Target Audience: Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Administrators
Thinking Maps is a set of 8 visual patterns that correlate to specific cognitive processes. Based on the building blocks of brain-based learning, they are used across all grades and content areas to build critical thinking, problem-solving, comprehension, and communication skills necessary for academic success in every domain.
Participants will gain:
- Overview of Theory, Research Basis
- Introduction to the Defining Characteristics of Thinking Maps
- Learning the Thinking Maps: 8 Visual Patterns for Critical Thinking – Asking Questions
- Strategies for Developing Independent Learners: Teaching the Maps to Students
Participants will receive a copy of Thinking Maps: A Language for Learning, 2nd Ed. Teacher’s Guide.
Fee: $125.oo for Member Districts; $200.00 for Non-Member Districts
6 Hours PD/EILA Credit
Contact holly.lawrence@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Teachers (all grades), Instructional Coaches, Administrators
Step into the vibrant world of EduProtocols in this interactive professional learning experience! Inspired by The EduProtocols Field Guide, Volume 1, this session will guide you through flexible, high-impact lesson frames that engage students in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Just like a Mardi Gras parade, each EduProtocol adds energy, movement, and excitement to your classroom.
Participants will:
- Explore the “why” behind EduProtocols and their role in driving student engagement.
- Experience several protocols firsthand in a fun, hands-on way.
- Walk away with actionable templates and strategies ready to implement immediately.
Join the parade and bring the celebration of learning to your classroom—complete with actionable tools to boost student participation and collaboration! All participants will receive a copy of the anchor text The EduProtocols Field Guide, Volume 1 as well.
6 Hours PD/EILA Credit
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Teachers (all grades), Instructional Coaches, Administrators
Step into the vibrant world of EduProtocols in this interactive professional learning experience! Inspired by The EduProtocols Field Guide, Volume 1, this session will guide you through flexible, high-impact lesson frames that engage students in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Just like a Mardi Gras parade, each EduProtocol adds energy, movement, and excitement to your classroom.
Participants will:
- Explore the “why” behind EduProtocols and their role in driving student engagement.
- Experience several protocols firsthand in a fun, hands-on way.
- Walk away with actionable templates and strategies ready to implement immediately.
Join the parade and bring the celebration of learning to your classroom—complete with actionable tools to boost student participation and collaboration! All participants will receive a copy of the anchor text The EduProtocols Field Guide, Volume 1 as well.
6 Hours PD/EILA Credit
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Grade 6-12 Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Literacy Specialists/Coaches
Books, Brews, & Bold Conversations for Secondary Classrooms ☕📚
Join us at CKEC’s Harrodsburg location for a one-day professional development experience designed for 6–12 ELA teachers who want to infuse their classrooms with curiosity, conversation, and connection. Imagine your classroom as a lively coffee shop—where essential questions spark curiosity, sustained inquiry fuels deep discussion, and whole-class novels become the rich blend that keeps learning steaming hot. Together, we’ll explore how to make books, questions, and conversations the heart of your teaching, all while aligning with the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Reading and Writing.
During this interactive session, you’ll:
- Brew powerful essential questions that spark curiosity and conversation;
- Stir up strategies for creating a culture where dialogue thrives;
- Connect inquiry and rich conversations directly to the KAS for Reading and Writing;
- Discover how whole-class novels can build a foundation for dynamic student-led book clubs; and
- Taste-test approaches to enhance engagement and critical thinking.
Leave with your own personalized recipe for bringing books, questions, and conversations to life in your classroom. The first 20 participants will receive a free copy of Whole Novels for the Whole Class by Ariel Sacks and A Novel Approach by Kate Roberts—your perfect blend for an engaging school year.
6 Hours PD/EILA Credit
Contact sherra.caudill@ckec.org with questions.
Target Audience: Teachers, Facilitators, ARC Chairs, PLC Leaders, School/District Administrators, Instructional Coaches, Interventionists
Cognitive Coaching℠ is a form of mediation that can be applied to professional interactions in a variety of settings and situations with the intention of enhancing self-directed learning. It is a composite of skills, strategies, maps, and tools, as well as mental models and beliefs. It is also a model for classroom mediation to enhance students’ self-directed learning. Research on Cognitive Coaching℠ has linked its implementation to increased student achievement, greater teacher efficacy and satisfaction, higher levels of teacher cognition, and professional, collaborative cultures.
This is the 8-day Foundational Training and is presented only in a face-to-face format. Participants will develop an understanding of three structured conversations focusing on planning, reflecting, and problem resolving. In addition, they will develop knowledge and skills for expanding teacher thinking.
EILA will be applied for each day.
$1,000 Fee
1/15/2026, 1/16/2026, 2/12/2026, 2/13/2026, 3/32026, 3/42026, 3/26/2026, 3/27/2026
NOTE: There is a minimum number of participants required for this training. Registrants will be notified no later than December 19 if the training will be cancelled.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers, Counselors, Administrators, Special Ed
CKEC and SESC invite you to partner with us for the Virtual Parent & Family Engagement Cadre.
Join us virtually from 9:00–10:30 am EST on 10/23/25, 11/20/25, 12/18/25, 1/22/26, 2/26/26, 3/26/26, and 4/23/26. Together, we will explore resources and share ideas to strengthen the inclusion of parents and families in students’ school experiences. Sessions will feature guest speakers who are experts in family and community engagement, as well as opportunities to connect with participants across the region to highlight and learn from practices that are working in schools.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers working with students with IEPs, Co-Teachers, Interventionists, Instructional Coaches, Resource Teachers
Unlocking Literacy: Cracking Multisyllabic Words– Big words don’t have to be big barriers. In this session, learn simple, powerful strategies to help students break down and read multisyllabic words with confidence and independence.
Two hours of PD credit will be awarded for participation in this virtual session. For questions, contact erica.price@ckec.org.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers working with students with IEPs, Co-Teachers, Interventionists, Instructional Coaches, Resource Teachers
Unlocking Literacy: Building Fluency for Comprehension– Fluency is the bridge between decoding and understanding. This session highlights practical methods to help adolescents read smoothly and expressively so they can focus on making meaning.
Two hours of PD credit will be awarded for participation in this virtual session. For questions, contact erica.price@ckec.org.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers working with students with IEPs, Co-Teachers, Interventionists, Instructional Coaches, Resource Teachers
Unlocking Literacy: Strategies for Powerful Vocabulary– Vocabulary is the key to deeper comprehension across all subjects. This session offers research-based strategies for teaching word meanings in ways that stick and transfer to new learning.
Two hours of PD credit will be awarded for participation in this virtual session. For questions, contact erica.price@ckec.org.
Target Audience: General Education Teachers working with students with IEPs, Co-Teachers, Interventionists, Instructional Coaches, Resource Teachers
Unlocking Literacy: Helping Students Read It, Think It, Write It– Reading and writing work best when connected. In this session, discover strategies that help students turn what they understand from text into strong, thoughtful written responses
Two hours of PD credit will be awarded for participation in this virtual session. For questions, contact erica.price@ckec.org.
