New Research and Applications for Teaching Reading Workshop
February 27, 2021 - March 6, 2021
Dates:
February 27th - March 6th, 2021
Final Project due Sunday, March 14th, 2021 at 11:59 pm
Registration Fee: $495
Group/Team Discount (2 or more): Contact cps@tc.columbia.edu
Units Awarded: 12 Clock Hours, 12 CTLEs
Overview
The purpose of this online, two-week non-credit Workshop is to provide educators with insight and practice with teaching applications that stem from most recent research for teaching struggling readers, including English Learners. The Workshop’s teaching applications for both assessment and intervention are designed primarily for students reading below grade level expectations from the primary grades through high school as well as adult learners enrolled in literacy programs. The activities presented in this Workshop are appropriate for in-person or remote implementation.
The reading areas addressed in this workshop program offer seminal and more recent perspectives on the following: assessment and intervention implications of updated models of reading; phonemic awareness and word recognition; vocabulary and reading fluency; comprehension of both narrative and informational text; and academic language.
This twelve-hour Workshop is divided into six major topic sessions involving several reading assessment and/or intervention strategies that can be applied and modified for use in teaching readers who perform below grade level expectations. Sessions will be asynchronous and participants are encouraged to work at their own pace during the two weeks the Workshop is open, including weekends. The workshop’s introductory session provides an overview of updated models of reading (Nation, 2019; Tunmer & Hoover, 2019) that serves as the structure for guiding practitioners’ assessment and intervention of reading skills for use in the Workshop’s other topic sessions. Participants must submit a final project based on at least one session topic that aligns with their current educational placement. Teaching applications are appropriate for in-person and remote delivery. The Workshop will conclude with participant reflection and evaluation of their activities and work on their practice.
Audience
This Workshop is appropriate for experienced general education classroom teachers, special education teachers, content area teachers, academic intervention specialists and reading specialists, coaches, and other educational professionals who provide services to struggling readers or related training to teachers on reading assessment and intervention for this population. The Workshop’s teaching applications are designed primarily for students reading below grade level expectations from the primary grades through high school. By extension, the Workshop is also appropriate for teachers of adults who are participating in basic literacy programs or preparation programs to sit for the TASC.
Demand
The demand for the workshop’s content and activities stems from the continued and consistent presence of struggling readers, including those who do not speak English as their primary language, in classrooms throughout the country. Teachers and related professionals are faced with choosing among products promoted by commercial publishers and some “tried and true” practices which do not effectively address the needs of these students. The workshop offers updated, research-based perspectives on assessing and addressing the needs of struggling readers across several of the five reading pillars and extends those practices to academic language.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this Workshop, participants will:
- Be knowledgeable about the findings of current research on models of reading, assessment and intervention and their implications for struggling readers
- Gain a working understanding of strategies that can be used to assess and/or improve for word recognition and spelling, fluency, comprehension, and academic language in reading. These strategies are appropriate for use in remote teaching as well as in-person application.
- Create one comprehensive lesson series for at least one major skill area suitable for use in their classrooms and/or teaching practice
- Have a more informed stance on differentiating instruction, particularly for those who struggle.
Participant Activities
In addition to reviewing narrated lecture slides, videos and readings, participants will be responsible for completing brief, reflection activities within each of the six Workshop modules. These short activities are designed to foster engagement with course content connect it to current professional responsibilities. At the completion of the Workshop, participants will be required to submit a lesson unit based on at least one of the session module topics that relates to current professional placement. This final project will be due within a week after the Workshop closes and no later than Sunday, March 14 th , 2021 at 11:59 pm EST.
Requirements
Participants will be required to complete all brief reflections for each module and submit a relevant Final Project. There is no partial credit towards clock hours or CTLEs for partial participation of the course. All six module reflection activities must be submitted before the Workshop closes on March 6 th , 2021 at 11:59 pm EST, and the Final Project is due within a week of the closing or by Sunday, March 14th, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST.
