Have you found yourself wondering how you can make your virtual Wilson Reading System® lessons more effective? Hear from three Wilson experts who will share important considerations, best practices, technology tools, and lessons learned about supporting your students with dyslexia while delivering high-quality remote instruction. This professional development event is being offered free to educators through a collaboration between Wilson Language Training and the Tennessee Center for the Treatment and Study of Dyslexia. This event is open to all WRS teachers regardless of certification or training history with WLT. Individuals may receive recredentialing points (WPLC- Wilson Professional Learning Credits) for Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioners (WRS Level I Certified Individuals) and Wilson® Dyslexia Therapists (WRS Level II Certified Individuals).

 

Date:	April 6, 2021
Time:	8:30 a.m. CDT - 11:30 a.m. CDT
Location:	Delivered virtually via Zoom
Cost:	Free

 

Agenda

Session Time	Session Title	Session Presenter
8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.	Supporting Learners with Dyslexia During Online Instruction	Nanci K. Shepardson, M.S.Ed., Ed.S., W.D.P.
9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.	Best Practices for Delivering Remote Wilson Reading System® Lessons (In Case You Haven’t Thought of Them)	Deanna M. Fogarty, M. Ed., W.C.T., W.D.T.
10:00 a.m. - 10:10a.m.	Q & A session
10:10a.m. - 10:20 a.m.	Break
10:20 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.	Remote Learning and the Dyslexic Student - Using Structured Literacy to Bridge the Digital Divide	Dee Rosenberg, M.A, LDT-C, W.C.T., W.D.T.
11:20 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	Q & A session
Event Flyer

Session Details

Supporting Learners with Dyslexia During Online Instruction

Nanci Shepardson, Sr. Educational Technologist at Wilson Language Training will explore best practices for teachers to prepare instruction for learners with dyslexia in an online environment. You will learn about implementing technological solutions for writing, text reading, annotating text, sharing student’s written work with teachers, assessing student learning, and encouraging student participation.   

Best Practices for Delivering Remote Wilson Reading System® Lessons (In Case You Haven’t Thought of Them)

Deanna Fogarty, Vice President of Curriculum & Instruction at Wilson Language Training will address the specifics of implementing the Wilson Reading System with fidelity and integrity even when lessons must be delivered remotely. This session will include reminders about the key components of an effective WRS implementation, including the scheduling, pacing, and focus of lessons. In addition, Deanna will discuss the importance of developing routines and procedures, the organization and use of program materials, and keeping students engaged during online WRS Lessons.

Remote Learning and the Dyslexic Student - Using Structured Literacy to Bridge the Digital Divide

Dee Rosenberg, Head of School at the Laurel School and Director of the Ann Robinowitz Education Center will share how the teachers and students at her school successfully shifted to remote instruction. She will report on the important factors and processes for daily live Wilson Reading System instruction and how they created positive learning outcomes for their population of dyslexic and language-impaired students.

Presenter Information

 

Nanci K. Shepardson, M.S.Ed., Ed.S., W.D.P.

Senior Educational Technologist, Wilson Language Training

Nanci Shepardson is a Reading and Educational Specialist. She graduated from Wheelock College in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in Preschool/Kindergarten Curriculum and Infant/ Toddler Development. In 2010, she graduated from Simmons University with an M.S.Ed. in Language and Literacy and an Ed.S. in Assistive Technology.

She is a seasoned teacher, a credentialed K-12 Reading Specialist, and an International Dyslexia Association and Wilson Reading System Dyslexia Practitioner (WRS Level 1 Certified). Nanci has taught preschool, kindergarten, second grade, and fourth grade, was a Reading and Educational Specialist for grades 7 through postgraduate and has tutored all ages. She consults for the International Dyslexia Association, is a published author, an advocate for students with disabilities and their families, and is also a professional speaker on dyslexia, language-based disabilities, and assistive technology throughout the country. Prior to joining Wilson Language Training, she was the Head of Learning Resources at The Chapin School in Manhattan.

As the Senior Educational Technologist at Wilson Language Training, she works in the Program Development Department. In her role, she works with the Wilson Reading System (WRS) Team and the Technology Team to create traditional and digital tools that will augment the current WRS curriculum and materials.  She stays abreast of the current technological trends and serves as a resource for parents, teachers, and schools on Assistive Technology. Equity and access for all, especially regarding access to research-based reading instruction and assistive technology services, are at the forefront of the work she does. Nanci is also a parent of a grown child with dyslexia.

 

Deanna M. Fogarty, M. Ed., W.C.T., W.D.T.

Vice President of Curriculum and Professional Learning, Wilson Language Training

Deanna earned a B.A. in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1991 and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Worcester State University in 1995. She has taught in a variety of educational settings as an elementary school teacher, including working with high-risk students in Massachusetts and Georgia. Deanna completed her initial Wilson Reading System^® Certification in 1994 and implemented the program with dyslexic students in school and private tutoring settings for over 14 years. Deanna became a Wilson^® Credentialed Trainer in 1998 and has worked with teachers across the country during their Wilson Reading System professional learning and certification courses.

In Deanna’s current leadership position as the Vice President of Curriculum and Professional Learning at Wilson Language Training, she provides guidance and oversight for high-quality professional learning programs, the credentialing of literacy professionals, and reading curriculum development. Deanna collaborates closely with others on the Wilson Language Training Leadership and Fidelity Teams, as well as other departments, to ensure learning materials reflect the Wilson mission and current educational research. Deanna is also the parent of a young adult with dyslexia.

 

Dee Rosenberg, M.A, LDT-C, W.C.T., W.D.T.

Head of School – Laurel School, Director – Ann Robinowitz Education Center, Wilson® Credentialed Trainer and Dyslexia Therapist

Dee has over twenty years of classroom experience at the elementary and high school levels, as a regular and special education teacher and as an educational diagnostician. For the last 20 years, Dee has served as the Director of Education at the Newgrange School, the Head of School at Laurel School of Princeton, and the Director at the Robinowitz Education Center.

She is a certified teacher trainer of Wilson Language Training® programs, Developing Metacognitive Skills, IDA Dyslexia Therapist, and Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS).

Dee has consulted with many school districts, and she has trained teachers nationally and internationally. Her specialties are dyslexia, programs for improving literacy, and other issues related to special education. Dee is a past-President of the New Jersey Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She is the recipient of the NJIDA Outstanding Achievement Award for her contributions to the field of learning disabilities and is a co-author of the New Jersey State Handbook for Dyslexia.

Session Focus: The teachers at the Laurel School of Princeton and the Robinowitz Education Center in New Jersey continued to provide live daily instruction to our population of dyslexic and language-impaired students through the COVID-19 school closures. From the first day we taught from home, teachers provided complete one hour Wilson Reading System lessons with great success. Dee Rosenberg will share information about specific processes teachers put in place to ensure success with data collected showing positive learning outcomes and lessons learned about teaching reading and spelling to dyslexic students in an online platform.