Webinars
Support for Professionals Who Love to Learn
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Prior Webinars
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Donna Knoell, PhD
Reading Aloud Nonfiction to Young Children: Essential for Advancing Learning and Engagement
October 30, 2024
3:00pm Eastern Time
Join our webinar to learn about the important advantages of reading aloud nonfiction texts to young children. We will demonstrate how this practice is essential for vocabulary development and building content knowledge to accelerate young children’s reading readiness. You will also learn the important benefits of nonfiction read-alouds for engaging young learners, capturing their interests, and stimulating their curiosity. You will leave feeling empowered with new ideas and strategies that boost children’s literacy learning and intellectual development to lay the foundation for success in school and life!
About the Speakers
Dr. Donna Knoell is an esteemed educational consultant and author who works with early childhood educators, schools, and groups of professionals to improve their instructional programs. She speaks and consults worldwide in a variety of subject areas, including providing workshops on vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and content literacy. Donna focuses on educational resources that enhance instruction and learning and their effective use to advance student achievement and engagement. Dr. Knoell is a former teacher, program developer and instructional specialist, and university professor. She is a frequent presenter at NAEYC, NCTE, NCTM, ASCD, NSTA, and ISTE.
Dr. Kelly Forbes, EdD
Christopher Culver, EdD
Laying Foundations: Dialogic Reading for Oral Language and Literacy Growth
August 7, 2024
3:00pm Eastern Time
Join our webinar to explore the power of interactive read-alouds in boosting
language and literacy skills. Learn effective strategies for integrating Dialogic
Reading in diverse classrooms, with a focus on oral language development as the
first step to literacy. Discover how this approach supports struggling students and
newcomers. Get practical tips and see real-world success stories to help build a
strong language foundation for all students.
About the Speakers
Dr. Kelly Forbes, immersed in education since 2008, transitions from diverse roles
such as educator, administrator, and now adjunct professor at the University of Central Oklahoma. His passion for the arts, cultivated since childhood, led him to stages worldwide, integrating performance with education. Forbes champions cultural proficiency, advocating for equitable education. His philosophy emphasizes
intercultural connectivity and unity through diversity. Forbes has a Bachelor’s from
Oklahoma City University, two Master’s degrees from University of Central Oklahoma
and a Doctorate from Southern Nazarene University focusing on cultural diversity, awareness, and proficiency.
Dr. Christopher Culver, an Oklahoma education advocate, boasts a diverse career
spanning classroom teaching to executive leadership. As an Executive Director of
Secondary Education and Executive Team Member on the NAELPA Board, as well as
the Past-President of the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education, he champions multilingual education. Now, as an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University, Culver educates future educators. Nationally, he has contributed to panels improving public education and shaping federal policies. Culver holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Northeastern State University and a Doctorate from Southern Nazarene University, focusing on motivation and positive school culture to help students and to retain quality teachers.
Mary Ruff
Diane Garavaglia, PhD
Using Nonfiction Texts to Accelerate Oral Language Development in PreK–K
May 19, 2024
10:00am–4:00pm Eastern Time
Reading success by Grade 3 starts with oral language development before Kindergarten. Decades of research has shown that PreK students’ oral vocabulary is a
strong predictor of their later reading success, and that content knowledge is a key
ingredient for children’s academic success.
Join this interactive webinar on the benefits of using nonfiction texts in everyday read-
alouds to accelerate children’s oral language development. This practical exploration will showcase an evidence-based, systematic approach that’s easy to integrate into any read-aloud practice. Furthermore, using nonfiction texts with this easy-to-implement approach boosts its effectiveness, building children’s content knowledge and preparing them for academic reading success!
About the Speakers
Mary Ruff is a passionate, mission-driven educator with more than 25 years of
experience in education. She started her career as a classroom teacher and has
extensive experience in educational publishing. She has worked as a National Literacy
Content Specialist and is known for developing delivering engaging professional
development sessions to educators across the country. Mary understands that a “one
size fits all” approach does not work for all learners. She is a national literacy expert and
is committed to reaching as many teachers as possible to help them fine-tune their
instructional practices. Mary has worked with hundreds of teachers nationally and
internationally to help them meet their students where they are and accelerate their
literacy learning. Mary is an expert in early literacy, working with at-risk populations,
SOR, comprehension instruction, oral language development, child development,
vocabulary development. She is the founder of LaRu Education and lives in Maryland with her husband and her 2 adult children. Mary is an avid reader and is known to give her friends excellent book recommendations.
Diane Garavaglia, PhD (Education Assessment, Evaluation, and Research), has
worked in education and educational publishing throughout her career—from
assessment development as Project Director at the American Institutes Research, to her current position as an independent education and content consultant. She has
managed teams of educational consultants, including her role as the Director, East
Coast, at Heinemann Publishing, and now as the Principal Manager of her own
independent education and content consultant team. She is passionate about supporting educators in their role to serve the educational needs of their students.
Using SEL in Early Childhood to Support Adults and Children
May 23, 2023
3:00–4:00pm Eastern Time
In this session, we will explore how Social Emotional Learning (SEL) can be used in early childhood as a vehicle to support the healthy development of children and create a positive environment for adults. Dr. Lorea Martínez will demonstrate concepts using the HEART in Mind model to facilitate the implementation of SEL supports for children and adults.
About the Speaker
Dr. Lorea Martínez is founder of HEART in Mind, which is dedicated to helping schools and organizations integrate Social Emotional Learning in their practices, products, and learning communities. She is also faculty at Columbia Teacher College where she educates aspiring principals in emotional intelligence. She has not only conducted extensive research in the field of social emotional intelligence, but she has also developed a series of courses called “Growing Your Heart Skills.”
Boost Your PreK/TK Read-Aloud Practice & Improve School Readiness
(Aligned with the Science of Reading)
March 29, 2023
3:00–4:00pm Eastern Time
Research shows a strong link between early oral language competency and later reading and writing success. Learn to develop oral language using the instructional sequence, dialogic reading, in nonfiction read-alouds. Simultaneously, build content knowledge and improve learning outcomes with support that simplifies adult-child interactions and conversational turns.
About the Speaker
Jamie West started her career as a classroom teacher and then spent 20+ years working with leading academics and experts to build literacy programs for education companies. One inspiration for creating Johnnie Max came while she was working with a brain and language researcher to publish an intervention program for preschoolers. Another came from her dad, Johnnie Max Jones, who spent years traveling and photographing the world. When he left his photographs to her, she wanted to use them to create something unique that would impact the learning trajectories of all young children and bring the world to them.
Literacy and Technology Go Hand-in-Hand in Early Learning!
February 22, 2023
2:00–3:00pm Eastern Time
Join two dynamic and experienced early learning educators, Gail Lovely, founder of Suddenly It Clicks!, and Brian Puerling, MSECE, Manager of Professional Learning for Early Childhood at Chicago Public Schools, for a practical exploration of the potential of technologies to positively impact literacy in young learners. Real examples and experiences along with additional possibilities will be shared.
About the Speakers
Gail Lovely has more than 40 years of experience in early education. She has been a classroom teacher, mentor teacher, professional development leader, adjunct professor, author, family engagement leader, and more. Gail likes the tools technology can bring to even little learners, but she knows that the magic is in the child, not the technology. Gail currently leads a small consultancy which focuses on early learners and their adults.
Brian Puerling, MSECE has held several roles in the field of early childhood, including teacher assistant, PreK Teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, teacher coach, school administrator, school administration coach, author, as well as media consultant for Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, and PBS. He is currently the Manager of Professional Learning for Early Childhood for the Chicago Public Schools.
Using SEL in Early Childhood to Support Adults and Children
November 3, 2022
1:00–2:00pm Eastern Time
In this session, we will explore how Social Emotional Learning (SEL) can be used in early childhood as a vehicle to support the healthy development of children and create a positive environment for adults. Dr. Lorea Martínez will demonstrate concepts using the HEART in Mind model to facilitate the implementation of SEL supports for children and adults.
About the Speaker
Dr. Lorea Martínez is founder of HEART in Mind, which is dedicated to helping schools and organizations integrate Social Emotional Learning in their practices, products, and learning communities. She is also faculty at Columbia Teacher College where she educates aspiring principals in emotional intelligence. She has not only conducted extensive research in the field of social emotional intelligence, but she has also developed a series of courses called “Growing Your Heart Skills.”
Get the Most from Read-Alouds with Young Learners!
August 24, 2022
2:00–3:00pm Eastern Time
Dialogic reading is a research-based practice linked to positive outcomes for children’s oral language development and vocabulary learning, laying the foundation for reading comprehension and a lifetime of learning. Even though recent research suggests that using informational texts with preschool children further accelerates these benefits, only 5% of read-alouds used in preschool classrooms is nonfiction. Learn the basic tenets of dialogic reading and how the practice can be used with all texts, including nonfiction. Participants will apply the practice using Johnnie Max dialogic reading scripts in English and Spanish with bilingual nonfiction eBooks featuring spectacular photography that inspires meaningful conversations.
About Johnnie Max
Johnnie Max is an online supplemental literacy program for PreK teachers and learners that helps teachers and families build children’s oral language by engaging them in meaningful conversations about academic content and social-emotional learning.
Our mission is to build the foundation of early literacy, empower child-driven learning, and expand children’s worldview with equitable and safe digital access for all young learners and their families.