The Professional Development Center (PDC) is the outreach agent of the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) of the University of Southern Maine. Our mission is to provide innovative and sustained professional development that enables PK-12 educators and school communities to serve the needs of their students.
Course Registration
To start the registration process for any of our Fall 2021 courses, please complete the form at the following link:
PDC Fall 2021 Course Registration form (Google form)
Note: Some PDC courses are now being offered for undergraduate credit. Most educational professionals (including teachers) will likely still choose to take courses for graduate credit for recertification and development purposes through their school district. Undergraduate credit is offered as an option for non-professionals or anyone else for whom graduate credit is not as important.
Course Descriptions
PDS 513 / SBS 420 Integrating Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction & Social Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom
This course provides training in Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction for teachers, counselors, and psychologists in school settings. Students learn Mindfulness techniques for themselves and for their students as well as for their relationships with colleagues. Through Mindfulness exercises and practice, group and dyad discussions, presentations, readings, and talks by the instructor, students will develop Mindfulness skills to integrate into the school setting for themselves as teachers and for students. The emphasis is on integrating Mindfulness into the classroom through modeling and seamlessly bringing Mindfulness to help students develop emotional and social skills. These skills help children thrive and as well give them a solid foundation for their academic studies.
Dates: September 21 – November 2, 2021
Class meetings (via Zoom): Tuesdays 4:30-8:30 pm (9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2) plus Friday, 10/22 from 4:30-8:30 pm and Saturday, 10/23 from 8 am – 2 pm
Location/Format: Online synchronous
Instructor: Nancy Hathaway
Credit: 3 graduate credits (PDS 513) or 3 undergraduate credits (SBS 420)
Tuition/Fees: See the 2021-2022 tuition rate chart
Audience: Practicing educators, all levels (including non-teaching personnel like educational technicians)
PDS 515 / 415 Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Skills in Early Childhood Settings
This course provides training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Social-Emotional skills especially focused on early childhood educators. Through exercises, practice, group and dyad discussions, presentations, readings, and talks by the instructor, students will develop Mindfulness and Social-Emotional skills to integrate into early childhood settings for themselves, as educators, and for their students. The emphasis is on integrating these skills through modeling to help children develop emotional and social skills. These skills are seen as an investment in human development and life skills helping children thrive, and giving them a solid foundation for their academic studies.
Dates: September 23 – November 4, 2021
Class meetings (via Zoom): Thursdays 4:30-8:30 pm (9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4) plus Friday, 10/15 from 4:30-8:30 pm and Saturday, 10/16 from 8 am – 2 pm
Location/Format: Online synchronous
Instructor: Nancy Hathaway
Credit: 3 graduate credits (PDS 515) or 3 undergraduate credits (PDS 415)
Tuition/Fees: See the 2021-2022 tuition rate chart
Audience: Practicing early childhood educators, all levels (including non-teaching personnel like educational technicians)
PDS 555 Special Education Mentorship
PDS 555 is a semester-long online supervised school- or agency-based mentorship for conditionally certified teachers participating in the Maine Alternative Certification and Mentoring program (MACM). The teacher works under the direct supervision of a district or MACM-appointed SED mentor following the guidelines approved by the state for initial teacher certification. Topics and activities for the course are determined by the MACM program.
Dates: August 30 – December 10, 2021 (plus finals week 12/11-12/17)
Class meetings (via Zoom): Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 pm (9/7, 9/28, 10/19, 11/9, 11/30, 12/14)
Location/Format: Online synchronous
Instructor: Kelli Fogg
Credit: 3 graduate credits
Prerequisites: for students in the Maine Alternative Certification and Mentoring program (MACM) only
Tuition/Fees: See the 2021-2022 tuition rate chart
Audience: This course is open to teachers in the Maine Alternative Certification and Mentoring (MACM) program ONLY. It is not for transitionally certified OR new conditionally certified teachers who are also enrolled in a pre-service or certificate program and are enrolled in an internship/student teaching semester. FMI, please contact Valerie Smith at valerie.smith@maine.edu or visit the MACM site: https://umaine.edu/edhd/research-outreach/macm/
Questions?
Contact the PDC at pdc@maine.edu.