Register Here for Academic Acceleration: An Introduction (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credits: AATD, IS

What is academic acceleration and who might benefit? Acceleration is the best-researched educational programming option for academically talented (gifted) students, yet it is not used often because many educators have not had the opportunity to learn about it. We also worry about the social impact of moving a student up. Research tells us that acceleration is a good option to consider for many talented...

Please register here for Beginning with the End: A Look at Talent Development in the Arts (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credits: AATD, IS

This session will explore how teachers can develop talent through the arts, and the psychosocial trials and benefits that come from an artistic approach to talent development.

Learning Goals:

Discuss strategies to develop talent in the arts.

Recognize the role of psychosocial traits in the development of talent.

Webinar Details:

When: Monday, September 15, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 7...

Please register here for Introduction to UI REACH (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credit(s): UIREACH, IS

This workshop is Mandatory for TEP students in the UI REACH track. Attendees will learn about the UI REACH Program and strategies that can be used when working with students with learning barriers. This is also when attendees are able to sign up for volunteer opportunities to gain experience working with individuals with cognitive and developmental disabilities.

What You Will Learn:

Attendees will be able to...

ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first-aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. As the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop, LivingWorks’ ASIST program is supported by numerous evaluations including independent and peer-reviewed studies.

Results demonstrate that ASIST helps participants become more willing, ready, and able to intervene. Although...

Please register here for Shakespeare Amazes in the Classroom (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credits: AATD, IS

Insights, Experience, Humor, Explore! using Shakespeare in intermediate and middle school classrooms with author and educator Jen Szwaya. For over a decade, Jen has used Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hamlet to support learners needing to be challenged with content that is complex, rich, and of high interest. Participants will review a collection of lessons and resources that address...

ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first-aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. As the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop, LivingWorks’ ASIST program is supported by numerous evaluations including independent and peer-reviewed studies.

Results demonstrate that ASIST helps participants become more willing, ready, and able to intervene. Although...

Please register HERE for Making Future STEAM Educators: An Introduction to Makerspace Tools, Technologies, and Teaching (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credit: IS, STEAM

In this workshop, students will participate in a hands-on, "quick-fire" STEAM activity and get an introduction to what STEAM is, why it's important, and how to facilitate it in their classrooms. We will also provide an overview of what will be involved in the other workshops in the STEAM track and discuss the STEAM track's unique volunteer...

Register here for Evidence-Based Handwriting Instruction and Assessment

(BTLC Credits: DYSLEXIA, IS)

In our increasingly digital age, it may seem as though handwriting instruction is a thing of the past. However, explicit handwriting instruction can increase a variety of student literacy outcomes, including letter/word recognition, spelling, and writing length/quality.

Caregivers, educators, and administrators are invited to join us on Tuesday, September 23 at 4pm for a FREE webinar led by IRRC...

Please register here for Self-Preservation for Emotional Well-Being

(BTLC Credits: IS, SEBMH)

This workshop is dedicated to those educators who are currently practicing self-preservation rituals and want to reinforce routines for this school year. It is also for educators who want to start their journey of self-care by creating healthy habit plans to achieve more consistent positive well-being throughout the school year. We will begin by welcoming everyone to our webinar. Included in the time...

Please register for "Improving Student Well-Being Through Mental Health Policy Implementation."

Do you find your head spinning trying to figure out how to make sense of all the policies passed at the state and federal levels that directly and indirectly impact student well-being? You are not alone. It can be challenging to translate these policies into practices that enhance student well-being.

This webinar will provide a framework and helpful strategies for translating policies into helpful...

Please register here for Introduction to Global Education and Pedagogical Application

BTLC Credits: GO, IS

This workshop is mandatory for students in the GO track. What are the pedagogies that drive successful learning outcomes in programs and curricula that include teaching and learning for global perspectives? What does it mean to center social-justice education to promote more inclusive spaces for teaching and learning? This workshop will examine several case studies and examples of curriculum...

Please register here for Design, Cut, Stick: STEAM learning with Vinyl Cutters and Other Subtractive Manufacturing Tools (Fall 2025)

In this workshop, students will gain hands-on experience participating in and designing STEAM activities using subtractive manufacturing tools such as vinyl cutters and laser cutters. For the hands-on STEAM challenge, students will get to use 2D design software and make a vinyl cut sticker of their choice. They will also learn about subtractive manufacturing tools...

Please register here for Intertwining SEBMH Practices into Your Everyday Routine with Students.

(BTLC Credits: IS, SEBMH)

This session is designed to empower pre-service educators with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to seamlessly integrate Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health (SEBMH) practices into daily classroom routines. As the need for holistic student support continues to grow, embedding SEBMH strategies into everyday teaching is not just beneficial—it’s essential.

We'll...

Please register here for Use of Assessment for Identification and Programming in Gifted Education (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credits: AATD, IS

Often, assessment is viewed as the culmination of a process: measuring what a student knows or can do at various points throughout the curriculum. However, to be most effective, assessment must be designed to inform future actions, such as what a student should be taught next or what program or intervention may benefit them. This workshop will offer an introduction...

Please register here for Global Citizenship Education and Its Critics

BTLC Credits: IS, GO

This workshop focuses on the scholarship of, views on, and pedagogical practices around global citizenship education. Mission statements and class syllabi—and popular culture, too—often assume we should prepare students to be "global citizens." But is this something we should want them—and ourselves—to aspire to? In this session, we will ask some of these important questions, look at the views of GCE's...

Please register here for Making Sense of Your Student's Literacy Data: A Webinar for Parents and Caregivers

(BTLC Credits: IS, DYSLEXIA)

Join IRRC Assistant Director Leah Zimmermann to learn how to interpret your students' literacy data and assessments.

Webinar Details:

WHEN: Thursday, October 9, 2025, 11am-Noon

WHERE: online

BTLC Credits: IS, Dyslexia

COST: free

PRESENTER(S): Leah Zimmermann, Assistant Director, IRRC

Please register here for The Iowa Tour.

BTLC Credits: AATD, IS

This IN-PERSON workshop will have two components. First, we will experience the color tour at the Stanley Art Museum. This tour focuses on the significance of particular hues across time and cultures. The workshop will conclude with a discussion of its application to enriching lesson plans.

Museum Guidelines:

All guests will need to leave bags, backpacks, coats, and any beverages in the coat room in our Lobby.

Students: please swipe your...

Register here for Writing-to-Learn in Content Area Classrooms

(BTLC Credit: IS)

Although writing can be seen as a task only completed in English, Language Arts courses, writing can in fact be used as a tool to support students' learning across content areas. In this session, the IRRC will present research on how short, informal writing opportunities can support students’ content area learning. Opportunities to practice implementing writing-to-learn activities, as well as discussion around the...

Please register here for Sparking STEAM Interest: STEAM Learning with Electronics (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credits: IS, STEAM

In this workshop, students will gain hands-on experience participating in and designing STEAM activities using electronics tools or kits. Students will have an opportunity to make a light-up pillow and explore other electronics kits and projects. They will learn about electronics tools and kits available in schools and be provided with resources and ideas for activities they might...

Technology can be utilized to help students build greater connections and address developmental and social gaps, which naturally complement Social-Emotional Behavioral Mental Health Practices (SEBMH) practices and themes. This workshop will briefly review key concepts of SEBMH, illustrate how SEBMH and classroom technology intersect and support all students.

What You Will Learn:
1. Participants will gain understanding of the benefits of SEBMH and the utilization of classroom technologies to...

This workshop is dedicated to those educators who are currently practicing self-preservation rituals and want to reinforce routines for this school year. It is also for educators who want to start their journey of self-care by creating healthy habit plans to achieve more consistent positive well-being throughout the school year. We will begin by welcoming everyone to our webinar. Included in the time together: a guided meditation, journaling, and breath work exercises. We will also participate...

Please register here for Steps to Success: Gradual Release of Responsibility (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credits: IS, UIREACH

In this workshop, students will learn how to model a lesson, provide support during the guided instruction, and gradually release responsibility to students toward independence to demonstrate their mastery of the concept.

What You Will Learn:

Adapt a lesson to gradually release responsibility to students.

Model skills for students to take ownership and work towards independence.

Webinar...

Please register here for Exploring Microscopes with Kirkwood Elementary

(BTLC Credit: IS)

Work with a group of 30+ 3rd graders from Kirkwood Elementary to explore the world of microscopes. You will run a small group of students for some hands-on, inquiry-based learning. You will also teach them about weather and climate.

*Prior to the elementary students arriving, you will receive training on the microscopes, implementation, and utilization.

This workshop will give you experience working directly...

Please register here for STEAM Learning on a Budget: From Paper Prototyping to Simple STEAM Kits (Fall 2025)

In this workshop, students will learn how to design and facilitate hands-on STEAM activities with everyday materials and the sorts of low-cost STEAM kits commonly available in K-12 schools. They will also gain hands-on experience participating in and designing STEAM activities using these kits and materials. Finally, they will be provided with additional resources and ideas for activities...

Please register here for the workshop To Africa and Beyond: Incorporating Critical Global Competence in the Classroom.

(BTLC Credits: GO, IS)

Global education expands past borders and brings differing perspectives into our classrooms on a daily basis. It is essential that educators are deliberate with the perspectives told in their classroom and how those perspectives are portrayed. Born out of a month-long professional development trip to Namibia, this session aims to explore how we can...

Please register here for Be the Change: Role Modeling in Education

(BTLC Credits: UI REACH, IS)

In this workshop, students will discover how your actions, words, and presence as an educator can shape the lives of students beyond the classroom. This workshop explores the power of positive role modeling and equips future educators with tools to embrace this opportunity.

What You Will Learn:

Identify the key characteristics of effective role models in educational settings and understand their impact on...

This interactive session introduces educators to mindful movement and yoga-inspired practices that support well-being, focus, and emotional regulation—for both students and themselves. Participants will learn why these short, intentional movement breaks matter and how they can enhance learning and reduce stress. The session includes guided practice and take-home examples you can immediately try in your own setting. No special clothing or prior experience needed—just curiosity and a willingness...

Please register here for Coding and AI (Fall 2025)

BTLC Credits: IS, STEAM

In this workshop, students will gain hands-on experience participating in and designing STEAM activities involving coding and generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. For the hands-on STEAM challenge, students will explore Scratch, a free, online creative coding tool. They will also be introduced to generative AI tools that can be used for art-making, coding, and support during problem-solving. They will be provided...

Please register here for Colonialism, Imperialism and the Histories that Shaped Us.

BTLC Credits: IS, GO *This workshop is mandatory for the GO track.

People, communities, cultures, and countries are more connected with others across the globe than they have ever been. Globalization, however, is not without problems, both ethical and social. This workshop will explore the global and local dimensions of social, historical and cultural issues that shape us, with a particular lens on how schools and...

Please register here for Tier 1.5 of MTSS: Research and Tips on Classwide Reading Interventions

Do most of the students in your classroom struggle with a core reading skill? Join Drs. Shawn Datchuk and Heba Abdelnaby of the University of Iowa and Dr. Matt Burns of the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) to learn about the research on Tier 1.5—the delivery of classwide reading interventions—as well as tips for figuring out when it may be needed in your classroom.

(BTLC Credits: Dyslexia...

Please register here for Fitting STEAM Into Your Classroom: Disciplinary Integration, Assessment and Standards Alignment (Fall 2025)

In this workshop, students will learn how they can best fit STEAM into their classrooms. This will include a discussion of how to integrate tools, knowledge, and practices from different STEAM fields, align activities with standards, and assess STEAM learning. Students will then have an opportunity to practice designing and critiquing STEAM lesson plans and discuss...

Please register here for My Reading Lesson Is Being Observed Today?!

During this webinar, learn how to build a positive culture around fidelity monitoring with IRRC Research Fellow Seth King.

(BTLC Credits: Dyslexia, IS)

Webinar Details

When: Friday, December 5, Noon-1pm

Where: Online

BTLC Credits: Dyslexia, IS

Presenter: Dr. Seth King, IRRC Research Fellow