Workshops & Webinars
Are you looking for continued education and professional development for your team, school, or organization? The following are workshops immediately available. If you have a specific topic, please get in touch with Candi for other options or for a tailored session for your group. Candi has worked with schools, private organizations, and even groups of tutors/therapists who wanted to learn more. All sessions are engaging, electronic handouts are provided, and the content will be immediately applicable to your classroom or sessions. Many sessions are available for CEU credit. Read more about the presenter.
To see workshops that are currently scheduled, visit Events. If you are interested in scheduling professional development, please read the descriptions below and then complete the form at the end.
No Need to Memorize!
Are you a parent, teacher, or tutor who is wading through all of the chatter surrounding “sight words”? Then join this workshop to learn more.
Research shows that memorizing words is not the path we need to take for reading. This includes high-frequency and irregular words. Strategies like partial decoding through finding patterns and relating to word origin are tools that will support our students in becoming proficient with these tricky words. English isn’t crazy after all!
If you are confused about or want to redefine irregular words, sight words, and high-frequency words join me to dive into research and practical application techniques. I will offer insight into the routine and resources I use to guide my students to success.
Taking the “Write” Steps
Systematic Handwriting Instruction to Support Learning
Handwriting should be included in the list of essential language skills. It is the kinesthetic connection that allows students to connect the sound and morphemes of our language into written symbols. This allows students to spell, compose, and communicate effectively.
So how do we teach these skills? Research shows it should be embedded into language lessons. Consistent instruction with ample practice will support students in developing effective handwriting.
In this session, we will briefly review research and look at additional resources for further study, discuss pre-writing skills and exercises to support development, and dive into instructional routines that support handwriting. Strategies for instruction, establishing proper grip, paper slant, and position will all be covered. See how small strokes make a big impact when it comes to learning!
Taking the “Write” Steps
Systematic Writing Instruction Ideas for the Elementary Learner
What does writing instruction look like for the elementary classroom? How can direct and explicit instruction be provided in the area of writing? What are some practical ideas to make writing instruction meaningful, and purposeful, but appropriate for an elementary learner?
Come explore all of these questions as we use the Orton-Gillingham principles and the Multisensory Structured Language approach to define and design ideas for writing instruction. The presenter will outline content that should be included and how it can be scaled to fit various age groups. An outline of how the content can be included in an Orton-Gillingham lesson plan will be provided. Participants will walk away with ideas for immediate implementation.
What Does It Mean?
Systematic Morphology Instruction for the Elementary Learner
Morphology instruction is not just for the older learner. In fact, it can begin earlier than you might think! It might not be as complex as instruction for an older student, but it can be effective. Understanding all components of language, including syllables and morphemes, will only enhance learning for our students. Morphology can be a powerful tool for increasing understanding and for word building!
In this session, participants will review the concepts of morphology and how to teach them appropriately for elementary age learners. Lesson samples and introductions will be discussed, and opportunities to see instructional routines for presenting new suffixes, prefixes, and beginning roots will be modeled.
Ample review and opportunities for application are important for the study of morphology. How do we layer in this review into our Orton-Gillingham and literacy lessons? Suggestions for implementation will be included. See how using the meaningful units of our language are one more tool in our instructional toolbox.
Start With a Plan
A Deep Dive Into Orton-Gillingham Lesson Planning and Implementation
Whether you are just navigating the OG lesson or you want to extend the layers you include in your lesson plan, this workshop is for you.
There are essential components to every Orton-Gillingham lesson that all have a specific reason for being included. The lesson plan is part of what makes the approach effective!
Revisit the procedures of each lesson component and see how subtle variety can be added without impacting purpose. Observe various resources and manipulatives that can be used in portions of the lesson plan. Practice instructional routines to ensure that your lessons are systematic, direct, and explicit. Review how to use diagnostic and prescriptive notes and your instructional progression to decide what to include in your lesson.
Walk away with increased understanding and confidence with how to plan an effective lesson with thoughtful inclusion of content and material.
Previous Orton-Gillingham or related training is strongly suggested.
Instructional Routines
How to Present Concepts in a Direct, Explicit, Systematic, and Multisensory Way
How you teach is as important as what you teach! When presenting new concepts, you should select your topic systematically so that it connects to previous learning or builds on previous knowledge. You should also make sure to provide direct and explicit introductions that engage multiple senses simultaneously. By doing so, you will build multiple pathways for the new learning to take hold.
What does that look like when introducing a new phonogram, syllable type, morpheme, or spelling pattern? It includes modeling, clear and concise language, guided practice, and opportunities for meaningful independent practice. Where does this go in an Orton-Gillingham or literacy lesson? How can we use the gradual release model of I do, We do, You do to further support learning? Instructional routines can be powerful when research based principles, such as the Orton-Gillingham principles, are applied.
In this session, participants will review the components of effective systematic and multisensory instruction while walking through instructional routines for various language concepts. Build confidence in how you present material for maximum student impact!
Multisensory Strategies
Multisensory Strategies for the Elementary Classroom
Do you need a refresh on effective strategies that will positively impact student learning and engagement? Strategies do not have to be gimmicky and can include what you already have in your classroom. Perhaps it’s just looking at it through a different lens and repurposing the old to new.
Strategies are tools that encourage student success and independence. Therefore they should be purposeful and add to instruction. Let’s discuss a menu of strategies to support skills such as spelling, handwriting, reversals, and other language components. Let’s review ways to organize materials and manipulatives used for strategy implementation.
This workshop is great for schools and organizations who want to horizontally and vertically align with effective language and strategies to support student learning. Participants will walk away with new ideas, ways to fine tune what they are already doing, and tasks for immediate implementation.