Building Blocks and Formats

The icons below represent different aspects of the course, each serving a specific purpose in guiding learners through an interactive and empathetic learning journey. The + button offers an explanation of how these formats are structured and what learners can expect as they move through the course. By clicking on the ? button, you'll discover the rationale behind each format—why it was chosen, and how it supports learning goals and theories. Together, these icons illustrate not only the "what" of each building block, but also the "why"—the purpose driving its inclusion, grounded in theory and best practices for adult learners.

Represents general course materials, providing foundational information for learners to access throughout the course. They can choose whether they prefer to read or listen to the content.

Job aids provide practical tools and resources, simplifying the content teachers need and the decisions they’ll need to make in order to focus on their students' needs and support them effectively.

Represents self-paced exploration, allowing teachers to explore best practices and additional resources, like apps and strategies for educational support based on their student/classroom needs and interests.

Interactive activities, such as drag-and-drop tasks and branching scenarios, encourage teachers to engage actively with the material. These activities allow teachers to make decisions based on real-life scenarios and identify best practices.

The course includes formative assessments at the end of Modules 1, 2, and 3, consisting of quizzes based on the course content and case studies. Module 4 concludes with a summative assessment, where teachers create an educational support plan for their student.

Teachers can use self-assessment tools to monitor their progress, adjust their learning approach, and identify areas where they may need additional support to ensure mastery of the course content. These include ungraded quizzes, skill checklists, etc.

A short video introduces teachers to DAEP and screencasts provide visual, step-by-step guidance on how to create an educational support plan. These resources support different learning preferences and help make complex processes more accessible.

Interactive activities such as fill-in-the-blanks for the educational support plan, matching, drag-and-drop tasks, and branching scenarios are designed to deepen engagement and enhance learning. By actively involving teachers in the course material, these activities help them apply theoretical knowledge to real-world contexts. For example, filling in parts of an educational support plan based on a student from the case study provides hands-on practice in a core task they will need to perform, while matching and drag-and-drop exercises reinforce key concepts. Branching scenarios allow teachers to explore the outcomes of their decisions, reflecting on how different approaches affect student outcomes. These activities encourage problem-solving and decision-making, helping teachers build the practical skills they need to support their students effectively. By aligning with adult learning principles, interactive activities promote active engagement and ensure that teachers can confidently transfer what they've learned into their classrooms.

Interactive Activities

The case study is designed to humanize the students, helping teachers empathize with the real-life challenges that at-risk students face both academically and socially. By progressing alongside the course content, it illustrates the concrete impact of teaching practices on students' experiences and outcomes. Drawing from Vygotsky’s social constructivism and Bandura’s social learning theory, this narrative format reinforces the importance of supportive relationships and modeled behaviors. The case study allows learners to see the consequences of teacher actions (or inactions) in a realistic, non-judgmental way, encouraging them to reflect on their role in creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for students in alternative settings like DAEP. It highlights the need for practical, attainable strategies that teachers can implement to ensure these students remain connected and supported throughout their placement and reintegration.

Case Study- A Tale of Two Students

The core content serves as the foundational knowledge that teachers need to build a strong understanding of exclusionary discipline, DAEP processes, and best practices. By offering structured, accessible resources, the content helps teachers feel more confident and prepared. It reflects the principles of adult learning theory, where providing clear, relevant information supports self-directed learning and practical application in real-world teaching environments. The content enables teachers to make informed decisions about how to best support their students.

Core Content

The course includes formative assessments at the end of Modules 1, 2, and 3, which are quiz-based and tied to the case study, allowing teachers to apply what they’ve learned in a practical context. For the summative assessment, teachers are expected to create an educational support plan for their student during their placement at DAEP. This is completed in Google Forms and shared with the staff who will be working with their student and facilitating learning throughout their placement. This reinforces self-reflection, real-world application, and skill development. It also opens up the line of communication between the home campus and the appropriate DAEP teacher, as it details information that the alternative school will need to know in order to support their shared student effectively.

Assessments

Self-Paced Exploration

The journey icon represents a self-paced exploration area where teachers can discover best practices and strategies tailored to their teaching needs. By exploring Mr. Hernandez’s classroom, teachers can learn about effective, practical methods for engaging students. Inside his classroom is an interactive iPad that teachers can explore to learn about different apps or tools that they can use to support students, particularly in a distance learning environment. They are organized into 8 folders: Create, Engage, Organize, Explore, Connect, Assess, Learn, and Reflect. These categories focus on different ways to foster student engagement, encourage reflection, and promote active learning. While especially useful for virtual instruction, these resources can be applied to whole-class teaching, offering versatile strategies for a variety of contexts. Additional optional resources, such as articles on best practices and research on exclusionary discipline, are provided for teachers to explore based on their interests. This flexible approach encourages autonomy and self-directed learning, giving teachers the freedom to explore resources and strategies relevant to their classrooms.

The magnifying glass represents the narrative case study that progresses alongside the course content, A Tale of Two Students. This follows two students from the incident that led to their placement at DAEP to their eventual reintegration into their home campus. In module 1, the focus is on understanding the students' background, including risk factors, to help teachers view them as whole individuals beyond their behavioral issues. In module 2, learners are introduced to two teacher profiles, and the narrative touches on the beginning of the students’ DAEP placement and the logistical challenges teachers face. Module 3 shifts to demonstrating best practices for supporting students throughout their placement, which is both presented in the course content and applied to the case study, offering practical, real-world strategies.The case study concludes in Module 4 when the students return to their home campus after completing their DAEP placement. At this point, teachers learn the outcomes of the support (or lack thereof) that the students received.

Case Study- A Tale of Two Students

The job aids are designed to simplify the process of supporting students in DAEP by providing teachers with clear, accessible resources. This includes tools like the decision-making framework, which helps teachers navigate curriculum options, and contact information for key personnel, ensuring teachers know who to reach out to and when. By streamlining this information, the job aids reduce confusion and make it easier for teachers to focus on supporting their students, rather than spending time searching for the right resources. These tools align with adult learning principles by promoting efficiency, reducing cognitive load, and fostering confidence in managing the logistics of DAEP placement.

Job Aids

The self-assessment activities, represented by the compass, are designed to help teachers gauge their progress throughout the course. Ungraded quizzes offer a low-pressure way to reflect on their current understanding, while graded checklists provide a structured way to track skill mastery as they move through the content. These activities support the principles of adult learning by encouraging self-directed growth and reflection, allowing teachers to identify areas for improvement and adjust their learning accordingly. The compass serves as a guide, helping learners stay on course and ensuring they reach key milestones in their professional development.

Self-Assessment Activities

The introductory video to the DAEP campus is designed to familiarize teachers with the school environment and provide important contact information. This helps teachers feel more connected and informed about the space where their students will be learning, ensuring they know who to reach out to for support during the placement. In module 4, screencasts offer step-by-step guidance for creating an educational support plan, which is a task teachers will need to perform when their students are sent to DAEP. By walking through the process in a visual way, these screencasts ensure that teachers can confidently complete this task. This type of resource provides clarity, reduces confusion, and makes the process more approachable, aligning with adult learning principles that emphasize practical, real-world applications.

Videos/Screencasts