Introduction

Since 1996 Steve has taught his Eight Essentials to local educators through a UCLA Extension course entitled “The Eight Keys to Classroom Quality.” Recently, the course underwent a format change and is now available exclusively as an online class. This workshop is available in a variety of time formats, ranging from hour-long conference sessions to multiple-day course offerings.

UCLA Extension Course Description

The Eight Keys to Classroom Quality comprise a comprehensive approach to organizing and managing classrooms at any level. Come discover the promise these principles hold for improving the effectiveness of your teaching. Help your students develop positive habits and take greater responsibility for their own learning. Establish high expectations for your class while still preserving student enjoyment and love of learning. Bring out the best in your students by establishing an environment of trust, respect, and cooperation. Learn strategies for increasing students’ self-esteem, confidence, and intrinsic motivation. Empower your students by involving them in group problem solving and in the process of continuously improving your daily classroom life. Examine the connections that exist between these ideas and such current topics as differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences, parental involvement, and authentic assessment.

Endorsement Statements for the Course

• “This class has great success.” -Mervat Fam, Program Representative for UCLA Extension

Feedback from Previous Students

• “This has been the best class that I have taken while at UCLA Extension. Excellent!”


• “After completing 45 units in Education over the past year I can say beyond question that this class, as well as the instructor was the best. I learned information that is truly applicable to my everyday life, both personally and professionally.


• "Steve Reifman is an exceptional instructor. He clearly strives to be an outstanding educator in his elementary classroom and he sets a high standard for us as educators to follow. He should be proud of his continued efforts to improve his own teaching styles and know that his efforts are helping to change the lives of children and educators all over the city.”


• “I have not come across someone who values students as much as Steve does.”


• “Steve was fantastic! This class was highly informative, interesting, and motivational. He is a great presenter and welcomed class participation and contributions. Well done!”


• “The class was very fulfilling, organized and professional. I appreciate your effort and enthusiasm. Thanks.”


• “Great course! Thank you for teaching such a valuable class to educators.”


• “What an outstanding course! I’m thrilled to implement ideas from this course into my own classroom! Mr. Reifman was quite professional and consistently positive. He’s a great role model for all teachers!”


• “I was impressed with the course and the instructor. The information was very valuable.”


• “This is the best course I’ve taken. All teachers should be a part of this course. We would solve a lot of problems in education if we began implementing the philosophies of this course.”


• “Steve was so knowledgeable and very thoughtful about his subject. It was clearly a subject dear to his heart. He was genuine in his commitment to students and to bettering the educational process.”


• “His experience, especially research, is very extensive. He was able to support his theories fully.”


• “I will recommend Mr. Reifman to my colleagues.”


• “Should be required for all teachers.”


• “He set a very good example for the kind of teacher I’d like to be.”


• “You come out inspired.”


• “Great class. Mr. Reifman is a very dedicated teacher. He gives me hope for the future.”

• Course Text: Eight Essentials for Empowered Teaching and Learning, K-8: Bringing Out the Best in Your Students (2008, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.)

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This activity-based workshop is intended for classroom teachers who are looking to incorporate music, movement, and storytelling strategies into their standards-based instruction to improve student learning and transform their overall classroom environment. Strategies that incorporate movement, music, and storytelling offer unparalleled novelty, interest, stimulation, excitement, and joy, and as a result, students become emotionally involved in these activities, pay more attention, remember better, and, in short, learn better. In addition, the activities featured improve class morale, build self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning, and increase feelings of student “connectedness” to the class and to one another. Specifically, this session focuses on the following topics:

• A morning movement warm-up routine that prepares students mentally and physically to have a productive school day by helping them achieve an ideal mindset for learning - calm, relaxed, focused, and confident.


• Teaching math, language arts, social studies, and science content through “concept-embedded movement.” In the examples presented, the activity itself features a type of movement that represents, matches, or embodies the meaning of the content students are expected to learn. Thus, when students move around and participate in the activity, they are actually bringing the content to life.


• Using “Piggyback” Songs to Entrain New Learning. Includes fifteen songs that set academic content to music to help students learn and memorize information.


• Scheduling short “Movement Breaks” between academic activities to allow time for children to process new learning, catch their breath, and recharge their batteries. This section describes a series of engaging, user-friendly Movement Breaks that reenergize the room, increase the sense of connection students feel to one another and to the class, and simply make everyone happier and more cheerful. Three categories of Movement Breaks are addressed: individual, partner, and those involving objects.


• Incorporating rhythms, chants, and movement stories into the curriculum. This part focuses on two broad categories of teaching strategies consistent with the well-known Total Physical Response (TPR) approach that aids students in their understanding of academic concepts through the use of hand and body movements. The first features short, simple rhythms and chants that help children learn information and transfer it to long-term memory. Movement stories (a newer, lesser-known strategy) enable teachers to harness the power of storytelling to great advantage in our efforts to provide novel, multi-modal instruction to our students. In a movement story children learn, practice, and review important knowledge and skills in a meaningful, engaging context.

Feedback from Previous Students

• “I have not come across someone who values students as much as Steve does.”


• “Steve Reifman is an exceptional instructor. He clearly strives to be an outstanding educator in his elementary classroom and he sets a high standard for us as educators to follow. He should be proud of his continued efforts to improve his own teaching styles and know that his efforts are helping to change the lives of children and educators.”


• “I will recommend Mr. Reifman to my colleagues.”


• “He set a very good example for the kind of teacher I’d like to be.”


• “You come out inspired.”


• “Mr. Reifman is a very dedicated teacher. He gives me hope for the future.”

Contact