Teachers are more than their lesson plans and to-do lists. They're humans first, reacting to everyday situations emotionally. That's how we approach our workshops: with empathy, with mindfulness and with a little bit of magic.
Our professional development programs are designed to give teachers and school staff the tools they need to meet classroom challenges with confidence. We meet educators where they are with training that leaves them renewed and empowered.
Read What Others Are Saying
”This leadership workshop was the best I have ever attended in my professional career. It motivated me to take the information gained and really apply it to my life, both personally and professionally. I felt like I walked away better informed about what it takes to be an effective leader.”
RASNICK FULLARD | CIS MID-AMERICA
Traditional team-building exercises often leave participants feeling bored, awkward and uninspired. Our unique programs, pressure-tested in New York City public schools, are designed to engage, delight and surprise your staff. Using the experiential learning cycle, your teachers and administrators will be able to apply tools and strategies from our workshops in the classroom.
Find out more about our innovative workshops. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, contact us. We’ll work with you to create a program that enhances professional development in your school community.
include diversity, communication and core standards programming, as well as arts, culture and creative initiatives.
This engaging and informative workshop boosts group and personal communication skills by addressing and overcoming obstacles toward effective communication. Through a series of interactive exercises and lessons, participants explore the nature of teambuilding and identify issues that enhance or inhibit team effectiveness.
Through engaging in Leadership building activities, participants will learn how to create SMARTER (Specific, Measureable, Action, Oriented, Realistic, Timely, Evocative, and Relevant) goals. Participants will create action steps and come up with a support system to hold them accountable to achieving their goals.*Administrators/school leadership team participation in this workshop is recommended.
This dynamic workshop will examine conflict from its many perspectives including its definition, the situations in which conflicts arise and the factors that cause them. Through interactive and engaging activities, participants will experience lessons from our nationally recognized conflict resolution curriculum and will be able to turn-key what they learn back into their classrooms.
Through interactive and engaging activities, educators will explore how to create an environment that promotes inclusion and respect for all that begins with the celebration of each individual’s differences.
Learn key tips to making your next class, presentation, or meeting more engaging. With activities, group discussion, and deconstruction, take a hands-on look at optimum teaching approaches for different types of learners.
Art can be utilized in infinite ways to keep students hooked in the subjects they are learning. Learn tangible tools from a variety of art forms that can be infused into lessons while still satisfying your teaching objectives.
In this workshop, participants examine the essential ingredients to creating a culture of positivity and possibility, regardless of the role they play in the school. Through identifying the qualities of a leadership mindset, participants will look at the subtle shifts in language and behavior that have powerful impacts on the collective culture.*Administrators/school leadership team participation in this workshop is recommended.
The Creative Spirit series offers arts-enrichment in different selected art forms to promote art as a vehicle for teaching, while simultaneously building positive relationships with colleagues. Harness creative problem solving in order to articulate challenges and brainstorm solutions that can be effectively implemented in the classroom and beyond. Any workshop can be done individually or as a series.
focus on bringing your staff together to create a positive, uplifting school environment.
What is the mission that brings your staff together and drives them forward? In this workshop, you will develop your mission statement with the use of a collaborative structure that establishes buy-in from your staff community.
Is your team new? Has your team been together for years? Either way, keeping a team strong is an essential element to achieving program goals and vision. This workshop will allow participants to engage in activities that help them get to know each other, strengthen the team, and have fun doing it.
Examine the essential ingredients to creating a culture of positivity and possibility, regardless of your role in the school. Through identifying the qualities of a leadership mindset, you will look at the subtle shifts in language and behavior that have positive impacts on the collective culture.
Explore the vital relationship between an engaged and developed staff and high quality programming. This workshop presents creative, experiential, and budget-friendly activities that focus on creating dynamic and effective staff meetings and development.
A cutting-edge synthesis of research, implementation, and strategy: identify the needs of challenges of the families in your community and analyze Leadership’s top ten tips for family engagement. Prepare to walk away with tangible methodology and actions to utilize in your community.
Using interactive and engaging activities, explore ways to create an environment that promotes inclusion and respect for all, starting with the celebration of each individual’s differences.
Communication is an art, and too often we are not communicating as effectively as we think we are. This workshop provides an opportunity to look at the many ways we communicate, and explore how we can communicate more mindfully to get more positive results.
If the though of having conversations around the “tough stuff” make you want to run the other way, this workshop will provide you with an easy, tangible tool that will have you ready for any conversation. Get set to tackle the hardest conversations with ease—packed with follow-up plans to boot!
Where are you and where do you want to go? Come identify what your edge is and access your greatness. Come ready to explore where you want to grow and what steps you can take to get there.
Delve deeper into the themes and concepts literature has to offer. Though discussion, writing, and partner sharing, find out first hand how wise words can be used to inform and empower lives.
This works offer a platform for connection and reflection: a chance to revisit goals, successes, challenges, surprises, and wishes for the future. Create action steps and come up with support systems of accountability to fulfill your goals in a setting that celebrates you and your accomplishments.
help teachers hone skills in conflict resolution, literacy development, classroom organization and engagement.
An opportunity to develop effective and successful leadership techniques for enhancing self-esteem, respect, and conflict resolution skills in students. Learn strategies for creating an environment of cooperation, communication, and respect in the classroom.
Learn the effective characteristics and techniques of a successful group facilitator and find your own unique facilitation style. By examining live moments of group facilitation, learn to identify the difference between effective and ineffective facilitation.
With such a wide range of steady and evolving responsibilities and expectations, organization can be one of the most challenging aspects of work. Come learn quick and easy-to-use strategies, ideas, and systems that will work for your personal style.
A space to develop the knowledge, skills, and predispositions needed to teach students from diverse racial, ethnic, lingual, and social backgrounds. Using an experiential approach, define prejudice and discrimination while exploring ways to self-reflect before making assumptions.
Using role play, lectures, small group discussions, and interactive activities, this workshop offers a tangible classroom management methodology that empowers you to more effectively reach the youth you serve. Understand the psychology behind your students’ actions and learn tools to help you deal with a number of difficult situations.
Examine conflict using multiple perspectives—from its definition to the situations in which conflict arises, and all the factors along the way—experience lessons from our national celebrated conflict resolution curriculum and turn-key what you learn back to the classroom.
Look at the Common Core State Standards as a roadmap for successful planning and implementations. In this workshop, plan to deconstruct how learning connects to the different standards and leave with a clear understanding of how to use the CCSS as an effective tool to deepen the learning experience.
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Learn about various brain-based learning systems, the regions of the brain, their functions, and cognitive processing. Participants will identify strategies that positively impact memory organizing, focusing, patterning, and retaining. Identify the connection between brain-based learning and social-emotional learning, and leave understanding how to apply these researched techniques into the classroom setting.
Take a look at the nature of Problem-Based Learning and the rationale of its use. Experience PBL by working through real-world problems that will highlight how the motivation to solve a problem can become an extremely effective way to motivate learning. Walk away with specific strategies to begin implementing this approach with your students.
New York City is a labyrinth of untapped learning potential. Come learn about the “streets of New York” and discover what magic awaits you, your students, and your fellow educators. We have designed sessions available, and can also customize excursions based on a unit theme.
Learn key tips to making your next class, presentation, or meeting more engaging. With activities, group discussion, and deconstruction, take a hands-on look at optimum teaching approaches for different types of learners.
give educators the tools to address behavioral challenges in schools and shift students' focus back to academics.
are designed to help build leadership skills, motivate teachers and staff and create a culture of learning in your institution.
Much more than a position of power, true leadership is about serving those who you lead—approaching the job with a “What can I do for you?” mindset rather than one of “What can you do for me?” Examine the elements of servant leadership and come up with tangible ways to step into your leadership.
Managing is not just a role for supervisors. We are constantly managing relationships, resources, and responsibilities. How do you manage the requests from your boss, the habits of your colleagues, the demands of your clients, and the needs of your staff? This workshop offers the not so novel concept that “managing” starts from within. Learn and practice effective communication tools, strategies for handling complex situations, techniques to turn difficult conversations into positive problem solving opportunities, and ideas for maximizing productivity in the workplace.
Gain creative strategies for training and motivating your staff to sustain high quality performance year round. Explore effective techniques for keeping your staff motivated towards the larger vision even when daily challenges become overwhelming.
As educators, our ongoing learning and skill building is key to our success. Learn how to share information and start a dialogue in a way that generates an environment of learning and engagement. Walk away with an interactive toolkit that you can use to foster excitement around the sharing of information.
Learn about SMARTER goal setting, and identify the personal and professional goals you hope to achieve—and the steps you can take to get you there.
For most of us, change is hard. Learn how to respond to change in a healthy way and explore strategies that will help you move forward in a positive direction.
Discover how to effectively prevent and cope with stress through technique exploration that increases self-awareness and relaxation. This workshop also addresses and provides release for both the mental and physical effects of stress.
Explore the topic of compassion fatigue within the context of education. This workshop is an introduction to the signs and symptoms of when helping hurts. You will be encouraged to share your own experiences with the group, learn ways to cope, and transform fatigue to satisfaction with an emphasis on self-care.
Learn about the four types of public speakers and identify the key elements to delivering dynamic presentations. Uncover and acknowledge your most pressing fears of public speaking and invest that energy positively into your presentations. Practice practical relaxation techniques to stay grounded and centered for your presentations.
is all about providing holistic care for your staff with workshops such as yoga, hip hop and Food for Life.
Examine what you are currently doing in the workplace to develop and sustain wellbeing. Discover strategies for finding balance. Take away a toolkit of tips that will support you in striving for your most healthy and productive self.
Discover the secret of abundant living by examining how balanced nutrition and health can promote overall well being. Nutritional and lifestyle habits will be discussed, as well as effective strategies for incorporating healthier choices into practical daily living.
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Learn how yoga promotes health for people of all ages and physical abilities. Bring yoga to your classroom and your family with breathing and reflective exercises focused on decreasing stress and worry, all while increasing balance, harmony, and wholeness. This workshop is beginner friendly.
Get ready for the fast pace of life by energizing your body through our aerobic fitness workshop. Learn quick and easy everyday exercises that will boost your energy throughout the day.
The Creative Spirit series offers arts-enrichment in different selected art forms to promote art as a vehicle for teaching, while simultaneously building positive relationships with colleagues. Harness creative problem solving in order to articulate challenges and brainstorm solutions that can be effectively implemented in the classroom and beyond. Any workshop can be done individually or as a series.
Social-emotional learning and engagement programs
Science and the Art of Engagement
Effectively engaging is both critically important and very difficult to achieve, particularly with hard to reach students. Here we provide an opportunity to explore both the art and science of engagement—gaining practical tips for engagement while learning the brain science and psychology behind those tips. Walk away with tangible techniques for engaging your audience.
Empowering Upstanders: A Response to Bullying
Examine the roots, causes, and effects of bullying while learning about the characteristics of bullies, bystanders, and upstanders. Learn strategies that promote empathy and awareness to support a bully-free environment in your school community.
Effective Advisory
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HERstory/HISstory: Empowering Young Women and Men
Gain an understanding of how to use ELA-based activities to guide teenage girls and boys on the journey of self-discovery and positive relationship building. Learn the art of using writing prompts to foster improvements in student health, behavior, and academic performance by exploring self-concept from various perspectives.
Integrating Arts into the Classroom
Art can be utilized in infinite ways to keep students hooked in the subjects they are learning. Learn tangible tools from a variety of art forms that can be infused into lessons while still satisfying your teaching objectives.
How to Support Over-Age, Under-Credited Youth
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Learning to Lead: Building a Mentoring Program
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Using Technology to Engage the 21st Century Student
In the modern age of technology, the computer, SMARTboard, laptop, tablet, and smartphone have become a central part of communication, education, and professionalism. Learn ways to integrate more clips, footage, and multimedia to keep your students at the edge of their seats, excited to learn.
Using Play to Engage
Play wakes up the senses. It makes life more vibrant and joyful. It opens us up to our creative selves and makes us less risk-adverse. It also creates cultures full of dedicated lifelong learners. Learn how to get participants excited about learning by engaging them with play.
Lead the Change: Learning Through Activism
Learn strategies and lessons for engaging students and staff in a community improvement project. The stages of the project are broken down into user-friendly stages to promote purposeful planning and smooth execution.