New Research and Applications for Teaching Reading

New Research and Applications for Teaching Reading Workshop

July 8 - 28, 2024
New Research and Applications for Teaching Reading Workshop

Dates:  July 8 - 28, 2024

Where: Online asynchronous workshop

Registration Fee: $595

Group/Team Discount (5 or more):
25% off the registration fee, please contact cps@tc.columbia.edu to register

Units Awarded: 20 Clock Hours, 20 CTLEs

Questions? Contact cps@tc.columbia.edu

If you're interested in earning graduate credit and NYS Literacy Certification, check out the Advanced Certificate in Literacy. Please note, while the non-credit workshop New Research and Applications for Teaching Reading is open to a broad audience (see Audience Tab below) the Advanced Certificate is designed for classroom teachers who already possess a master’s degree and certification in a teaching area who wish to gain additional expertise working with struggling readers and writers in their own schools and related professional contexts.

Overview

This online, non-credit workshop is designed for those experienced literacy professionals who wish to “catch up” with what’s new in the field of reading research and add to their teaching tool box with updated perspectives on interventions based on this research. 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 theoretical models of reading; speech to print methodologies for phonemic awareness, word recognition, and spelling; vocabulary and reading fluency; newer research suggestions for teaching inference; summarization and self-questioning in comprehension; and academic language.

This twenty-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 three weeks the workshop is open. 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 general education classroom teachers, special education teachers, content area teachers, academic intervention specialists and reading specialists, coaches, and other educational professionals who have prior experience providing services to struggling readers or related training to teachers on reading assessment and intervention for this population. It is not appropriate for those who want a basic introduction to teaching reading to struggling students. 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 the traditional 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 lesson unit 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 the workshop content and 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 when the Workshop closes on Sunday, July 28th, 2024 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 workshop. All six module reflection activities must be submitted before the Workshop closes on July 28th at 11:59 pm EST. The Final Project is also due before the Workshop closes on July 28th, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST.

Facilitator

Susan Masullo Image

Susan Garni Masullo, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Advanced Certificate in Literacy offered within the programs in Applied Sciences of Learning and Special Education at Teachers College. Formerly, she was the Director of the Reading Practicums in the Reading Specialist Program at Teachers College. Prior to coming to TC, Dr. Masullo had an extensive career as a reading/learning specialist working with children, adolescents and adults who struggle with literacy as well as academic and learning tasks. Her professional interests involve the clinical applications of research to literacy assessment and intervention across the lifespan. She is frequently asked to consult in K-12 schools and professional organizations on reading, writing, and learning disabilities, and presents at conferences on related topics. She currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the New York Branch of The Reading League. In her free time, she enjoys maintaining a small private practice working with older adolescents and adults.

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