LEWISTON – Some summer session courses for teachers at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College are still open for registration. The classes, which begin later this month or in July, are offered through USM’s College of Education and Human Development and the Professional Development Center.

Registration is open through the first week of classes. For advising and registration assistance, call the college at 753-6500. Complete summer and fall course listings are available on-line at usm.maine.edu/lac.

EDU 513, Adolescent Literature: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, June 23 to July 10, 3 to 7 p.m. The course is designed for middle or secondary teachers who wish to develop a deeper understanding of literature for adolescents and who needs to learn how to help young people read widely. Attention will be given to the dynamics of adolescence, individualizing reading, standards of selection and creative methods of introducing books.

EDUX 654, Dialogues in Diversity, Thursday and Wednesday, June 26 July 2, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The course will explore what it means to be a culturally responsive educator in an increasingly diverse, democratic society. The course will challenge mono-cultural attitudes and assumptions that can leave students feeling unappreciated, silenced or marginalized. Readings, conversations and questionings will be enhanced by encounters with the arts and other active learning experiences

EPA 527, Poetry in the Classroom, Thursday and Wednesday, July 17 23, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The course will explore the rich poetic resources available to teachers and students in today’s classrooms. An in-depth view of contemporary poets writing for juvenile audiences, representing a diversity of cultures and poetic forms, will be provided. Teachers will learn activities that guide students to write poetry with enthusiasm and regard for form.

EPA 548, Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Monday to Friday, July 7 to 11, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The course, for school counselors, administrators and teachers, will teach conflict resolution and mediation skills. Participants will improve skills of collaborative negotiation and mediation, learning how to be a neutral third-party facilitator. Emphasis is on active listening, discovering biases, maintaining neutrality, collaborative problem solving, breaking impasse and consensus building.

EPA 549, Critical and Creative Thinking, Monday to Friday, July 21 to 25, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The course is designed for educators committed to developing creative thinking skills for all ability learners in the classroom. Many of the skills presented respond directly to the guiding principles stated in the Maine Learning Results. The course content includes identifying elements of critical and creative thinking; utilizing instructional strategies and graphic organizers; adapting instruction in order to create flexible, interactive and authentic activities; and developing rubrics to assess levels of thinking.