2018 Utah Rural Schools Conference

This presentation will focus on many of the reasons a student may be a reluctant reader (with an emphasis on rural settings). In addition, the presentation will offer possible solutions that teachers can employ immediately as well as long-term solutions to engage and motivate reluctant readers.

Attendees will learn what dyslexia is, how to spot dyslexia in their students, and what approach to use for remediation. Class members will receive an introduction to the Orton-Gillingham Approach (the systematic, multi-sensory, cumulative method of teaching dyslexics to read) and go home with tools to use with their own students whether they are in kindergarten or high school. 

As members of their high school Collaborative Leadership Team, Shawn & Brent have critically examined and questioned everything they knew and believed about effective teaching. Their story of growth and change has empowered them as well as their students. Their journey began an an imposed Hattie research based school improvement plan. It resulted in their transformation into teachers focused on using instructional strategies to build self-efficacy in their students. This presentation will provide teachers an opportunity to learn strategies that will assist them in building the confidence and skills to help students exceed their own expectations.

Attendees will learn what dyslexia is, how to spot dyslexia in their students, and what approach to use for remediation. Class members will receive an introduction to the Orton-Gillingham Approach (the systematic, multi-sensory, cumulative method of teaching dyslexics to read) and go home with tools to use with their own students whether they are in kindergarten or high school.

This session will provide seventeen simple yet effective teaching ideas that your students will love! Strategies discussed include authentic (and unique) writing opportunities, differentiated discussion techniques, and meaningful starter and exit activities. Examples of each idea will be (quickly) modeled, and a detailed handout for all the ideas will be provided. Regardless of the subject you teach, you are certain to find something useful in this session! Plus, I will be giving away more than 25 young-adult novels at the end of the session! Don't miss out on this one!

If you're looking to get fired up about teaching, then look no more! This session will provide a wide range of simple yet innovative teaching and classroom management strategies that will improve any classroom atmosphere. Ideas to be discussed include how to add more movement to your class, how to build rapport with students and parents, and how to incorporate social media in a way that enhances the learning done in class. The best part - All of the methods will fit easily into any curriculum, regardless of grade or subject matter! Participants can expect to go back to their classrooms armed with a slew of proven teaching and classroom management techniques that are sure to jump-start your students! Plus, for your convenience, a variety of handouts will be provided, and there will be several books (professional and young-adult literature) given away to those in attendance. Trust me...this is one session you don't want to miss!

Irlen Syndrome

People with Irlen Syndrome often have highly developed auditory skills and can answer questions orally but do poorly on weekly written tests and run out of time. They spend an extraordinary amount of time on homework and can often appear fidgety or distracted. This is not a visual problem as most of these individuals have 20/20 vision or can be corrected to 20/20 vision with glasses, but still do not perform up to expectations.

They may report that words move or disappear on the page, they may have difficulty copying text from the board to paper. It may also affect math, lining up numbers, miss-reading signs and symbols, making careless mistakes and reading music. Many are misdiagnosed as having dyslexia or ADHD. They can also be very light sensitive, bothered by glare, patterns, stripes, or polka dots. They have difficulty with sustained attention to tasks.

We initially start with a screening to see if overlays and accommodations will help. If you use overlays or workplace accommodations consistently for a few weeks and they really help, then we move on to specially tinted lenses. These can be prescription, or non-prescription. The reason people move on to lenses is because the overlays are cumbersome, and they cannot be written on.

In this presentation, we will cover basic assessment tools that may help you identify students with Irlen Syndrome. This presenetation is 1/3 video, 1/3 PPT, 1/3 pratical application. 

We are co-teachers in the rural Box Elder School District, at Bear River Middle School. My co-teacher and I will be sharing strategies to differentiate curriculum to meet the needs of all students; those ranging from struggling learners and IEP/504 accommodated to honors. We will demonstrate how to extend learning opportunities for students who have mastered the curriculum while meeting the challenge of those who are struggling. We have spent years perfecting our co-teaching model, which consists of a classroom dynamic: 1/3 struggling learners, 1/3 general education students, and 1/3 honors students; we intend to share data that supports the success of this model and demonstrates how effective this model is for students at all academic levels.

Brent and Shawn have taught social studies for a combined 46 years. This past school year was their best yet, but they are still working to improve and exceed even their own expectations. Please come prepared to learn as Brent and Shawn share effective and engaging instructional strategies. The focus of this presentation is social studies instructional strategies, but all are welcome!