2026 April QuickStart: Five Steps Toward Teaching Heaven Book Study

Join us for April's 2026 MSTA "Beyond the Book" Club Book Study, featuring QuickStart: Five Steps Toward Teaching Heaven by Chris Biffel.

Participants are responsible for obtaining their own copy of this month's text before the beginning of the book study to order; click here.

In this book study, we will focus on Whole Brain Teaching Founder Chris Biffle's most recent book: QuickStart: Five Steps Toward Teaching Heaven. Our focus will be:

• Understanding brain facts and how they impact instruction
• Int

 Facilitator Laura Forehand is a wife, mother to three adult children, and Mimi to four grandchildren. She is currently a third-grade teacher at Rock Port Elementary in Northwest Missouri with a passion for educational neuroscience, trauma-informed practices, and trauma-responsive practices in the classroom.  She enjoys volunteering her time moderating conferences for the Attachment and Trauma Network (ATN), as well as volunteer work for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR). 

Her teaching career spans 20 years, and she has had the opportunity to work with first, second, and now third-grade students. Laura's instructional technique is Whole Brain Teaching. She is passionate about this instructional practice because it allows students to learn, grow, and share using brain-researched kinesthetic movement. Whole Brain Teaching has been linked with greater connectivity and engagement, facilitating greater critical thinking skills and reducing classroom behavior issues.

📘 MSTA's Online Learning Platform

MSTA uses Teachable to host its online professional learning activities, including discussions, group work, and course materials.

What You’ll Find in the Course:

• Discussion Boards: Share insights and reflect with peers.
• Guiding Questions & Tasks: Apply key ideas from readings.
• Asynchronous Format: Participate anytime, anywhere.

​​🧭 Getting Started with Teachable

First-Time Participant?

Check your email for a message from Teachable (sent to the address you used when registering). Follow the link to confirm your email and set your password. Your course will appear under "My Products."

Returning Participant?

Log in using your email and password from a previous course to access your dashboard.

​💬 Course Expectations

• Attend Zoom networking sessions to connect and collaborate.
• Complete assignments that link course concepts to your classroom practice.
• Access to course resources continues after the course ends.

🎓 PD Certification

At the end of the book study, participants who complete all course requirements and attend the Zoom meetings will receive 8 hours of PD. Certificates are found in your Teachable account. 

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