Instructor Profiles

Jonathan Chiaramonte

Jonathan Chiaramonte is the Social and Emotional Chairperson for the Sachem Central School District. He has taught middle and high school Social Studies in the District since 2005. Jonathan’s call for more education on the whole child began in 2011 and garnered him a seat next to Ellen DeGeneres. In 2017, Jonathan was recognized by New York State Senator Phil Boyle at the “Teachers of Excellence” awards ceremony for his work with his “Humans of Sachem North” social media program that posts stories and pictures about students and staff giving insight into their lives. This program has garnered regional attention having been covered by Fox 5 News. In his spare time as the SEL chairperson, he hosts the “You Matter” podcast featuring Sachem students diving into real topics that affect students! Jonathan is eager to begin teaching fellow educators through WISE PD.

Joan F. Harney

Joan Harney taught in the Brentwood School District for 32 years, first as an elementary classroom teacher, and then as a Math Specialist for 22 years. She has been a frequent staff developer for mathematics in Brentwood and has designed and taught courses and workshops throughout Long Island. Joan is a past recipient of the ASSET (Association of Suffolk County Supervisors for Educational Technologies) Award, for “Outstanding Use of Technology in the Classroom” and received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Brentwood Board of Education for “Significant and Sustained Contribution towards the Educational Development of Brentwood Students.”

Elizabeth Sheehan

Liz Sheehan earned her Educational Leadership Certificate (EDL) from Stony Brook University. She holds an MS in Special Education and a BS in Hearing and Speech Sciences. Liz has been teaching in the Brentwood School District since 2003 in a resource room, self-contained classroom for students with learning disabilities, as well as her current position in a self-contained classroom for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Prior to her years in Brentwood, Liz worked in a Learning Early Advantage Program (LEAP) at the University of Maryland. In addition to her NYS Teaching Certificates in General Education K-6 and Special Education N-12, Liz is certified in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and has received CPI training for proper and safe restraint. Liz’s expertise regarding the RtI process, behavior management and her years of experience teaching children with a wide range of challenges, makes her a valuable asset to WISE.

Erica Stoller

Erica Stoller has been teaching in the Brentwood School District since 1995. She was a classroom teacher for many years and has been a Literacy Specialist since 2007. She holds a Master’s Degree in Reading K-12 from Long Island University-CW Post. Erica was an Adjunct Instructor at Dowling College teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in the Literacy Education Program for K-12. Erica develops and implements professional development workshops at the building and district levels on topics including utilizing data collection to differentiate literacy instruction to meet the needs of all students, incorporating literacy strategies throughout content areas, and fostering vocabulary development for students including second language learners. Erica has created book clubs for students to become life long readers.

Laura Symons

Laura Symons is a NYS Certified Reading Teacher in Grades K-12. She has been teaching in the Brentwood School District since 1992, and is currently a Reading Specialist. Laura was an adjunct instructor of Literacy Education at Dowling College in Oakdale, NY, where she taught both graduate and undergraduate courses. Laura continues to develop and implement numerous workshops at the building and district levels on topics including using data from miscue analyses to drive reading instruction and fostering content-area vocabulary acquisition for second language learners. For several years, Laura was a teacher in a side-by-side bilingual class and a Dual Language Immersion program. These experiences have given Laura a unique perspective on the language acquisition process for second language learners.

REMAINING SPRING 2022 COURSE:
BEGINS MAY 7, 2022
W102 Take the “Problem” out of Problem Solving
Instructor: Joan Harney Audience: PK-4 3 credits (45 hrs)
In-Person Classes: REVISED DATES: Sat. 5/7/22 and Sat. 5/14/22 (9 am to 3 pm)
Both in-person sessions must be attended, and independent assignments are to be completed by 6/1/22 (45 hours in total), to earn 3 credits.
This course will provide specific problem-solving strategies that will enable students to “unlock” problems, while using models, diagrams and equations. Participants will discover why teaching “key words” most often leads students to incorrect solutions and perpetuates a lack of deeper understanding. Course participants will learn how to create classroom environments and develop lessons that foster students’ ability to solve problems. The NYS Math Standards specify which problem types are to be mastered in each grade using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. A particular emphasis will be placed on differentiating instruction in order to meet the needs of students who have not yet demonstrated mastery of the problem types introduced in prior grades. Participants will create numerous activities to use in their classrooms.

SUMMER 2022 COURSES

W101 Fostering Confident Learners through Math Fact Fluency
July 11 – July 15
The NYS Mathematics Standards indicate that students are expected to master required “fluencies” for each grade, yet there is often a disconnect between what is meant by “fluency” in this context and how students are taught. By learning specific computational strategies which foster automaticity rather than the rote memorization of facts, students will acquire speed, accuracy and flexibility with single-digit and multi-digit numbers. In this course, participants will cultivate specific, research-based techniques to help students achieve the fluencies and to enable them to develop sophisticated mental math abilities. Participants will create numerous activities to use in their classrooms.

W102 Take the “Problem” out of Problem Solving
July 25 – July 29
This course will provide specific problem solving strategies that will enable students to “unlock” problems, while using models, diagrams and equations. Participants will discover why teaching “key words” most often leads students to incorrect solutions and perpetuates a lack of deeper understanding. Course participants will learn how to create classroom environments and develop lessons that foster students’ ability to solve problems. The NYS Math Standards specify which problem types are to be mastered in each grade using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. A particular emphasis will be placed on differentiating instruction in order to meet the needs of students who have not yet demonstrated mastery of the problem types introduced in prior grades. Participants will create numerous activities to use in their classrooms.

W104 Big Numbers, Little People
August 8 – August 12
We’ve all witnessed the fascination young children have with large numbers…the bigger, the better! Learn how to harness your students’ natural curiosity for our number system through concrete, motivating mini-lessons and activities. Participants will create and utilize place value specific materials including beans sticks, hundred charts, multiple tens frames, estimation stations and secret code cards. Learn how to foster students’ mastery of mental math skills, and they will quickly learn that adding 200 + 200 is as simple as adding 2 + 2! So, get ready to teach your students how to “crack the code” and become masters of our base-ten number
system! Participants will create numerous activities to use in their classrooms.

W105 Bringing Math to Life through Children’s Literature
August 22 – August 26
Children love great stories, so why not increase your students’ level of engagement in mathematics by using children’s literature! Students eagerly solve problems involving counting, operations, place value, measurement and geometry when they feel connected to the characters and settings in a math problem. Incorporating storybooks may also reduce children’s anxiety when problem solving. Participants will engage in a multitude of lessons to use with students and will learn how to create rich problem solving tasks that include multiple entry points. An extensive bibliography of children’s literature will be provided, and participants will create numerous activities for use in their classrooms!

********************
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
*In addition to participating in class meetings, participants will maintain an activity log documenting activities/lessons created and assignments completed, totaling 45 hours, in order to earn 3 in-service credits, or 45 CTLE hours.
*Email WISEpd.info@gmail.com or call (631) 495-9115 if you have any questions regarding course requirements.
*It is each participant’s responsibility to obtain any necessary prior approval from their school district before registering for a course for salary advancement. WISE PD is a NYSED Approved Sponsor of CTLE hours.

WISE Professional Development, LLC

We Inspire Successful Educators

Instructor Profiles

Instructor Profiles

Like this: