Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer smiles confidently at the camera. Her shoulder length blonde hair is parted in the middle, and she wears a red turtle necked sweater with a dark colored scarf around her neck

Click here to register!

Big Words for Little Kids: Infusing K-2 Phonics with Strategies for Decoding Word Parts

Decoding instruction is not done with single syllable patterns! In fact, one-in-four words have multiple parts including syllables and morphemes (e.g.,-ies, -ed, pre-). Even young students can learn some basic word parts and morphemes. But how to do? What’s appropriate? Which morphemes are most useful for beginning readers? Come to this webinar to find out. 

Your host, Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer, is a Professor in the Virginia Tech School of Education and is part of the Literacy Education Program

Date: Tuesday, Ocbober 4, 2022, from 5:00 to 6:15 p.m. EST

Continuing and Professional Education
School of Education Webinars Fall 2022
Cost: $25 / webinar

Contact:  Heidi Anne Mesmer, School of Education (hamesmer@vt.edu)

Virginia Educators Applying Reading Science (VEARS) Webinar Series

In response to the urgent need to translate reading science for K-12 educators, Virginia Tech is hosting four webinars on timely, educational topics. The goal of the series, entitled Virginia Educators Applying Reading Science (VEARS), is to clearly and succinctly  interpret research based strategies and techniques in ways that are directly applicable to the classroom. Each webinar targets a specific strategy or series of techniques, and brings pragmatic translations of research to teachers. The webinars will minimize broad “ideas,” and  “theories,” and emphasize pragmatic “How-tos” taken directly from applied studies. 

For example, shared reading, a technique that models the alphabetic principle for pre literate learners, is grounded in a body of applied work that specifies particular steps and teacher actions. VEARS webinars will connect teachers to research-proven strategies that they can use in their classrooms immediately.

The Fall of 2022 VEARS program offers 6 webinars, adding one session in cooperation with VT’s Center for Rural Education and adding 2 sessions to address the needs of secondary teachers. VEARS' online seminars are 75 minutes and run on Tuesdays in Sept-Nov from 5-6:15. Participants receive access to the presentation notes and resources.

Registration closes at 5:00 pm the Monday before the webinar. 

Note:  Each webinar is a stand alone offering. There is no need to take all 6 of the offered webinars.

Click here to register!