Reading Comprehension through Metacognitive Skills and Memory Strategies

   A Professional Development Course, Friday, 03-Feb-2012, 9.00 am – 4.00 pm

By

Dr Gavin Reid

There are many types and levels of reading comprehension. This workshop familiarizes educators with practices that help students develop effective comprehension strategies as they read for different purposes.

There is reliable evidence that reading comprehension difficulty also occurs frequently in children who are actually good decoders and spellers.

A breakdown in reading comprehension can occur for any number of reasons.Research shows explicit instruction in comprehension strategies is highly effective in enhancing comprehension.

The development of direct links between reading and writing can enhance both processes as students use writing to clarify their own thinking, organize their thoughts, and focus on the outcome of their engagement with text.
The essential role of meta-cognition and memory in reading comprehension will be explained and educators will be guided in helping students self-monitor their own comprehension through meta-comprehension tools and meta-comprehension questions.

Course Outline

• Understanding reading comprehension and the different levels of comprehension.
• What causes reading comprehension difficulties?
• The role of memory and metacognitive skills in reading comprehension
• Different techniques to enhance memory and utilize metacognitive skills to achieve optimal reading comprehension
  Research and implications for practice.
• Translating research into practice
• Develop classroom frameworks for assessing reading comprehension difficulties
• Help students develop deep level yet practical comprehension strategies as they read for different purposes

Course Objectives

Participants will :

• acquire a range of memory and metacognitive strategies that can be readily implemented and integrated into classroom teaching.
• acquire a deep understanding of the specific reading comprehension skills that can help students obtain maximum benefit from classroom learning.
• obtain specialist knowledge of the components of reading comprehension skills and the key role of memory.
• have a clear understanding of the role of learning preferences and styles and how these can be used to promote student autonomy in learning.

Program Agenda:

The Speaker

Dr Gavin Reid Ph.D. M.A, M.App.Sci, M.Ed., B.Ed, PG. Dip. Counseling, AMBDA, Assoc. F. B.P.S, Chartered Educational Psychologist, Member Health Professions Council Dr. Gavin Reid is an international award winning author, educational psychologist and international seminar presenter. He has had ten years experience as a classroom teacher and was formerly senior lecturer in educational studies at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. He is also the parent of a youngster with special needs.

Dr Reid is a visiting professor to University of British Columbia in Vancouver and has lectured internationally in over 65 countries and held external examiner appointments in 15 universities worldwide. He is co-founder of the Red Rose School for children with specific learning difficulties in Lancashire, UK and the Lighthouse School in Cairo. He wrote the first masters course in dyslexia in the UK. He has authored 25 books in dyslexia, literacy, motivation and learning. Dr. Gavin Reid lectures extensively worldwide.

Event Detail:

When? Friday, 03-Feb-2012. 9.00 am – 4.00 pm.

Where? Casselles Hotel Al Barsha, behind Sharaf DG Metro Station, www.cassellsalbarshahotel.com.

Registration Fee:

To register please contact us on +971507954428 or send an emaile to info@lexiconreadingcenter.org

The presentation looks at a range of formal and informal assessment strategies to identify children with Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia (and the overlap with dyslexia).

This presentation also focuses on creating effective learning experiences for children with a range of specific difficulties such as Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia and highlights how effective learning can be achieved. The emphasis is on how we can support children to manage and control their own learning and develop independence in learning.

There will be reference to the theoretical underpinnings of assessment and practical assessment strategies. Also how assessment can be viewed a process that covers more than testing.  

The key point is on how to make learning more effective for students with dyspraxia and dysgraphia.  Effective learning from both theoretical and practical perspectives are discussed and specific strategies for supporting learners are outlined.
Emotional and social considerations are also considered as they underpin classroom learning.  It is important to view children with specific learning needs from a holistic perspective and pay particular attention to the role of self-esteem.

The Speaker

Dr Gavin Reid Ph.D. M.A, M.App.Sci, M.Ed., B.Ed, PG. Dip. Counseling, AMBDA, Assoc. F. B.P.S, Chartered Educational Psychologist, Member Health Professions Council Dr. Gavin Reid is an international award winning author, educational psychologist and international seminar presenter. He has had ten years experience as a classroom teacher and was formerly senior lecturer in educational studies at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. He is also the parent of a youngster with special needs.

Dr Reid is a visiting professor to University of British Columbia in Vancouver and has lectured internationally in over 65 countries and held external examiner appointments in 15 universities worldwide. He is co-founder of the Red Rose School for children with specific learning difficulties in Lancashire, UK and the Lighthouse School in Cairo. He wrote the first masters course in dyslexia in the UK. He has authored 25 books in dyslexia, literacy, motivation and learning. Dr. Gavin Reid lectures extensively worldwide.

Comments on Gavin Reid’s Seminars

• “Few people can communicate as successfully as Gavin Reid on this subject” Sir Jackie Stewart (2008)
• I have been working in the learning difficulty area now for about 6 years but I feel like a veil has been lifted! Mary Cartmer, Learning Support Teacher, Australian International School Singapore

Event Detail:

Dates: Saturday, 22-Oct-2011

Time: 17.00 – 19.00.

Venue: Casselles Hotel Al Barsha, behind Sharaf DG Metro Station, www.cassellsalbarshahotel.com.

Entry is FREE

Registration to any/both parts is necessary either via e-mail or SMS.
Please RSVP to:
info@lexiconreadingcenter.org
050-7954428

It covered a lot of topics like handwriting, the written language, phonic rules etc. It also talked about the history and philosophical background of Dyslexia and also about the research that is being done in this field.

• Introduction
• The Slingerland® Approach
• The Trainer: Professor Nancy Cushen White Ed.D
• Program Overview

Introduction
The staff at Lexicon Reading Center reflects the multicultural population of Dubai; they come from a variety of countries where English is the major medium of instruction. All teachers at Lexicon Reading Center have at least a post-graduate qualification in remedial teaching. In an endeavour to provide our students with the most advanced, scientifically based help with their learning differences, Lexicon Reading Center decided to further educate all our teachers in the approach that includes all the components proven by solid research to be very effective in reading and writing remediation, the Slingerland® approach.

Slingerland Summer School at Lexicon Reading Center
Professor Cushen White met our students during her May visit and selected a group of our students to participate in the Summer School. The selection was based on an initial screening, suitability for the program (age, learning profile etc.) and availability during the summer holidays. The program was conducted from the 21st of August to the 20th of September 2011.

All participants profited greatly from the program, although it was really hard work (3 hours for students and 9 hours for teachers daily)! The parents had the chance to interact with Professor Cushen White during a parent presentation where she outlined the scientific knowledge about Dyslexia and the Slingerland approach to remediation. Professor Cushen White also met the parents individually at the end of the Summer School to discuss each student’s progress and make relevant recommendations.

The Trainer: Professor Nancy Cushen White, Ed.D
University of California, San Francisco

Lexicon Reading Center is privileged to have Professor Cushen White Ed.D as our Senior Consultant. Professor Cushen White is conducting and supervising the training and accreditations of our teachers in the Slingerland® Approach.

Nancy Cushen White, Ed.D, Clinical Professor, is a teacher and learning disabilities specialist in the Division of Adolescent Medicine of the University of California San Francisco. She has worked as a classroom teacher and special education teacher for San Francisco Unified School District; she was the pilot teacher for the special day class for gifted students with specific learning disabilities (dyslexia) in the Department of Special Education-SFUSD.

More on Prof Nancy Cushen White

The Slingerland Approach

The Slingerland®Approach is an adaptation of the Orton-Gillingham method. Thousands of teachers throughout the United States, and in Canada, Australia, and the Philippines have received Slingerland training. This structured, sequential, simultaneous, multisensory teaching approach is designed to help dyslexic students and other struggling readers with speaking, reading, writing and spelling.

Comprehensive Slingerland® Teacher Training Course Description:

• Multisensory structured language instructional techniques for speaking, listening, reading decoding,reading comprehension, spelling, handwriting, and written expression
• Daily demonstration of teaching approach by a master teacher with a group of children in a classroom setting
• Daily practicum opportunity for teacher participants to utilize newly-learned multisensory structured language strategies while working with one or two students each day in supervised one-hour tutorial sessions
• Daily lecture period by master teachers on history, philosophy, rationale, and background information related to use of multisensory structured language strategies
• Instruction in explicit strategies to develop vocabulary, promote fluency, and improve reading comprehension
• Orientation and overview of screening, testing, and evaluation techniques for initial identification as well as assessment of student progress
• Daily writing of lesson plans with written feedback from master teachers that can be used for later reference
• Hints for teachers interested in using approach with students in various educational settings: classroom,small group, individual, educational therapy, or academic language therapy
• Comprehensive instruction in the logic and structure of English [phonology-phonics-morphology-orthography-etymology-syntax-grammar]

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Reading Fluency: The Key to Comprehension but Much More than Speed!

• What is reading fluency?
• What is the difference between fluency, automaticity and accuracy?
• How can speed put fluency at risk?
• The development of word recognition.
• What are phonemes, graphemes and morphemes?
• What is chunkig and how does it relate to reading comprehension?
• What is prosody?
• How to transfer fluency skills into an effective reading comprehension?

This workshop will help you as a parent or a teacher understand reading fluency and its relationship to reading comprehension. The workshop will include a practical demonstration on teaching fluency to struggeling readers.

The Speaker

Nancy Cushen White, Ed.D, Associate Clinical Professor,University of California, USA . Professor Cushen White has more than 30 years experience in the field of education and in particular in reading difficulties. Prof. Cushen White has been awarded for her significant contributions to the field of literacy education by a number of internationally recognized organizations such as the International Dyslexia Association. She holds various degrees and credentials in the field of literacy education. Read more about Prof Nancy Cushen White

Event Detail:

Dates: Monday, 30-May-2011

Time: 18.00 – 21.00.

Venue: Casselles Hotel Al Barsha, behind Sharaf DG Metro Station, www.cassellsalbarshahotel.com.

Entry is FREE

Registration is necessary either via e-mail or SMS.
Please RSVP to:
info@lexiconreadingcenter.org
050-7954428

• What is dyscalculia?
• Why children give up on maths?
• Several factors affect how children learn maths such as: Mathematics Memory, Slow Processing
  , Short-term and Working Memory.
• Maths starts with counting. It’s what happens next that matters.
• What about Estimations?
• What do you do when your child can’t remember the times tables?
• Do we speak maths as a foreign language?

This workshop will help you as a parent or a teacher in identifying some of the learning problems in maths and how to address them. Participants will actively contribute to the workshop through sharing their own experiences and discuss their doubts and questions with the speaker.

The Speaker

Dr Steve Chinn PhD, AMBDA, Mark College, UK is an internationally regarded expert trainer and lecturer in the area of Dyslexia, Mathematics and Dyscalculia and is the author of several publications, including the highly acclaimed The Trouble with Mathematics. Dr Chinn has served on the councils of the British Dyslexia Association and the Dyslexia Institute and has more than thirty five years of teaching experience. Steve set up the first Post Graduate Course for maths and dyslexia which was accredited by the British Dyslexia Association for Associate Membership (Numeracy) status.

Steve has written several books based on his classroom research, including ‘The Trouble with Maths’ which won the NASEN/TES ‘Book for Learning and Teaching’ award in 2004. Steve runs training courses for teachers across the UK and has lectured on learning difficulties in maths in over 25 countries worldwide.
He was Chair of the 3rd International Conference of the BDA and was co-founder and Chair of the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexics (CReSTeD).He received the Marion Welchman International Award at the 2008 BDA conference.

Event Detail:

Dates: Thursday, 24-March-2011

Time: 19.00 – 21.00.

Venue: Casselles Hotel Al Barsha, behind Sharaf DG Metro Station, www.cassellsalbarshahotel.com.

Entry is FREE

Registration to any/both parts is necessary either via e-mail or SMS.
Please RSVP to:
info@lexiconreadingcenter.org
050-7954428

• What does it mean?
• Who are these students?
• How does it affect school and home?
• What is the best way to teach reading to these students?
• Remediating Dyslexia in gifted students and in students with ADHD.

Presentations are available for Download:

• PART I.a: Gifted Students with Dyslexia
• PART I.b: ADHD Students with Dyslexia
• PART II: Slingerland Multisensory Approach

Workshop Outline: PART I Tuesday, 07th-Dec-2010: 18.00-21.00
	Who are the kids with multiple exceptionalities are and how this affects their needs? How do Giftedness and ADHD overlap? What are typical school issues? How are families affected?

Integrated with the description of these kids with work samples will be the rationale for the type of approach needed to best meet their academic needs.

The particular challenges of AD(H)D in children with dyslexia will be examined through real life examples of such children.

Participants will actively contribute to the workshop in small group activities and through sharing of their own experiences.

PART II
Wednesday, 08th-Dec-2010: 18.00-21.00

• The Slingerland Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) Approach to the remediation of Dyslexia in Gifted and/or ADHD students.
• Demonstration on how the integrated skills lesson plan (systematic provision of rules based insights while practicing skills in a multisensory way) of MSL supports the cognitive style of these students.

The scientific foundations and practical applications of the approach will be explained in an interactive workshop format where experiential demonstration lessons will explain how the methodology can be creatively adjusted to answer the needs of these students and keep them motivated.

Participants will be experiencing and applying some of the demonstrated methodologies in these lessons.

Speakers
Prof. Nancy Cushen White, Ed.D

Rudolf Stockling, Educational Psychologist, MSc, MAPS

Event Detail:

Dates: Tuesday, 07th-Dec-2010 & Wednesday, 08th-Dec-2010

Time: 18.00 – 21.00.

Venue: Tulip Inn Hotel, Knowledge Village

Entry is FREE

Registration to any/both parts is necessary either via e-mail or SMS.
Please RSVP to:
info@lexiconreadingcenter.org
050-7954428

Multisensory techniques are frequently used for children with learning differences. Studies from the National Institute of Child Health and Human development (United States of America) have shown that for children with difficulties in learning to read, a multisensory teaching method is the most effective teaching method.

Multisensory teaching techniques and strategies stimulate learning by engaging students on multiple levels. They encourage students to use some or all their senses to:

• Gather information about a task
• Link information to ideas they already know and understand
• Perceive the logic involved in solving problems
• Learn problem solving tasks
• Tap into nonverbal reasoning skills
• Understand relationships between concepts
• Store information and store it for later recall

Using a multisensory teaching technique means helping a child to learn through more than one sense. Most teaching techniques are done using either sight or hearing (visual or auditory). The child’s sight is used in reading information, looking at text, pictures or reading information based from the board. The hearing sense is used to listen to what the teacher says. The child’s vision may be affected by difficulties with tracking or visual processing. Sometimes the child’s auditory processing may be weak. The solution for these difficulties is to involve the use of more of the child’s senses, especially the use of touch (tactile) and movement (kinetic). This will help the child’s brain to develop tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to, as well as the auditory and visual ones.

Students with learning difficulties typically have difficulties in one or more areas of reading, spelling, writing, math, listening comprehension and expressive language. Multisensory techniques enable students to use their personal areas of strength to help them learn. They can range from simple to complex, depending on the needs of the student and the task at hand.

Learning Style Some researchers theorize that many students have an area of sensory learning strength, sometimes called a learning style. These researchers suggests that when students are taught using techniques consistent with their learning styles, they learn more easily, faster and can retain and apply concepts more readily to future learning. Most students, with a difficulty or not, enjoy the variety that multisensory techniques can offer.

Now we can go through some of the multisensory techniques which could be used to assist a student in his / her learning.
I. To stimulate visual reasoning and learning

• Text and/or pictures on paper, posters, models, projection screens, computers or flash cards
• Use of color for highlighting, organizing information or imagery
• Graphic organizers, outlining passages
• Student created art, images, text, pictures and video

The above mentioned techniques often include visual teaching methods and strategies.

II. Auditory techniques

• Books on tape, peer assisted reading, paired reading and computerized text readers
• Video or film with accompanying audio
• Music, song, instruments, speaking, rhymes, chants and language games

III. Tactile teaching methods Multi sensory techniques that involve using the sense of touch are called tactile methods. Tactile methods include strategies such as:

• Sand trays, raised line paper, textured objects, finger paints and puzzles to improve fine motor skills
• Modeling materials such as clay and sculpting materials
• Using small materials called manipulatives to represent number values to teach math skills

IV. Kinesthetic methods Multi sensory methods using body movements are called kinesthetic methods. These involve fine and gross motor movements.

• Games involving jumping rope, clapping or other movements paired with activities while counting and singing songs related to concepts.
• Any large movement activity for students involving dancing, bean bag tossing or other activities involving concepts, rhythmic recall and academic competition such as quizzes, flash card races and other learning games.

By:
Praveen A.V

The 1st Annual Symposium on Learning Differences

Download the Brochure

There is a wind of change blowing through the educational sector. Many lofty and worthy ideas are being postulated about teaching all kind of children in the same mainstream classroom.
BUT:

• How do I as a teacher cope with the reality of teaching children with various learning difficulties in my classroom?
• How do I as a parent of a child with a learning difficulty support my child to succeed at school?
• How do I as a principal manage the increasing expectations of educational policy, teachers and parents within the reality of my limited resources?
• How do I as a professional play an active role in integrating children I work with into mainstream classes?

From three different continents and diverse backgrounds of expertise and specialties, our speakers are gathering in this one day event. They are here to interact with you, address your concerns and discuss with you the solutions by bringing several case studies and best practices of people had experienced similar situations like yours.

Dr Constace Smith-Hicks Assistant Professor, Pediatric Neurologist, MD, PhD, John Hopkins, USA. Received her MD and PhD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her internship and residency in Pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and her residency in Pediatric Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr Smith-Hicks also completed a Research Fellowship at Hopkins in the laboratory of Dr Paul Worley where she studied the role of the Immediate Early Gene Arc in the formation of neural networks that are involved in learning and memory. She is now a faculty member of the Department of Neurology, John Hopkins, USA.

Dr Steve Chinn PhD, AMBDA, Mark College, UK. Dr.Chinn was Founder and Principal of Mark College, a specialist school for dyslexic learners, which is recognised as a Beacon school. Dr Chinn has served on the councils of the British Dyslexia Association and the Dyslexia Institute and has more than thirty five years of teaching experience. He is an internationally regarded expert trainer and lecturer in the area of Dyslexia, Mathematics and Dyscalculia and is the author of several publications, including the highly acclaimed The Trouble with Mathematics. Steve set up the first Post Graduate Course for maths and dyslexia which was accredited by the British Dyslexia Association for Associate Membership (Numeracy) status.

Nancy Cushen White, Ed.D, Associate Clinical Professor,University of California, USA . Dr.Nancy is a teacher and learning disabilities specialist in the Division of Adolescent Medicine. She provides referrals and consultation for case management of adolescents with learning problems. She has worked as a classroom teacher and special education teacher for San Francisco Unified School District; she was the pilot teacher for the special day class for gifted students with specific learning disabilities (dyslexia) in the Department of Special Education- SFUSD.

Lalitha Ramanujan M.Phil,M.Psych Director, Alpha to Omega Learning Centre, India. Ms.Lalitha is a trainer and therapist in specific learning difficulties, for more than two decades. As a Certified Trainer for Strategies Intervention Model Kansas University and Instrumental Enrichment Programme; she conducts workshops and courses for teachers and parents. As a Director she is involved in training and management of the Centre. She has received awards for her contribution to the field, from the Rotary clubs and other social organizations. The Alpha to Omega Learning Centre was founded in 1988. Its core activities are remedial intervention on a one tone basis, full day school and training tutors.

These activities are an opportunity for the participants to interact with the speakers in a more personal set up. These workshop will target specific interest groups to address their questions and discuss their concerns.

• Parents
• Principals and Policy Makers
• Regular Teachers
• Special Needs Teachers and Professionals

How Can I Participate?
Express your interest in the appropriate section of the symposium application form including group of interest and preferred times for meeting. The organisers will contact you with the time and location of the meeting.

Dr. Nancy Cushen-White has expressed her willingness to visit a limited number of schools and other work-teams with common concerns in the days before the conference to help the school with the issues they are most concerned about. Schools and teams with ten or more symposium attendants qualify. The symposium organisers endeavour to organise as many visits as possible within the limited time Dr. Cushen-White is available.

How can a School /Work-Team Participate?

Express your interest in the appropriate section of the symposium application form including description of your function at the school or team, the number of participants, major areas of concern and preferred times for meeting. The organisers will endeavour contact you to discuss your needs and coordinate Dr. Cushen-White’s timetable during her stay in Dubai.

Where? Rashid Library Auditorium, Dubai UAE.

When? Saturday 25th Sep, 2010

Fees (AED):

KHDA Staff

Students: AED 400

Teachers: AED 550

Individual: AED 650

DHA Staff: AED 250

Download the Brochure

Download the presentation

Join us for this informative workshop to answer your questions about Dyslexia. Come with your questions.

Together we’ll explore:

What dyslexia is and what it is NOT?

From scientific models and research to
common myths and misunderstandings

Why it occurs and how to recognize it?

Causes and Symptoms of Dyslexia

Who are the 2-D Learners and 3-D Learners?

Various profiles for children with learning differences

What to do about it?
How to assess that?
How to provide help?
Evidence based Multisensory intervention theories and approaches

Speaker Profile
Rudolf Stöckling,
Educational Psychologist, MSc (Psych); Dip.Ed; B.A.
Member Australian Psychological Society

Praveen A.V
Reading Specialist, Remedial Tutor
M.A, B.A, Dip. Sped

Event Details
Date: June 23rd , 2010
Timing: 18.00 – 21.00
Location: Tulip Inn Hotel, Dubai Knowledge Village, Khaled 2 Meeting Room

Entry is FREE

but Registration is necessary either via e-mail or SMS.
Please RSVP to:
050-7954428

info@lexiconreadingcenter.org