Winsor Learning instructors are reading experts and reading therapists who hold professional credentials in the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) and/or International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC). Winsor Learning mentors and coaches are lead by Arlene Sonday. Curriculum Vitae for this group of skilled and dedicated professionals are available upon request.
Winsor consultants provide four levels of on-site professional development training concurrently by:
Winsor Learning provides the following services to give individual districts the training to deliver meaningful, research-based reading and spelling instruction plus optional in-service and practicum courses with or without credit.
The session is designed for general and special education teachers, Title I, reading specialists, curriculum directors, district representatives, paraprofessionals, speech and hearing clinicians, volunteers, administrators, teachers of English Language Learners, and others who are involved in the delivery of reading instruction.
The two-day Installation session for implementation of the program has a dual purpose. First, a core curriculum for teacher/tutor preparation and in-service professional development can be divided into four basic areas:
Second, teachers participate in the practice of delivering quality instruction using instructional materials (Let's Play Learn, Sonday System I, or Sonday System II) that are designed to provide effective, research-based strategies to accommodate the needs of diverse learners. It also provides the background information for teaching a structured, multisensory phonics approach.
The Installation session includes:
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The goal is to provide instructional materials, training and follow-up coaching so the teacher will understand the pacing, system, and structure plus the scope and sequence of the lesson plan format. To ensure success, the reading coach models teaching, then monitors each teacher as the lesson is delivered. The reading coach models phonological and phonemic awareness strategies to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the students in this critical area of reading development. The Orton-Gillingham based philosophy of multisensory reinforcement is constantly practiced. When the student is reading words - tracing is enforced. When the student is spelling words - touch spelling (finger spelling) is enforced.
Winsor Learning professional development addresses the gap between research and practice by providing research articles for the teachers to read and helping them translate research into practice. Research articles are distributed prior to each follow-up session. Typically after each coaching session, teachers meet together with their Winsor Learning coaching partner to discuss articles read. Topics of articles include: multisensory practice, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and other related issues.
All testing and assessment materials should be reviewed and understood and are available upon request.
These tests can be administered quickly to find a baseline against which to measure progress and to provide clinical information concerning strengths and weaknesses. The first two tests must be administered individually but the spelling test may be administered to a group.
The Mastery Check/Spelling can be administered to a group; Mastery Check/ Reading must be individually administered. These tests enable the teacher to assess mastery, review strengths and weaknesses, as well as to gauge the pace of the student's progress.
If a school or district wishes, Winsor Learning consultants will visit onsite and assist with the testing and gathering of results of the pre- and post-tests. Documentation formats vary from state to state, district to district.
Two-hour workshops held after school or in the evening, serve to inform parents as well as answer questions regarding multisensory instruction. These workshops allow the parents to participate in the educational process with their children. Phonological and phonemic awareness activities are important. Once understood, they are productive and typically fun.
This training is to focus on implementation, replication, and supervision of the Winsor Learning/Sonday System program. When management understands the value and effectiveness of a program, there is more support and better organization.
(Coordinating, monitoring and consulting with State Education Agencies as well as Local Education Administrators)
Twice a year the Winsor Learning Director and consultants will meet with Administrators to discuss and share results of assessments, work through any logistical issues, and agree on the next action to be taken.
To maintain effective school and district professional development, there must be a seamless transition for new staff to be trained as soon as possible. The professional development provider, Winsor Learning, has provisions in its training module that secure a cost-effective attrition training schedule for replacement staff or add-on participants.
(Most are Fellows of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, with extensive backgrounds in learning disabilities.)
Teachers can receive prompt response to questions and attention to individual problems via our e-mail hotline. Winsor Learning's special e-hotline address and toll-free phone number will be available at the Installation session. Hotline 1-800-321-7585, www.winsorlearning.com/contactus/.
(Train the Trainer - Year 2 and 3)
To assure continuity of successful programs, site-based staff must be able to maintain the training and professional development. Winsor Learning knows the reality of budget, resources, time and teacher turnover so there is a plan in place to enable districts to replicate this program. During follow-up in-class coaching, lead teachers may have the opportunity to shadow Orton-Gillingham Practitioners to observe how a coach interacts with teachers, demonstrates strategies with students, and provides corrective, non-threatening guidance to build teacher knowledge and confidence. It should also be noted here that the video tutor that accompanies each instructional package offers correct sound production, student demonstration and teaching strategies for the teacher/user to see and hear before working with the students. The Winsor Learning Buddy System is an integral part of the success of putting research into practice.
Courses may be offered with or without graduate credit for those who desire intensive lecture/practicum training to become diagnostic teachers or reading therapists.
On-going, two hour in-service sessions for professional development should be an integral part of a school district's strategic educational plan. Effective workshops build confidence, skills, and expand knowledge while motivating and empowering teachers and parents. Winsor Learning hosts and supports these workshops that are held in conjunction with coaching visits and scheduled in the evening, after school or Saturday. Sessions can be tailored to address specific issues in the community and delivered throughout the district.
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