The Invisible Classroom: Relationships, Neuroscience, and Mindfulness in School :
Three to five pages, 40% of overall grade
Single spaced, 10 to 12 size font
Use of introduction and summary statement (even when a unit is developed)
Demonstration of grammar, spelling and writing skill
Demonstration of applied knowledge
You may combine any of these or develop your own. You may e-mail info@armchaired.com if you desire
specific permission for your topic. The essay must demonstrate knowledge of the course and text, and
direct application to your own educational position.
All essays must be fully completed and the rubric followed to receive a grade. Essays not completed to
required length will not be processed and revisions will be required.