Nancy Grouse and Pat Mahan

Workshops and Presenters

Workshops

Conferencing Counts

A critical skill often overlooked in teacher training programs is that of communicating effectively with parents about their children’s needs and progress.  All too often, conferences fall short of parent and teacher expectations.

This interactive PowerPoint workshop will provide specific techniques to optimize knowledge gained during a  parent-teacher conference.  K-6 teachers will practice these valuable techniques which directly affect student performance in the classroom.  The workshop will focus on the following:

• Obtaining information which will positively impact the child’s performance

• Developing a true partnership with parents

• Understanding the important elements in a conference

• Knowing how to handle difficult conferences

• Combining teacher perceptions and parent observations into a workable plan of action for the child

Audience: Grade K - 6 teachers, administrators

Recommendation: maximum 35 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Classroom Management for Paraprofessionals

"Good workshop.  Good handouts.  Completely involved."

"Very helpful.  Great information.  Well presented."

One of the greatest challenges is getting and keeping students on task. Filled with strategies and techniques for a positive approach to behavior management, this interactive workshop will focus on the following:

• Maintaining positive interactions with students

• Motivating students to take responsibility for their success

• Developing appropriate disciplinary interventions

• Responding non-coercively

• Avoiding traps

Audience: teacher aides and teaching assistants

Recommendation: maximum 35 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Memory and Meaning Toolbox

"This class was wonderful. Great memory exercises. Good ideas to work with kids."

"Enjoyable, energetic, definitely engaging."

“Learning requires memory and memory can be learned” is the focus of this workshop. This interactive Power Point workshop provides specific strategies to increase elementary students’ understanding and retention in each subject area.  The specific strategies presented in this workshop are guaranteed to change educators’ approaches to teaching.  Participants will practice these strategies and be able to immediately implement them in their classrooms.  The workshop will focus on the following:

• Acquiring and maintaining student attention

• Developing sense and meaning for students

• Boosting students’ intrinsic motivation

• Increasing students’ memory and recall

Audience: Grade K - 5 teachers, administrators

Recommendation: maximum 35 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Survival Skills for Today’s Teachers

The basics of learning include planning, expectations, and assessment. This interactive PowerPoint presentation will provide strategies to promote student learning.  Teachers will practice strategies so that they can implement them immediately in their classrooms.  The workshop will focus on the following:

• Establishing a productive and cooperative work environment

• Designing lessons which guarantee student learning

• Setting positive expectations

• Assessing student learning

Audience: Grade K - 6 teachers, administrators

Recommendation: maximum 35 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Customer Service for Custodians

School custodians face great challenges since they are the caretakers for an entire school community.  This interactive PowerPoint workshop focuses on strategies and techniques for a positive approach to managing the many responsibilities and tasks that every school custodian faces each day in the role of being the school’s caretaker.  This workshop will focus on the following:

• Fostering positive working relationships

• Providing excellent customer services

• Balancing many responsibilities

• Being a positive part of the school team

Audience: School custodians

Recommendation: maximum 35 participants

Time frame: 2 and 1/2 hours

School Bus Behavior Management Toolbox

"This is the first time as a driver that I have ever gotten this kind of information - she was excellent!"

"I learned to try to stay positive and to realize how important my job is."

One of the greatest challenges for school bus drivers and bus paraprofessionals is getting students to assume responsibility for themselves, including their behavior.  This interactive workshop gives participants an opportunity to focus on their individual bus problems and provides them with solutions to those problems. Participants will leave this workshop with specific strategies to make students accountable for their bus behavior.  The workshop will focus on:

• Motivating students to take responsibility for their behavior

• Maintaining positive interactions with students

• Setting the expectations for riding safely

• Responding non-coercively to students

Audience: Bus drivers, bus paraprofessionals

Recommendation: maximum 35 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Strategies for GED Instructors             

This interactive workshop will provide learning strategies to apply in your GED instruction in all subject areas. These will assist you in preparing your students for the GED test.  Many of these can be applied by your students to assist them in mastering the content covered in the exam.  

We prefer sessions be limited to 25 participants to allow maximum hands-on experience.  

Audience: GED instructors - all subjects

Recommendation: maximum 25 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Strengthening Literacy K-6

"Very knowledgeable presenters!" "Thanks for all the new ideas."

"Group participation was excellent. Different stories were analyzed."

Educators know that literacy is an important goal for all students. This fast-paced presentation provides strategies to increase comprehension skills.  Teachers will practice the strategies they will use with students. This Power Point workshop will focus on the following:

• Formulating questions which optimize interpretive thinking skills

• Increasing student ability to analyze written information

• Using specific data from the text to support a position on a topic

Audience: Grade K - 6 teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators

Recommendation: maximum 35 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Customer Service for Bus Drivers: A Backpack of Strategies

School bus drivers have an enormous amount of responsibility as they transport the district’s most precious cargo.  Balancing all of the responsibilities and providing excellent customer service will be the focus of this interactive workshop.  Topics will include:

• Identifying the customers
• Providing excellent customer service
• Balancing the many responsibilities of the position
• Using specific strategies to work with many different customers
• Being a very positive member of the district’s team

Audience:  School Bus Drivers

Recommendation:  30-35 participants

Time frame: 2 hours

Supporting Student Learning: A Backpack of Strategies

This workshop will help paraeducators maximize their effectiveness as they work with students individually and in small groups.  The focus of this interactive workshop will be on practical techniques and strategies to use with special needs students.  Participants will practice these strategies and will be able to implement them immediately with their students.  Topics will include:

• Getting and keeping students on task
• Promoting responsibility and independence for student success
• Using specific motivating techniques in all subject areas
• Maintaining positive interactions with students

Audience:  K-6 paraeduactors

Recommendation:  30-35 participants

Time frame:  3 hours

Strategies to Increase Literacy Across the Curriculum

This interactive workshop will provide strategies to assist paraeducators in supporting students individually and in small groups.

The focus will be on literacy, however specific techniques will be introduced that can be utilized in other subject areas.

The workshop will focus on:

• Making predictions and hypotheses
• Using prior knowledge to increase comprehension
• Employing “fix-up” strategies
• Modifying and evaluating hypotheses based on new information
• Using the direct-teaching vocabulary technique

Audience:  Paraeducators K-8 

Class size:  30-35 participants

Time frame: 3 hours

Strategies to Strengthen Literacy K-8

Educators know that literacy is an important goal for all students.  This presentation provides strategies to increase students’ comprehension skills.  Paraeducators will practice the strategies they will use with students individually or in small group settings. 

This interactive workshop will focus on:

• Formulating questions which optimize interpretative thinking skills

• Increasing student ability to analyze information

• Using specific data from the text to support a position on a topic

• Monitoring understanding of the text

• Extending thinking beyond the information given

Audience:  Paraeducators K-8

Class size:  30-35 Participants

Time Frame: 3 hours

*Participants should bring a short fictional story which will be used with their student(s).

Strategies for Right Now! Supporting Students in Math and English Language Arts

This interactive workshop is designed to help paraeducators maximize their effectiveness working with special needs students in small groups and individually.  Paraeducators will learn and practice instructional techniques to accelerate student acquisition of language and math skills.  Participants will practice strategies and be able to implement them immediately with their students.

Topics will include:

• Specific motivating techniques for math, speaking, listening and writing
• Strategies for  quick and meaningful assessment of student retention 
• Methods for designing questions which develop  interpretive thinking skills
• Strategies for increasing students’ ability to analyze written information
• Strategies for  increasing students’ problem solving skills

Audience:  K-8 Paraeducators

Recommendation:  Maximum 30 participants

Time Frame:  3 hours

Nancy Grouse

Nancy Grouse holds a B.S. and M.S. in Education.  She is also certified in elementary school supervision and administration.  Nancy’s experience includes teaching in kindergarten, first, second and sixth grades, and supervision in grades K-6.  During her tenure as a K-6 supervising teacher, Nancy focused on helping teachers deliver the best instruction to the students in each of these grade levels.  She also supervised curriculum writing in language arts and math.

Nancy spent 28 years as an elementary school administrator in Fairport, NY.  During that time she was principal of a grades 4-6 school for 13 years and principal of a K-6 school for 15 years.  In 1997 she was inducted into the Fairport High school Wall of Fame in honor of her service in Fairport and in 1996-97 she received the Fairport Administrator of the year award.

In addition to her classroom and supervisory roles, Nancy has worked with student teachers at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.  She has also been involved in mentoring first year administrators in the Rush Henrietta and Fairport School Districts.

Nancy has an abundance of experience as presenter at staff development conferences, at teacher and paraprofessional workshops, and at parent programs.  Topics have included Application of Brain Research in Classroom Instruction, Parent-Teacher Conferencing, Shared Decision Making, Learning Styles, Improving Reading Comprehension, Parents and Kids in Touch and Guaranteeing Student Success.

Working with students, parents, teachers, and paraprofessionals motivated Nancy to develop presentations which directly impact the quality of student learning and achievement in our schools.  

Pat Mahan

Pat Mahan has earned B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Education. Her career includes thirty-five years experience teaching students at the primary and intermediate grade levels. She has supervised student teachers at SUNY Cortland. Using her own years of experience as a guide, she enjoyed the opportunity to share ideas and practical strategies teachers could implement in their classrooms.

Her current educational involvement is with Nazareth College's Graduate Inclusive Childhood Education Program. In addition to working with student teachers, she has also coordinated and taught seminars on a variety of topics.

Seminar topics included Effective Communication, Best Teaching Practices, and Learning Styles. In addition, she taught a course at Nazareth College on the history and philosophy of education.

Nancy and Pat  continue to be committed to working with teachers, parents, and school support personnel to help them meet the challenges of preparing today’s students for the 21st century.

By creating and presenting workshops as a team, they share the knowledge acquired through teaching and involvement in the educational field. Nancy and Pat know that together, educators and parents can and will make a difference.

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