Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is this course in line with the funding specifications of The No Child Left Behind Act?
   

   Yes. Thus, you can usually get approval for NCLB requirements. To quote from the NCLB document [by page/Section], this online course works to:
   "…increase student academic achievement through strategies such as improving teacher quality [25]"; "provide professional development activities that will improve the knowledge of teachers …effective instructional strategies, methods, and skills [26]"; "provide training in methods of improving student behavior in the classroom [26]"; "help retention of highly qualified teachers [26]"; "help the induction and support of teachers…during their first three years of employment [26]"; "provide professional development…that trains teachers to integrate technology into curricula and instruction to improve teaching…as through the use of technology and distance learning [27]."

   Also: the course/textbook is research based [Section 9101.37]; it involves:
   "the application of rigorous systematic objective procedures…empirical methods, rigorous data analysis (See: chapters 2 and 5 of textbook)"; "…allowance for replication, and acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal (See: Reviews of Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems);" "Sustained and intensive professional development, not a one-day workshop or conference [Section 9101.34]."
   

2. Will I get salary-increment credit for taking this course?
   

   Many accrediting institutions and school districts now offer such credit for online courses.

   First, ask your administration whether your school district offers "district credit" for some courses: credit for certain courses you take for salary increments thru your school district. Many school districts have a list of "approved courses" that may not necessarily have to be taken at a University.

   When you apply for credit for this course, you can tell your school that this online course is not only backed by Education World, but is also taught by a Professor Emeritus of an accredited university (About the Instructors), who is also a national consultant and author of a best selling Book and Training Video/CD on classroom management (Reviews). In addition, this training set is used in over 400 school districts in the U.S., and in over 30 countries world-wide.

   Many prefer to take this online course much better than taking a traditional college credit course.This online course is done in seven weeks, not fourteen weeks. There is no traveling; this course is done completely online at home, at your own convenience, any time, any where. You do not have to be at your computer at a specific time. And, you do not have to try to explain your problems in the public arena of a college class, if the college class even allows you time for that. Instead, you can discuss your individual problems online in total privacy, with no one in the class ever knowing who you are. Also, in this online class, you are not in a college class of 25 or more, but in a class of only about 6 students for total individual attention. And, you do not work on a college curriculum; instead, you work on YOUR SPECIFIC concerns regarding classroom management and discipline problems with individual help from Prof. Howard Seeman. You do not work on "theories", but on real, actual classroom situations. And there are no abstract Research Papers or Exams. A better, more helpful, more practical course - and in half the time! You also get to share with other experienced educators the same concerns that you have, and to form an online support group for your work now and in the future. You receive not only Certification in Classroom Management Skills, but a personal reference letter attesting to your earned skills for your use on your job or for a new job from a well known national consultant and author in this field. Finally, this online course is often less expensive than the typical college general course on: "classroom management." For more info. about this go to: What is Wrong with Traditional Teacher Education.

   The course and its completion credentials can be used to not only improve your actual classroom teaching, but also help you obtain a satisfactory evaluation for: tenure, released time to train other educators, or for applying for a better teaching position.
   

3. Will my school pay for this course?
   

   Some students have requested that their school pay for the course in line with the school's "professional development" funds. And, their schools have. If your school or school district has such funds, you can request that they pay some or part of these fees by using some of the information in question 2 above. Often, if several teachers from the same school take the course, the request is more honored.
   

4. Is the course tax deductible, or can I get a tax credit for the cost of the course?
   

   A teacher can usually claim a Hope Credit that can be claimed on the 1040A-- form 8863. See publication 970 to check the details to do this. Also, the course can usually be included as an itemized deduction (along with the $250 teacher supply allowance). To be sure, check with your accountant regarding your individual situation.
   

5. I am not very good at using a computer. Is that a problem?
   

   No.  If you know how to: send and receive email, type on any word-processor [Mac or Windows], and how to save your documents, you'll have no problem. However, if you do have a problem, the instructor is available to answer any of your technical questions via email. And, when that is not enough, the instructor will be available to talk to you by phone.
   

6. How do I pass this course to receive the Certificate and Letter of Reference?
   

   There are no Exams or Research Papers; this is not a traditional college graded course. The course is, instead, a seminar of professionals working to improve their teaching in the areas they choose, who also want to hear what other professionals are working on and have tried. If you take the whole seven-week course, do the guided readings, respond each week to the instructor's short assignments, and summarize your learning at the end of the course – you will complete the course satisfactorily, and receive the Certificate of Competency Training and The Letter of Reference.
   

7. Can you explain the costs a little better?
   
   
   • You need to pay the course Registration Fee: $338*
     And get the Course Materials:
   • The Book, which is $54.95
   • And, either the Video (for $89) or the CD (for $97), not both
     [The Video/CD demonstrates the points in the Book.]

   The total that you need to send is: $481.95 (with the Video) or $489.95 (with the CD).
   

   *If you are not completely satisfied with the course, the registration fee ($338) will be fully refunded, as long as your request for this refund is received via regular mail [not email] within 10 days after the start of the course. If this request is received after that time, Pro-Education Media cannot refund the Registration Fee [a policy that helps protect space for registrants for the start of each new Course Session.]
   

   There are no other fees to register for the course.
   (For fees regarding training to be a paid Instructor/Workshop Leader, click here.)
   

8. At what time(s) does the course meet? What time, dates, will I have to commit to?
   

   You do not have to make any particular committments regarding specific times or dates during the entire course. You will be able to share and discuss your problems, questions, at any time via email, or at the special Class Discussion site. Questions and comments will be posted there for you to go to any time that is best for you. All communications will be with total privacy and confidentiality using your own course nickname and password (Privacy Policy). Also, you will be able to communicate directly with the instructor via email any time, and have the instructor as your private consultant regarding any specific education problem. There are no required class time meetings, nor synchronous chats, unless, you, yourself, want to arrange that with one of your fellow students in the class.
   

9. Are online learning courses really effective?
   
   
   
   By  PIPER FOGG,  January 5, 2007

   ...data tend to show that student learning online is as effective as face to face...

   Harry Eiss, a professor of English at Eastern Michigan, extols the benefits of online teaching and learning. This January, Mr. Eiss is teaching an introductory literature course online to at least 80 students. Because there is no classroom setting, he strives hard to create an online relationship with students, using threaded discussions as well as individual e-mail messages.

   And to those who criticize online teaching, he responds that many students actually perform better and learn more online than in a regular class. For example, says Mr. Eiss, requiring multiple postings from every student forces even the most reticent to participate. At the same time, the format makes it less stressful for them to do so.

   "It's like a conversation, but there's a safety net," says Mr. Eiss. "E-mail allows people to think about what they're saying more." And that elevates discussion.

   Creating a productive and educational environment online takes time. On a busy day, Mr. Eiss is at his computer from about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., especially when he is grading assignments. Otherwise he checks in about twice a day to update the syllabus or respond to e-mail messages.

   "To a certain degree, it's flexible," he says. But Mr. Eiss says being constantly available means more work than a traditional class: "I put in 10 times as much in an online course. This is what people don't want to believe."

   ALSO SEE: THE CLASS PROCEDURES FOR THIS COURSE ON CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT.