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Reading with comprehension is the linchpin for school success, yet no reading pathway is present at birth. Reading is literally an unnatural act for the human brain. Dr. Wolfe will explain how the brain’s plasticity allows the brain to adapt structures and circuits originally devoted to other purposes to build the capacity to read. She will discuss the neurological structures involved in reading, developmentally appropriate practices and what can be done in the years before children start formal schooling to increase the probability that they will learn to read fluently and with comprehension. Dr. Wolfe will also describe the critical stages in the reading process, the causes of dyslexia and research-based strategies for a brain-compatible reading program in the early elementary grades.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After this seminar, you will be able to:

Explain why a reading pathway is not present at birth and how it must be developed

Describe the neurological structures in the brain necessary for language and reading

Explain how the language pathway is co-opted to become a reading pathway

Identify the home environment in the early years that is developmentally appropriate for building readiness for reading

List the critical stages in the reading and comprehension process

Apply brain-compatible interventions/programs for overcoming reading disorders

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This seminar will be applicable for professionals in education, including teachers, administrators, reading specialists, graduate students, college/university faculty training teachers and others with similar interests.

Patricia A. Wolfe

Pat Wolfe, EdD, is a former teacher of Kindergarten through 12th grade, former director of instruction for the Napa County Office of Education and adjunct university professor. Over the past 25 years, as an educational consultant, she has conducted workshops for thousands of administrators, teachers, boards of education and parents in schools and districts throughout the United States and in over 50 countries internationally. Her major area of expertise is the application of brain research to educational practice. She is an author of the award-winning book, Brain Matters: Translating Research to Classroom Practice (2nd Edition, 2010) and co-author with Pamela Nevills of Building the Reading Brain (2009).