Educator Workshops

Educator workshops hosted by the HRS Learning Center feature nationally known speakers who specialize in topics relevant to educators and families of students with dyslexia or other language-based learned differences. Workshops are open to teachers, administrators, parents, and other educational professionals.

Open Workshops

The Impact of Language Variation on Literacy Development and Instruction with Dr. Julie A. Washington

The Impact of Language Variation on Literacy Development and Instruction with Dr. Julie A. Washington

Saturday, April 1, 2023
9:00am-12:00pm
Cost: $150
Clock hours available

HRS Middle School: Conference Center
1730 20th Avenue S. Seattle WA 98144
Transportation + Parking Info

This in-person, interactive workshop will focus on our current understanding of the potential impact of language variation on reading and assessment outcomes – particularly for African American children growing up in poverty.

How is literacy learning impacted when the language of instruction differs from the language of the home?
What is translanguaging and how does it impact teaching and learning in the classroom?
How can we honor and affirm language variation while also moving children toward proficiency in the language of text?
How can we build strong reading foundations that will lead to later reading proficiency?

Dr. Julie A. Washington is a professor in the School of Education at University of California, Irvine (UCI). Washington is a Speech-Language Pathologist and a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She was recently (2022) awarded the Alfred K. Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publications by ASHA. Washington directs the Language Variation and Academic Success lab at UCI, as well as the CA Learning Disabilities Research Innovation Hub at UCI. Washington's research is focused on the intersection of literacy, language variation, and poverty.

Workshops Archive

2019: Building a Rock Solid Foundation: Creating Fluent Readers by Incorporating Literacy Building Blocks in Phonics Education

Fluent readers know how to incorporate skills beyond phonics, including tracking, vocabulary, and grammar, while reading. Readers with dyslexia may find that these skills don’t come as naturally. This workshop demonstrated strategies for teaching these skills with all levels of phonics instructions.

Presented by Jennifer Hasser, M. Ed.: Ms. Hasser is a nationally recognized advocate, author, and trainer in the field of reading. As Founder and Executive Director of Syllables Learning Center and Kendore Learning, Jennifer has trained more than a thousand teachers and has helped thousands of students acquire language skills. She was President of the International Dyslexia Association’s Georgia Branch.

2018: The Perfect Storm: ADHD, Anxiety, Dyslexia, and Executive Function

Many parents and teachers wonder “what’s wrong” with a student who struggles with learning and behavior challenges. While this quest for answers may lead to a diagnosis, it does not always translate into a solution. Dr. Eric Tridas shared strategies and solutions that can help parents and educators address these challenges.

Presented by Dr. Eric Tridas. Dr. Tridas is a Developmental Pediatrician who specializes in neurodevelopmental conditions including ADHD and dyslexia. He is the recipient of the International Dyslexia Association’s Margaret Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award, and he lectures and consults nationally on dyslexia and other topics.

2017: Cognition, Language, and the Acquisition of Math Competency

Participants learned innovative, researched-based methods for teaching about numbers and learning math skills. Topics included: The role of language skills, visual processing skills, executive functioning, and motor planning in acquiring math competency; Instructional methods using minimum language demands and whole-to-part, multi-modal strategies to help students efficiently store, retrieve, and express information; Strategies for students who have difficulty learning, sequencing, and executing multi-step procedures; Adapting materials to provide structure and scaffolding and to promote independence; Strategies to help students activate their prior knowledge, process text-based problems, and develop self-checking skills.

Presented by Christopher Woodin, Ed. M. Mr. Woodin is a specialist in the fields of mathematics and learning disabilities. He is the author of The Landmark Method of Teaching Arithmetic and holds the Ammerman Chair of Mathematics at Landmark School in Beverly, Massachusetts.

2016: Classroom Problem Solving: Executive Functioning for Classroom Success

Executive Function Specialist, Sucheta Kamath, provided strategies to support student success in planning and goal management; attention regulatory skills; memory and retention; organizational skills; time management; metacognitive skills; social-pragmatic skills.

Presented by Sucheta Kamath. Ms. Kamath holds a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Ohio University and a Master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Bombay. She is Board Certified in Neurogenic Communication Disorders (BC-NCD) by the Academy of Neurogenic Communication Disorders and Sciences and is the founder of an educational software company that creates tools to sharpen executive functions for the Adaptive Brain.

2015: Multi-Sensory Math Workshop: Strategies to Support Students with Learning Differences

An introduction into the basic research and methodology behind multi-sensory instruction; Strategies for teaching basic numeracy and place value; Demonstrations of the use of manipulatives to model multiplication/division, fractions, geometry, and basic concepts in algebra.

Presented by Marilyn Zecher. Ms. Zecher is a Nationally Certified Academic Language Therapist specializing in the application of Orton-Gillingham Multi-Sensory Strategies for teaching math and study skills.

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