Events

Events sponsored by Decoding Dyslexia CA (DDCA) are indicated on the events calendar.  Local events held by other organizations may also be listed that may be of interest to our members. DDCA does not endorse any specific program or company.

Aug
4
Fri
Orton‐Gillingham Approach: A Teacher/Tutor/Parent Workshop for Dyslexia and Literacy Instruction
Aug 4 – Aug 5 all-day

Event: 15‐hour Workshop on the Orton‐Gillingham Approach

Instructor: Nancy Redding, M.Ed., FIT/AOGPE, CDT/IDA Location: 365 1st St., Los Altos, CA, 94022

Dates and Times: August 4 and 5, 2017; 8:30am to 5:00pm daily Registration Deadline: July 20, 2017

Cost and Registration Info: $285 per person, payable to Meyers Learning Center, P.O. Box 428, Redwood Estates, CA 95044

What’s Included: Materials, professional/engaging instruction, Certificate of Completion from Orton‐Gillingham Academy (“Subscriber” level), coffee/tea, refreshments

This introductory course will familiarize participants with the signs and symptoms of dyslexia, as well as the tenets of the Orton‐Gillingham approach to literacy instruction. It meets the requirements of the Subscriber Course of the Academy. Topics will include:

  • Neurological basis of dyslexia and reading disorders
  • Efficacy of structured, sequential, multisensory literacy instruction The foundations and history of the Orton‐Gillingham Approach
  • Phonological and phonemic awareness
  • Stages of Reading and Spelling Development
  • The design and rational of the OG lesson plan
  • Case studies and sample lessons
  • History and Structure of English Language

About Meyers Learning Center:

Meyers Learning Center offers private tutoring to a diverse student population, from elementary to adult‐age students. Our experienced, reliable, and caring educators individualize their teaching to each student’s needs. Tutoring occurs at our downtown Los Altos learning center, in students’ homes, at another convenient location (e.g., school or library), or online. In addition, we provide workshops, school programs, and presentations to community audiences.

Nancy Redding, M.Ed., is a Fellow‐in‐Training with AOGPE. She has 40 years of experience with OG, both in tutoring students of all ages, and in conducting teacher training. She has worked as a learning specialist at the elementary, high school, and college levels. Nancy is the co‐author along with Marcia Henry, of Patterns for Success, an OG based reading and spelling program designed as a supplement to OG instruction. She has presented at many workshops and conference and has been active in International Dyslexia Association, both on the local and national levels.

*This special workshop is open to the community!

Download flyer HERE

Dec
4
Mon
Discovering the Sense in English Spelling: The Foundation of Literacy for Every Student @ Online Webinar
Dec 4 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

CEU’s available for $10.00

Presented by:  Timothy T. Houge, Ph.D. and Sue Hegland

If you care about literacy, you must have asked yourself this question at times: is it possible to structure literacy instruction to excite, challenge and empower all students, from the dyslexic reader who is struggling to the strong reader who is flying? It is actually possible to do this, and it’s also possible to make sure that each and every student becomes fully literate. But to make these things happen, we must rethink some misunderstandings about the structure and purpose of written English. This presentation will include an overview of the some of the foundational patterns in our completely coherent English writing system, along with examples from dyslexic and non-dyslexic student work. Join us for an introduction to the difference this can make for students at every level.

This talk was previously presented as the keynote at the Oct 4 “Literacy for All: Understanding Language, Learning and Dyslexia” conference in Sioux Falls, SD.

About the Speakers:  

 Timothy T. Houge, Ph.D. is an associate professor of elementary and secondary reading at Northern State University and the director of a campus one-to-one literacy-tutoring clinic. He has published multiple journal articles and presented his work at national, state, and local conferences. A long-standing advocate for effective reading and spelling education for all children, he has actively promoted the use of research to inform instruction. He has been a classroom teacher and a pull-out reading specialist, removing students from mainstream classrooms for a portion of the day to provide intense specialized reading instruction.

Sue Hegland is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach and has extensively studied real spelling and Structured Word Inquiry. She is the author of the website LearningAboutSpelling.com.  Sue’s mission is sharing information about the coherence and structure of the English language and the fact that spelling always makes sense.  She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Dyslexia Association, Upper Midwest Branch, and spent six years on the Board of Education for the Brandon Valley School District. She has served on a dyslexia workgroup for the state of South Dakota, has presented at Special Education and dyslexia conferences, and provides tutoring and training for teachers, private tutors, parents and students. Sue began learning about dyslexia in 2003, as the parent of a dyslexic child.

 

This webinar will be recorded and available to view on IDA-UMB’s website after the event. If you register, you will be notified when the recording is available. 

Oct
20
Sat
Dyslexia Symposium @ Empire College
Oct 20 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Please join co-founders Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Tracy Block-Zaretsky of Dyslexia Training Institute and Decoding Dyslexia CA for a one day Dyslexia Symposium.  Kelli and Tracy are the developers of the “Dyslexia for a Day” simulation kit.  Attendees will participate in a simulation followed by a discussion on AB 1369 and the new California Dyslexia Guidelines.  Kelli and Tracy will be discussing what dyslexia is, its neurobiological origin, structured literacy and appropriate accommodations for students with dyslexia.  Kelli was the key dyslexia expert  that testified in support of AB 1369.  In a powerful TEDEd video Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley urges us to think again about dyslexic brain function and to celebrate the neurodiversity of the human brain.

About our speakers:

Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D. is an author, TEDEd presenter and co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She received her doctorate in literacy with a specialization in reading and dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. She is also completing her TESOL certification. Dr. Kelli is a certified special education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan process. She has training in mediation and also serves as an expert witness in the area of dyslexia. Dr. Kelli is trained in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell, RAVE-O and Read Naturally. Dr. Kelli is a Past-President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She is a dyslexia consultant working with schools to improve services offered to students with dyslexia and training teachers. She co-created and produced “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and she is a frequent speaker at conferences. She is the author of the well-received book, Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education System.

 

Tracy Block-Zaretsky is the co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She has provided remediation for children and adults with dyslexia for the past 20 years and has developed and taught workplace and family literacy program. She is a certified Special Education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504Plan process. She is a past President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.Tracy has training in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell programs, Read Naturally and a variety of reading and writing assessments. She co-created and produced, “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and has provided professional development for educators and training for parents at numerous conferences, private on-site trainings and online courses and webinars. Tracy is also a parent of a child with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADD and Executive Function Disorder.

 

Downloadable Flyer

Oct
24
Wed
International Dyslexia Association Annual Conference 2018 @ Foxwoods Resorts
Oct 24 @ 8:30 am – Oct 27 @ 5:00 pm

IDA’s Annual International Conference is the premier professional development conference dedicated to dyslexia. The conference brings in experts from all over the world to educate attendees on the latest research, remediation, and more.

The Reading, Literacy & Learning Conference is held for both professionals and families and is attended by some 2,500 teachers, educators, and administrators, reading specialists, researchers, university faculty, psychologists, physicians, tutors, and parents.

The four-day conference includes the following:

  • Four general sessions with keynote speakers
  • Full- and half-day pre-conference symposia
  • Over 100 sessions
  • Exhibit Hall
  • Networking opportunities
  • Social events
  • Visits to local schools
  • And much more!
Oct
17
Thu
The Third Annual Conference of The Reading League @ THE ONCENTER CONVENTION CENTER
Oct 17 @ 7:00 am – Oct 18 @ 4:00 pm
Each year, The Reading League gathers experts from around the globe to share their research, knowledge, and experiences in an effort to further our mission of advancing the awareness, understanding, and use of the scientific evidence base in practice. Teachers, administrators, and educators of all kinds join together to elevate their learning about reading, writing, and related topics.

$499 EARLY BIRD ($599 BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: EMILY HANFORD

Emily Hanford is a senior producer and correspondent for American Public Media. Ms. Hanford sent shockwaves across the US and around the globe when her September 2018 documentary, Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read, brought much needed mainstream attention to the importance of teacher knowledge of the science of reading. Ms. Hanford has been working in public media for more than two decades as a reporter, producer, editor, news director and program host. Her work has won numerous honors including a duPont-Columbia Award, a Casey Medal and awards from the Education Writers Association and the Associated Press. In 2017, she won the Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award from the American Educational Research Association. Emily is based in the Washington, D.C., area.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. MARYANNE WOLF

Dr. Maryanne Wolf is a scholar, a teacher, and an advocate for children and literacy around the world. She is the Director of the newly created Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Previously she was the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service and Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. She is the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (2007), Dyslexia, Fluency, and the Brain (2001), Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century (2016), and Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World (2018).

If you need further information about The Annual Conference of The Reading League, please contact:
Dr. Michelle Storie, Treasurer and Conference Chair
mstorie@gmail.com

Oct
19
Sat
IDA NorCal Event: The Lost Art of Teaching Spelling – A One-day Workshop @ Seven Hills Conference Center San Francisco State University
Oct 19 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

The Workshop:
Who knew there were spelling rules? Our students are given worksheets and lists of words, but no explicit instruction. This interactive, multisensory seminar will guide teachers through the normal spelling development, the importance of phonological awareness, the alphabetic principles, and the rules that govern how we can confidently spell 85% of English words. Teachers will leave with materials to guide their instruction and strategies to improve the spelling skills of their students.

Speaker: Nancy M. Coffman, MS, CALT, QI, Director, Shelton Academic Reading Approach (SARA), Shelton School.

A nationally known speaker in the field of multisensory structured language education, Nancy Coffman currently directs SARA, a comprehensive IMSLEC- and IDA- accredited training program in Structured Literacy. She began teaching children with dyslexia and related disorders in 1991 and training teachers in 1998.

Who Should Attend:

General education teachers: This seminar will raise your knowledge base in the areas of multisensory instruction in spelling to better serve all students.

Dyslexia practitioners, therapists and CALTs: This seminar will enhance your practice with current research and multifaceted practice activities and materials.