Unit 1: Thinking Differently about Student Learning

Participants will further their thinking about learning differences and the “myth of average” among their students. Educators will begin to develop and apply learning differences teaching competencies that will support student learning. The essential questions for this unit are:

• What are learning differences?
• How does thinking about students’ learning differences affect teaching practice?
• What are the benefits of focusing on students’ strengths rather than weaknesses? What are the challenges of this approach?

Unit 2: Executive Function

This unit establishes a basic understanding of executive functioning skills by explaining what they are and how they impact student learning. The essential questions are:

• What are executive functioning skills and how do they affect student learning?
• How can teachers develop students’ executive functioning skills in classrooms?
• Which strategies or solutions related to executive functions best meet students’ needs?

Unit 3: Organize and Prioritize

This unit focuses on the impact of a student’s ability to organize and prioritize tasks on learning and behavior in classrooms. Participants will learn and apply strategies to better foster student organization and prioritization. The essential questions are:

• What does it mean to organize and prioritize tasks?
• How can teachers help students with this competency?
• Which strategies or solutions related to prioritizing and organizing best meet students’ needs?

Unit 4: Working Memory

This unit focuses on the impact of working memory on student learning and behavior in classrooms. Participants will learn and apply strategies to better support students’ working memories. The essential questions are:

• What is working memory and how does it affect student learning?
• How can teachers support students who struggle with working memory or leverage students with strong working memory?
• Which strategies or solutions related to working memory best meet students’ needs?

Unit 5: Reflection of Learning

The purpose of this unit is to get participants thinking about the complexities and relatedness of learning differences. Then, participants will hone their skills to identify how to leverage a student’s learning profile to best support him or her. We have referenced this as being a “learning scientist” throughout the course. The essential questions for this unit are:

• How can educators collect student data to select and implement strategies to support individual student needs?
• How do the constructs of learning work together to build a complex understanding of each student?

In order to successfully earn a certificate of completion for 20 professional development hours, participants must:

• Complete an initial survey about your background, organization and goals for taking the Learning Differences course through registration.
• Engage in the materials and course activities as suits your learning needs. Review selected background materials (videos, webcasts, readings), follow personalized pathways that suit your needs, and engage in activities to help illustrate core concepts.
• Complete the Plan, Do, Study Act (PDSA) for each unit to put application into action.
• Contribute to the Learning Differences course forums by asking questions, responding to others’ questions, and sharing ideas in the discussion forums; agreeing with or identifying comments as insightful; suggesting resources that will be useful to others; and sharing your expertise in other ways.
• Reflect on your Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) activities to identify lessons learned from student feedback.
• Complete the end-of-course survey and provide suggestions for improving it in the future.

Earning Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Participants will have the opportunity to earn a certificate of completion for 20 hours of professional development during the Learning Differences course.

You can submit the certificate to your local agency with a request for CEUs. Granting of CEUs will be subject to the policies and procedures of your state and local agency.

Callie Edwards

Callie Edwards is the director of program evaluation and education research and strategic partnerships at the Friday Institute.

Jaclyn Stevens

Jaclyn empowers educators and leaders to create adaptive, student-centered learning experiences, driven by her philosophy to “adapt, not adopt.” Transitioning from media design to education through AmeriCorps, Jaclyn has taught middle school ELA and high school digital media and supported the founding of schools in rural North Carolina. Since joining the Friday Institute in 2010, she has advanced professional learning initiatives in digital literacy, instructional technology, computer science, and AI integration. Her research and publications support curriculum innovation, technology access, and instructional coaching.

Amy Walter

Amy Walter is a lifelong learner and teacher, and her passion for education is evident in her dedication to creating a future where every teacher is a master of their craft, sparking a love of learning in every student and driving academic excellence through innovative and dynamic professional development designed and delivered with passion. She is a research scholar at the Friday Institute, part of the NC State College of Education.

Course Developers

• Alex Dreier
• Brittany Miller
• Dr. Callie Edwards
• Dr. Patricia Hilliard
• Amy Walter
• Blake Wiggs

Before you can register, you’ll need an NC State Brickyard account. If you don’t already have one, you can create one in a few steps:

• Go to the REPORTER registration system landing page at go.ncsu.edu/reporter.
• Click the Create New Account button.
• Enter your email and click Send Email Confirmation.
• Note the code that has been emailed to you and enter it in the Confirmation Code field.
• Enter your First Name, Last Name, and Password.
• Click Create Brickyard Account at the bottom. Your account will be created and you should be redirected to REPORTER to log in.

Ready to register?

Need help?

For screen shots, troubleshooting tips, and step-by-step instructions for creating your Brickyard account or updating your name or email address, see the Brickyard Account Management Guide.

For help with changing your password, visit https://go.ncsu.edu/brickyard-reset-pw.

Have questions or need additional assistance? Contact Friday Institute Online Professional Learning Support and let us know how we can help.