WESTERN MONTANA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COLLABORATIVE
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        • It's Never Too Late
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        • Educator Professional Growth Training for School Leaders, October 2-4, 2023
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        • Conscious Classroom Mgmt. Oct. 19, 2023
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  • Menu of Courses, Workshops and School Services
    • Stop School Violence Grant >
      • Increase Equity Student Services Grant
    • Courses, Workshops & Conferences >
      • Indian Education for All >
        • IEFA (1 credit courses) >
          • Dance House
          • In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
          • My Indian Boyhood
          • Native American Literature Glencoe
          • #NotYourPrincess
        • IEFA (2 credit courses) >
          • American Indian Literature K-8
          • American Indian Literature 9-12
          • Art and Literature IEFA Integration K-5
          • Boarding School Era
          • Early Childhood Literature in IEFA
          • History of Indigenous Resistance Movements
          • History of the Flathead Reservation
          • IEFA and the Visual Arts
          • Montana Tribal Histories
          • Native American Representation in Cinema and Popular Culture
          • Seasonal Rounds of the Salish
          • Seven Essential Understandings
        • IEFA (3 credit courses) >
          • American Indian Sovereignty
          • Current Events in Indian Country
          • Foundations of IEFA
          • Plants in MT Native Cultures
        • IEFA (5 credit courses) >
          • Birchbark House
        • IEFA Special Topics/Author Studies (1-5 credits) >
          • IEFA Special Topics 1 >
            • Who Will Tell My Brother?: The Indian Mascot Controversy
            • Honoring Native Women’s Voices
            • American Indian Short Stories
            • American Indian Poetry
            • Biographies of Native Americans
          • IEFA Special Topics 2 >
            • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
            • Fire on the Land
            • Native American Astronomy
            • An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People
            • If I Ever Get Out of Here
          • Native American Author Studies
      • English Language Arts/ Dyslexia/Best Practices >
        • Contemporary Issues: Dyslexia
        • Helping Student Writers
        • Language Study for Teachers
        • Learning from Finland
        • Writing Improvement
      • Gifted & Talented >
        • Exploring SENG
        • Nurturing Individual Potential
        • Overcoming Underachievement in Students
      • Improving Teaching Practices and/or New Teachers >
        • It's Never Too Late
      • Educational Leadership/ Administrators >
        • Educator Professional Growth Training for School Leaders, October 2-4, 2023
        • Introduction to Calibration with 3 Delivery Options
        • Making the Case for Transforming Teacher Professional Learning
        • Rural Schools: Supervising Teacher
      • School Climate/ MANDT/ Mindfulness >
        • Conscious Classroom Mgmt. Oct. 19, 2023
        • Introduction to Mindfulness for Educators, Oct. 21, 2023
        • Mindful Practices for Educators
        • Using Nature Based Art in STEAM , Oct. 20, 2023
      • Thinkific Online Courses
      • VESi Online Courses
    • Special Ed, Mental Health & Medical Billing Services >
      • E-Therapy Special Ed & Mental Health Services >
        • eQUIP
        • eSMART
        • eWELLNESS
      • Montana Medical Billing
    • Technology & More School Savings >
      • Moodle Classrooms for Schools
      • Fiducius Loan Relief
    • About WMPLC/Contact Us >
      • Contact
      • Sign up for our Newsletter
      • About WMPLC
      • Our Team
    • Request Workshops/Consulting >
      • Data-Informed Instructional Practices
      • EPAS
      • Gifted and Talented
      • MANDT
      • Mentor Programs for Schools
      • Mindfulness/Yoga Workshops
      • Reading and Writing Workshops
      • Teach Forward and Calibration
      • Teacher and Principal Evaluation Project
Register Here
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Contemporary Issues: Helping Students with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and other Disorders on the Spectrum

This self-paced, online Moodle course is intended for those who are interested in learning how to identify and help students who struggle with language learning in school contexts. In particular, the focus is on how to reframe traditional approaches to instruction in favor of multi-sensory and other student-centered approaches. Major course objectives are to help class participants become more confident with identifying symptoms of various disorders and identifying instructional approaches that honor the individual learner.

Course description​:
This 8 week, two-credit offering is based on the premise that children of all ages and across grade levels can learn, but that they do so differently. We know that for some students, learning to read and write will be one of the most challenging school tasks they will ever undertake. Accordingly, practitioners must be knowledgeable about (1) the spectrum of oral and written language disabilities and (2) how a teacher can be an academic coach-guide who helps all students experience success. We will study what experts in the field have to say about learning disorders and consider how teachers can rethink their current practices, identifying ways to differentiate learning to maximize individual student success.

This course is the equivalent to 30 classroom hours (30 OPI professional development units), which is the equivalent of 2 university credits. This is a self-paced course, but do not expect to complete it in one sitting! Course participants must be comfortable working independently and be self-motivated to complete all work within the flexible time frame. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU DON'T REGISTER FOR MORE THAN TWO COURSES AT ONE TIME.

Instructors:
Erin Lipkind  elipkind@wmplc.org
Ann Ellsworth   ann.ellsworth@montana.edu 

Registration fee: $260

Credit: 30 OPI Professional Development Units or 2 Semester Credits (semester credit is offered through the University of Montana and is an additional fee of $155; registration forms available in the course Moodle.)

Cost savings: Two U of M Undergraduate credits would cost you $952.60. Two U of M Graduate credits would cost you $1,067.  WMPLC's courses save you 56% and 61% respectively; but can't be used towards a degree program.  They CAN be used for salary schedules and license renewal.

THE COURSE PROCESS:
* Complete this form.
* Within a few days, you will receive an invoice via email.
* Pay the invoice/registration fee (online or by check) in order to begin.
* You will receive a username and password and steps to access the Moodle course.
* The instructor will send an introductory email and you may begin the class.

* If you are taking the course for OPI professional development units, WMPLC will send you them upon completion of the semester.

* If you are taking the course for University credits, you will need to send the completed semester credit form and payment to your instructor by the end of the semester for which you are enrolled. The instructor will collect the UM credit paperwork and payments from all participants and send them together to the University of Montana by August 15, 2023 (summer term), December 1, 2023 (fall term), May 15, 2024 (spring term), or August 15, 2024 (summer term).  The participant’s paperwork will be submitted to UM for the term in which they finish the coursework.

* Registrants have one year from the term of registration to complete their course.  Ex: If you register in February 2023, you have until May 15, 2024 to complete the course.   
Obtaining copies of the books: Check your school /district or local library. Amazon and other online booksellers often have used copies available. The instructor is available to assist with locating copies, if needed.

Event Number:  24551000
EDU 455  EDU 555​

Target audience:​
This course is intended for those who are interested in learning how to identify and help students who struggle with language learning in school contexts. In particular, the focus is on how to reframe traditional approaches to instruction in favor of multi-sensory and other student-centered approaches. Major course objectives are to help class participants become more confident with identifying symptoms of various disorders and identifying instructional approaches that honor the individual learner.

Learning outcomes:
Upon completion of the course:
(1) Students will have researched a dyslexic individual and composed a tribute poem to that individual.
(2) Students will have identified symptoms of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other disorders on the spectrum.
(3) Students will have identified learning mechanisms that engage struggling learners and encourage their responsiveness to (language) instruction.
(4) Students will have read a book of their choice that deals with learning disorders and analyzed the author’s claims.
(5) Students will have explained why highly structured, multisensory approaches to language fundamentals are more effective than traditional (paper-pencil) approaches.
(6) Students will have evaluated websites, programs, and approaches for struggling and/or dyslexic learners.
(7) Students will have reflected on how classroom procedures for instruction and assessment can be modified to differentiate for the individual learner.​

​About the course facilitator:  
Ann Ellsworth has taught in elementary and secondary schools in Wisconsin and Montana, and has led reading and writing professional development workshops across  Montana and the Midwest. She is the 2019 National Council of Teachers of English's (NCTE) "Grammar Teacher of the Year."   The  Association of Teachers of English Grammar (ATEG)  is an arm of NCTE. She was awarded the 2016 Montana Reading Teacher of the Year, and was a finalist for two national teaching awards. Presently she works with teacher candidates at Montana State University-Bozeman She has served as editor of the MONTANA STATE READING JOURNAL and is working with a publisher  on a book on how to improve student writing.
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Register at:  https://forms.gle/kZibtSjZ8XbBcWRh8

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