VEARS (Virginia Educators Applying Reading Science) Fall 2022 Webinar Series Registration Now Open!

In Spring of 2022, in a response to the urgent need to translate reading science for K-12 educators, Virginia Tech hosted four webinars on timely literacy education topics delivered by literacy education faculty from the School of Education.  The goal of the webinar series, entitled Virginia Educators Applying Reading Science (VEARS), was to translate research clearly and succinctly in ways that were directly applicable to classroom practice.

During the Spring 2022 series, each 1.5-hour webinar targeted a specific strategy or series of techniques. Over 150 PK-12 educators participated in the series.

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. Each webinar is independent, so you can choose which of the sessions you wish to participate in! Registration is only $25/ session. Click here to register!

Fall of 2022 sessions offered:

  • September 20, 2022: A Place for Enrichment: Building on the Promise of Place-Based Learning with Talented Readers and Writers in Rural Schools. Host: Dr. Rachelle Kuehl
  • September 27, 2022: Texts as Tools for Inquiry: What Does it Mean to Meet Adolescent Readers Where They Are? Host: Dr. Trevor Stewart
  • October 4, 2022: Big Words for Little Kids: Infusing K-2 Phonics with Strategies for Decoding Word Parts. Host: Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer
  • October 11, 2022: Text Structures & Text Features: Integrating Authentic Writing Activities into Content Areas. Host: Dr. Donna Fortune
  • November 1, 2022: Dialogic Reading: An Approach to Engaging Students and Supporting Reading in the Middle and High School Setting. Host: Dr. Trevor Stewart
  • November 8, 2022: Expanding Vocabulary and Oral Language Through a Comprehensive Approach. Host: Dr. Dana Robertson

The VEARS webinars are offered online, are 75 minutes long, and will occur on Tuesdays in Sept-Nov from 5 - 6:15 p.m. Each session stands alone. There is no need to attend all the sessions. Participants receive access to the presentation notes and resources.

For full details for each session, please visit our School of Education Events page.

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

Register today! Registration is administered through Virginia Tech's Continuing and Professional Education. 

Questions?  Contact: Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer, hamesmer@vt.edu