On-demand webinars
Structured Literacy Strategies to Help Students in Grades 4-12
We are joined by the team at Halifax Learning and Andrew Francis in this webinar which will give educators working with youth in grades 4-12 tools and intervention strategies grounded in structured literacy, to support struggling readers. Our goal is to provide real-time examples of how educators can address word reading, fluency, and comprehension building in full classroom scenarios. And if there is a roadblock, what to do next.
Transitioning Your Student with Dyslexia to High School
In this webinar Alicia Smith and Michael Karras, who is dyslexic, an ADHD educator and vice principal, discuss how to help your student with dyslexia transition to high school. This is intended for families with children in grades 6-8. After watching the webinar you might like to check out Michael's podcast. This webinar was recorded on June 1st, 2023.
Spotlight Series: Implementing the Right To Read with the Near North District School Board
Stephen Krause, Christopher Walking and Kara Macie share some of the challenges and successes in implementation of the Right to Read recommendations and their journey of implementation towards a district-wide adoption of literacy practices in alignment with the Science of Reading. They will also discuss their timeline of the work, intentional moves, resources used across the system, as well what they believe their next steps to be.
Defending your Child's Right to Read: Understanding your legal options
In this workshop, we explored the definition of discrimination, the legal obligations of school boards, and the steps you can take as a parent if your child has been denied access to necessary support at school.
Spotlight Series: Re-culturing literacy instruction in a Nova Scotia school
Andrew Francis, Principal, of New Glasgow Academy in Nova Scotia, and members of his school team will discuss their initiative to improve student outcomes by creating a culture shift within their school. They will share their strategies, challenges and lessons learned. This is a must-watch episode for principals!
Spotlight Series: Barriers, Myths and Successes
A conversation among three experienced educators and teacher educators, sharing their varied perspectives and their work as a literacy improvement team in both provincial and First Nation school contexts. Featuring Dr. Julia O’Sullivan, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Steven Styers Principal of Hillside Elementary at Kettle at Stony Point First Nation and Vaughan Stoyka an educator with over 40 years of experience in special education, second language acquisition, teacher training, school improvement, and curriculum development.
Spotlight Series: Implementing large-scale system change
Alberta has recently rolled out a new language curriculum and universal screening program. Dr. George Georgiou, of the University of Alberta and Mike McMann, Superintendent of the Fort Vermilion School Division, will join us to discuss their experiences implementing large-scale system change. They will discuss the challenges they have faced and the solutions that have been effective in improving outcomes for Alberta students.
Dyslexia awareness for teachers
As a teacher do you have questions about dyslexia? Are you uncertain how to approach parents if you suspect a student may have dyslexia? Do you want to learn more about how to positively engage the students with dyslexia in your class? Join us for this webinar with Sarah Cassidy, special assignment teacher from the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board in Eastern Ontario. Sarah will help unpack these topics and answer your questions.
What does a "good" IEP look like?
Many parents come to us asking what should go into an IEP. Often, IEPs are cut-and-paste exercises with vague goals that are difficult for parents and caregivers to understand and teachers to actually implement. Join Dr. Garforth as she goes through various case studies of actual student IEPs to discuss:
How to set expectations and goals
The difference between modifications and accommodations
What are effective strategies that a teacher can actually implement
How to assess progress
Prioritizing accommodations to make the most impact
Find out more about Dr. Garforth here.
Getting ready for your IEP Meeting
Getting ready for and going to an IEP (Individual Education Plan) meeting can be stressful, intimidating, and frustrating. From understanding the psych-ed report to knowing what expectations/objectives should be achieved by the end of the year, prior preparation is essential.
Join Dr. Kathryn Garforth as she reviews the nuts and bolts of an IEP, what to expect at your meeting and how best to prepare for it.
Dr. Garforth has professional expertise in Educational Psychology, earning a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education, and a Ph.D. In Special Education with a learning disabilities concentration. Dr. Garforth now dedicates her time to assisting families to find and understand their unique learning profiles and guiding them on their educational journey.
Find out more about Dr Garforth here.
When Your Child Struggles to Read: Building Your Support Team
Whether your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia or not, failing to meet reading milestones can be scary, stressful and overwhelming for parents and caregivers. Parents and caregivers often feel alone or at a loss of what to do. Building and creating the proper support network is critical to helping children succeed in learning to read. Our panel of parents, teachers and reading specialists will discuss the roles each party can play in supporting a child who struggles to read. They will also discuss examples and tips on how to build an effective, responsive and supportive team.
Literacy development: The how and why of reading out loud to kids
There are many ways that we can encourage literacy development. One of the most beneficial things that parents, caregivers and teachers can do is to read aloud to kids. The benefits of this don’t just stop with pre-readers - children of all ages can benefit! In this webinar, Dr. Sandra Jack-Malik will focus on reading aloud to children as an opportunity to develop phonological awareness**. We will begin with a review of what phonological awareness is and why it is the foundation of reading. This will be followed by a reading of sections of a children's book to demonstrate how to use the content to support the development of the skills needed for phonological awareness.
**Phonological awareness is "the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of sentences and words. Examples include being able to identify words that rhyme, recognizing alliteration, segmenting a sentence into words, identifying the syllables in a word, and blending and segmenting onset-rimes" definition from Reading Rockets.
Assistive technology and tools for students & adults with dyslexia
For many people with dyslexia, tasks that require reading or writing can be challenging. Fortunately, there are now many apps, platforms and technologies that can assist. These tools can be helpful for both students and adults to “level the playing field”, assist in productivity in day-to-day activities, and even make the task of reading and writing more enjoyable...
This session will provide an overview and walk-through of some of the more common (and free) apps and technology that you might find useful such as speech-to-text; text-to-speech; note-taking; and digital libraries.
Getting ready to read: preparing your preschooler for reading and writing
Literacy development starts early in life and is usually connected with school achievement. Even before a child starts school, there are many things that parents and guardians can do at home to help prepare young children for their reading and writing journey.
In this webinar, Dr. Sandra Jack-Malik will discuss a few common concerns and provide examples of activities parents and guardians can do with their preschoolers and early elementary students. From playing games, singing songs, and listening to their favourite story being read, this session will look at how you can add activities that will address a few key skills such as oral language, knowing the sounds and the related alphabet symbols, and knowledge of print.
Supporting reading at home
For parents and caregivers of children with dyslexia, supporting their reading development at home can be challenging at the best of times. Parents are told to ensure their children are reading appropriate material every day but beyond giving a set number of minutes a child should look at a book, not much guidance is given on what they should read or how. Our speakers will help you navigate the world of appropriate and accessible content.
Access the content from the webinar here:
Using assistive technology to create an inclusive classroom
Schools, teachers, and students are increasingly able to access and apply assistive technology to enhance inclusion within mainstream classrooms. To ensure that a classroom is truly inclusive, teachers and other professionals involved in supporting children with disabilities using assistive technology require appropriate knowledge and skills to bring potential to reality.
IEPs and the IPRC : Preparing yourself and your child for the 2020-2021 school year
COVID-19 may have changed the way your child attends school but human rights obligations of education service providers have not changed. Accommodations such as individual education programs continue to apply and must reflect the current needs of students with disabilities, including dyslexia. If you are interested in learning about how disabilities are identified and addressed or you wonder how to go about reviewing, revising or ensuring implementation of this type of accommodation, join us for a practical walk-through into the world of inclusive education for students with disabilities.
This program contains information relevant for all parents and children in Canada but focuses on the jurisdictions in which our speakers practice: Ontario and British Columbia.
Access the content from the webinar here:
Disability Tax Credit : Are learning disabilities such as dyslexia eligible?
Hosted on June 18, 2020, our Executive Director Christine Staley and our experts provided an overview of the Disability Tax Credit, including the eligibility criteria and process, and specifically addressed when learning disabilities such as dyslexia may be eligible. They also looked at what information parents can prepare to assist the medical professional who completes the application. Finally, we looked at one of the benefits of the DTC – the Registered Disabilities Savings Plan.