Intensive Coaching with Selected Agencies

Nine agencies across Pennsylvania currently have agreed to participate in the “LD Coaching” initiative. They will receive intensive mentoring by LD Project staff or individuals who have completed LD training at the Intermediate level and who show effective consultation skills. In some cases an agency will receive on-site coaching by several individuals. The consultation will focus on services to students who show learning difficulties and disabilities, but the training is applicable to all students. The emphasis will be on informal diagnostic assessment and adapted classroom instruction. Agency  Each agency will receive professional development in the form of on-site consultations, demonstration teaching, individualized self-study and other training built around an agency program improvement plan. Agency activities will be coordinated by a staff member who has agreed to serve as the“Teacher Leader” and facilitate the professional development services and the application of the training within agency classrooms.  Each participating agency will be asked to monnitor the impact of instructional changes, and additional stipends in the form of “mini-grants,” will be available to the agency or specific agency personnel. Agencies will also participate in the field testing of new materials developed by the ABLE LD project.

Want to find out more about the coaching project? Click Here

Independent Study and Distance Education

Independent study and Distance Education represent a variety of services ranging from readings taken from reference material to self contained training videos.

The Fast Facts series of short concise readings will be expanded to include a series of ten case studies. Use of the Fast Facts for training has met with positive reviews both in terms of content of the readings and independent study  format that is used. At present there are 30 readings that make up three “series” of ten readings each. Participants sign up to take the readings on designated cycles and are awarded Act 48 professional development hours after completing the post-test questions accompanying each series.

The ABLE Learning Differences project will continue to offer CD-ROM video training programs: Introduction to the C-SIP and Teaching Writing. The ABLE LD project can also provide training DVDs that show Dr. Cooper administering the Cooper Screening of Information Processing (C-SIP) and another that explains his Tic Tac Toe math program. The latter is part of a multi-DVD training package that covers all materials in the Tic Tac Toe student workbook. The Tic Tac Toe training series is available for self-study through the ABLE LD project. All five training videos will be offered as independent study programs and will carry Act 48 training hours. Each will consist of the video lesson, print materials and a final test.

Practitioners working in PA ABLE funded programs will be able to complete the Characteristics of Learning Differences on-line course developed by Dr. Cooper. Information about the self-study course can be found at http://learningdifferences.com.

A limited number of “Mini-grants” will be available for individuals who with to complete projects of research related to learning differences and difficulties. Specific proposals related to field testing of a book of adaptation templates and a “LD Toolbox” will be solicited.

Intensive Professional Development at the Intermediate  and Advanced Levels using the  “Academy” format.

One, three day centralized training opportunity called an “Academy” at the intermediate level was held in State College, PA during November. Photos from the Academy can be seen in the News section of this site.

One three day centralized “Academy” at the advanced level is being planned for the last week of March, 2009. Scheduling details will be announced using the PDCs and AbleSite.

The purpose of the Academies is to provide intensive hands-on training that allows the participants to demonstrate skills and knowledge. Graduates of the Academies will be used as agency and regional LD trainers and consultants.

E-Mail Consultation

Practitioners in ABLE funded programs can write, e-mail or call and ask for assistance, advice, or clarification relative to any training component and even request a confidential consultation regarding a student in their program who may have difficulty. A major use of the consultation will be to provide “post-training” follow-up to attendees for the purposes of concept clarification, materials identification or discussion regarding additional training or suggestions dealing with research or outside readings.

LD101 Training for New Teachers

The Bureau is in the process of developing a series of on-line trainings that will be offered to new teachers. One of the on-line trainings will be a Internet based professional development activity titled LD 101, an overview of the important knowledge relevant for a new instructor. You will be hearing more obout these trainings throughout the year. Watch for “Moodle” on line trainings in several areas. The ABLE LD project is working with the Bureau and NWPDC in developing the LD training.

PAACE Mid Winter Conference Strand

The ABLE LD project will be developing a series of presentations at the PAACE Mid Winter Conference. Current plans call for a “LD Strand” of integrated courses. Presentations by graduates of prior LD Academies will be solicited.

Independent Study Activities

The Cooper Screening of Information Processing System

Dr. Cooper has been providing on-site training and the ABLE LD Project has offered CD-ROM training on the C-SIP for a number of years. But many parctitioners do not know that the the C-SIP is not just a screening, it has been expanded to reflect a “system” that includes several related documents. If you are interested in finding out more, click on the following link. Click here to go to the C-SIP System page.

Services that are available to all ABLE funded programs