Our Spotlight Sessions: Webinars for Educators provide evidence-based effective teaching strategies, tools, and resources for students with language-based learning disabilities, which fall under the broad category of specific learning disabilities (SLD). Our monthly webinars will each feature a new and timely topic, and participants will have the opportunity to earn a one-hour professional development certificate.
All sessions take place live via Zoom and consist of a one-hour, overview of a specific topic with an opportunity for Q&A at the end. All webinars cost $25, unless otherwise noted.
This fall, we are excited to announce our Reading Webinar Series! We hope that you will join us for one—or several—of our webinars based on the science of reading. Topics include reading fluency, decoding, dyslexia, and more.
Chase Collins and Natalia Harrison
Wednesday September 22, 2021, at 4 p.m. Eastern
Students need explicit instruction around basic and advanced decoding skills. In this webinar, we will cover the following strategies, skills, and expectancies designed to help develop a student’s decoding, automaticity, and vocabulary:
1) Creating a shared language between the teacher and the student.
2) Following a logical scope and sequence to build on learned patterns and skills.
3) Combining encoding and decoding instruction.
4) Using error analysis to inform future lessons.
5) Spiraling back to previously learned ideas and expectancies throughout the year in order to determine mastery.
6) Utilizing discovery-based instruction.
Dr. Nate Doty and Dr. Brian Willoughby
Tuesday September 28, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern
This free webinar is generously sponsored by the Bilezikian Family Foundation.
This webinar focuses on the critical importance of neuropsychological testing in the diagnosis of language-based learning disabilities. Drs. Doty and Willoughby will demystify the neuropsychological evaluation process, as well as provide concrete and practical applications of testing for students with suspected learning concerns. Evidence-based neuropsychological tests will be reviewed and critically examined. Further, the presenters will discuss how evaluations can effectively translate into recommendations and targets for intervention for students with language-based learning challenges.
Chase Collins and Natalia Harrison
Wednesday October 13, 2021 at 4 p.m. Eastern
(Registration will open soon)
Reading fluency instruction is usually put aside after early primary grades in order to focus more on comprehension. However, much current research argues that they should continue to be taught together. Although automaticity is important when reading and rate is an indication of immediate word recognition, it should not be the sole purpose of our reading fluency instruction. Additionally, the way one reads orally is likely the way one reads silently. Prosody is an essential skill and requires direct instruction. In this webinar, we will discuss how instruction in reading fluency can improve fluent reading, comprehension, and overall reading proficiency at all levels and provide strategies for doing so.
Kaia Cunningham
Wednesday October 27, 2021, at 4 p.m. Eastern
(Registration will open soon)
Participants will learn the definition of dyslexia and the impacts of this common specific learning disability (SLD) on the middle and high school classroom. This webinar will also cover best practices to structure content to help high and middle school students manage the increase in pace, volume, and complexity of assignments and content. Additionally, participants will be shown sample lessons and explore ways to break down assignments to best support their student’s learning needs.
Meghan Sebens
Tuesday November 9, 2021, at 4 p.m. Eastern
(Registration will open soon)
Reading fluency is considered a student’s ability to accurately read connected text with appropriate pacing and prosody (phrasing and expression). Often, students are not able to apply decoding skills in context with automaticity. Phrase-level practice allows students to build word recognition skills and apply them to increasingly larger chunks of text. In this webinar, specific phrase-level strategies and activities will be demonstrated. Implications for all areas of fluency (accuracy, rate, and phrasing/expression) will be discussed.
Beth Dietze
Tuesday December 7, 2021, at 4 p.m. Eastern
(Registration will open soon)
This webinar for educators will focus on explaining what orthographic mapping is and why it is important for efficient and effortless word recognition. We’ll explore the skills students need in order to be automatic word readers and learn strategies that support the necessary components of this process.
Also, check out our Resources page for information and strategies to help you structure remote learning to support all students.
The Decoding Toolkit: Creating a Shared Language
Wednesday, September 22 at 4 PM Eastern
This webinar will share strategies, skills, and expectancies designed to help develop a student’s decoding, automaticity, and vocabulary.
Register Now!Diagnosing Students with Language-Based Learning Disabilities: The Critical Role of Neuropsychological Testing
Tuesday, September 28 at 5:30 PM Eastern
This free webinar focuses on the critical importance of neuropsychological testing in the diagnosis of language-based learning disabilities.
Register Now!
