For Teachers
Resources & Newsletter
Free Classroom Tools to Support Handwriting, Spelling, and Reading Fluency
Explore our collection of free classroom resources designed to support foundational literacy skills, including a colorful handwriting poster that reinforces proper writing posture; a helpful spelling errors chart that explains the three main types of spelling mistakes; and student-friendly fluency bookmarks, complete with a teacher guide, to build confident, expressive reading in grades K–2. […]
Making Writing Instruction Work: Practical Tools, Real Results
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. I consistently hear from teachers that their curriculum doesn’t really include writing instruction. Sure, there are writing prompts, but there often aren’t full lesson plans educators can use to actually teach students how to write. On top of this, many educators report leaving their preparatory programs feeling unprepared to deliver systematic, […]
Support for Teachers, Success for Students
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. Teaching is complex, demanding work, and having a strong network of support makes all the difference. As the start of September stirs up anticipation of new beginnings, fresh energy, and the joy of new school supplies that carried me through 15 years of teaching, I remember the years that stand out […]
Reflecting on a Year of Growth: Key Insights & PD Resources
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. Now that the school year has wrapped up, it feels like the perfect time to look back at some of the topics we’ve covered in our professional development newsletter. This year, we dug into how to sharpen literacy instruction using clear mastery criteria so students can build strong, automatic reading skills […]
Is your Tier 2 instruction meeting every learner’s needs?
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. A few years ago, I decided to learn how to knit, and took advantage of easy access to a local yarn shop that offered a variety of high-quality classes. I began with a true beginner’s course and a simple project: a scarf. The instruction was paced to match our needs, and […]
Affordable, Flexible Coaching and PD for Teachers & Teams
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, especially in the world of education. As summer grows near, with the school year close behind it, thinking about upcoming professional development options can be stressful or overwhelming. The Stern Center is here to help you take the stress out of […]
Reflecting on Student Behaviors to Elevate Teaching
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. and Elizabeth Keenan, M.Ed. Figuring out what works for our students, and what doesn’t, is part of the art and science of teaching. All practicing educators have experienced a time when a thoughtfully designed lesson doesn’t result in the student learning we intended. At other times, we may see that a […]
Are your literacy lessons moving too fast, too slow, or you just don’t know? Part II
By Peggy Price, M.Ed., F/OGA, Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute and Leigh Buettler, M.Ed., Director of Professional Learning In November, we wrote about the importance of clear mastery criteria and lesson pacing, and recently wrote about the instructional hierarchy, or the five stages of learning every educator should know. To help students generalize skills beyond […]
The 5 Stages of Learning Every Educator Should Know
Understanding the Hierarchy of Learning can be a game-changer in how we approach teaching and assessing our students. By intentionally guiding them from acquisition to generalization, we can help them not only master skills but also apply them in meaningful, real-world ways – and cut down on the amount of time we spend wondering what happened? and subsequently reteaching.
Stern Center Awarded Literacy Improvement Contract by Vermont Agency of Education
Williston, VT – The Stern Center for Language and Learning is pleased to announce that following a national RFP process, the Vermont Agency of Education has selected the Stern Center as a contractor for literacy improvement efforts, working with schools and communities through the Read Vermont initiative.
Are your literacy lessons moving too fast, too slow, or you just don’t know? Using Mastery Criteria in Reading Intervention
By Peggy Price, M.Ed., F/OGA, Director of the Stern Center Orton-Gillingham Institute and Leigh Buettler, M.Ed., Director of Professional Learning Have you ever noticed that you can’t help but read words when you come across them? Whether we see text on a cereal box, a road sign, or the book cover, once we have become […]
Breaking the Mold with Engaging, Interactive Professional Development
Building a Virtual Community: Connecting and Collaborating Online I’ve attended virtual professional development that is like listening to an episode of a podcast: I’m anonymous and unseen, the conversation is one-sided, and the presentation is more generic than it is specific to my role and my needs. I bet this has happened to you, too. […]
We Don’t Do “Irrelevant”: Why the Stern Center Has a 95% Teacher Satisfaction Rating
48% of teachers report that their PD is irrelevant to their daily instruction. We recognize the value of funding, time, and the need for relevant, engaging professional learning. That’s why our professional development sessions result in a 95% teacher satisfaction rating.
Free Two-Part Adolescent Interactive Workshop Series
In this free, two-part virtual workshop series facilitated by Monica Crumback, B.A., C-SLDI, you will explore the ways in which adolescent students are impacted by long-term reading struggles. You’ll have the opportunity to interact, ask questions, and learn about instructional practices to help support students.
Discovering Student Insights with Year-End Surveys
As the school year winds down into spring and summer break looms on the horizon, we often find ourselves entertaining both our anticipation of the future and our reflections on the past year. It’s a perfect time to engage our students in some of that reflective work as well.
Cognitive Load Theory and Learning
One of the most critical considerations we can take as educators is how to work with our students’ brains instead of against them. Cognitive Load Theory, or CLT, is based on the work of educational psychologist John Sweller and his colleagues in the 1980s and explores mental effort’s impact on learning. Learners struggle when information overload clogs their working memory.
Terms and Conditions for Professional Learning Webinars
Learn more about our terms and conditions for webinars, including policies concerning payments, graduate credits, attendance, and withdrawals.
Terms and Conditions for Professional Learning Courses & Workshops
Learn more about our terms and conditions for courses and workshops, including policies concerning payments, graduate credits, attendance, and withdrawals.
Abby Roy, NCSP, C.A.G.S., Highlights Dyslexia Awareness and Literacy Bill Impact on Vermont Public
Abby Roy, NCSP, C.A.G.S., Highlights Dyslexia Awareness and Literacy Bill Impact on Vermont Public
From Anecdotes to Action: Using Data to Drive Instruction
Data is an incredibly important tool in education, as we think about what our students currently know and are able to do, and the goals we set for them in terms of how we want them to progress and develop their knowledge and skills. There is no shortage of assessments, and there is no limit to the amount of anecdotal and observational data we can collect on our students. Thinking about our assessment landscape can help us figure out which data we are gathering that are actionable, and how to look at many different data points to make instructional decisions.
Unlocking the Impact of Collaborative Learning Communities in Education
Whether through Professional Learning Communities, Communities of Practice, or Learning Collectives, working in a group is a powerful way to enhance learning. When we work and learn together, our collaboration pushes us beyond the limits of independent learning and results in dynamic, rewarding learning.
Harnessing the Power of Syllable-Type Instruction for Reading Success in 2024
Curious about the power of syllable types? Read on to explore effective ways to incorporate syllable-types into your instruction, along with two free resources.
Peggy Price, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA, on “Debunking Neuromyths” for READ with Parents Series presented by IDA-NNEA
In this free, recorded webinar, Peggy Price discusses common myths and misinformation about how we learn to read and how our brains work to enable reading.
The Transformative Power of Prioritizing Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is the ultimate goal we have for our students. These professional learning opportunities and resources can help clarify reading comprehension and how best to tailor our instruction to allow students the opportunity to practice strategies that result in thorough comprehension.
The Orton-Gillingham Approach: Better Teacher Training, Better Reading Outcomes
Anyone who chooses to become a teacher and devotes years to an undergraduate or graduate degree in education deserves to be taught evidence-based instruction with adequate mentoring and support.
The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: A Book Study
For educators interested in nurturing students’ reading skills, here’s a wonderful opportunity to enhance your teaching toolkit.
Science of Reading in the News
Recent articles on the science of reading and reports on the latest research.
Upcoming Literacy Conferences and Events
A list of the best literacy conferences to check out for educators passionate about literacy education.
Why is Assessment Important?
Assessment expert Dr. Melissa Farrall explains how assessment helps us understand why children do what they do, and maps out how we can better meet their unique needs.
Learning How to Read is Harder Than You Think
Reading is a complex skill we learn through explicit instruction and deliberate practice. Here are four ways to support reading success!
Reaching More Learners, Teachers, and School Leaders
Thanks to the generous support of visionary donors, we’re welcoming learners and their families, teachers and school leaders to a new Stern Center website.
Types of Testing for Learning Disabilities
Testing helps us understand how a child learns best, giving us a full profile of their strengths and needs.
What is Dylsexia?
Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects language, reading, and writing. Learn more about what dyslexia is and how to help people with it.
Whole Language Vs Structured Language Approach to Teaching Reading
A long-running debate about the best way to teach children to read centers on two main approaches: whole language and structured literacy.
How to Choose Books for Beginning Readers
Strategies from reading experts about choosing books for early reading include reviewing challenging words on a page, focusing on accuracy, and making it fun!
What is the Science of Reading?
The science of reading draws on decades of research in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, education, and linguistics that seeks to understand how children learn to read.
Phonological Awareness
Being aware of syllables helps us learn new vocabulary, sound out words, and spell.
Activities, Games, and Lessons for Social Learning: A Practical Guide
A terrific resource guide full of games and activities that will help kids learn important social-emotional skills, written by the Stern Center’s Director of Social Learning and Communication, Julie Erdelyi, M.A.
Middle School Matters: Advancing Adolescent Reading
This paper will address what can be done in middle school for the adolescent literacy learner, identified in the research as beginning in grade 4, in order to benefit from the opportunities that literacy affords.
Terms & Conditions for the MindPlay Comprehensive Reading Course
Learn more about our terms and conditions for the MindPlay Comprehensive Reading Course, including policies concerning payments, graduate credits, and withdrawals.
Reading is Not a Guessing Game: Putting Research Into Practice So Kids Can Read
What do you think happens when a child can’t figure out how to pronounce that word? Take a moment to recall a time when you struggled with an activity and couldn’t figure it out, then imagine having the added stress of being watched closely by your teacher, parent or friends while the pressure builds for you to “just get it.” We get anxious. We then try to avoid it altogether.
Parent’s Guide to Tests and Assessments for Children Who Might Have a Learning Disability
When you have questions about assessment, finding the answers should be easy. “All About Tests & Assessments,” co-authored by the Stern Center’s Director of Evaluations, Melissa Farrall, is a comprehensive guide for parents, teachers, and therapists looking to understand how to use tests and assessments to identify students’ challenges and to guide them developing a customized learning plan.
The Power of the Orton-Gillingham Approach
The Orton-Gillingham Approach is a direct and explicit, language-based, and multisensory approach to teaching reading, writing, and spelling. Initially developed in the 1930s by Dr. Samuel T. Orton, a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist, and Anna Gillingham, an educator and psychologist, the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach is the underlying foundation of all multisensory structured language instruction, inspiring many creative OG-based programs such as Wilson Language Training®.
The Distinction & Differences of Digital Learning
Literacy, Financial literacy, Social literacy, Consumer literacy, Digital literacy – What is literacy? It seems we are encouraged to take any adjective and place “literacy” as the noun, thereby creating a new concept open to wide ranging definition, interpretation, and application.
VIDEO: "Executive Function – Organization and Possessions"
In this video, Michelle Szabo, Program Manager for Instruction at the Stern Center for Language and Learning, discusses executive function skills and what they mean for your child at home and for your student in the classroom.
“Eye’ve” Got it!
I read a lot; always have. Fifty novels a year. Various weekly and monthly publications. Regular professional articles and occasional books. Encountering a new word used to lead me to the dictionary, which meant getting up and walking to my reference shelf, but now I just use my iPod to google the vocabulary interloper and then hope to claim it as my own
Word Games, Etymology, Jabberwocky, Diagramming, and Library Cards
Language matters to me. Among my earliest memories are playing word games with my parents and siblings on those interminable family vacation trips. Fast on the heels of that (thanks to the elasticity of memory to a 62-year-old) is my delight, thought suspect by my 7th grade peers, in the daily etymology lessons in middle school English classes.
Designing Success with a Dyslexia Advantage
What is a dream? A chance in life to pursue your passion, an opportunity to use your creativity to produce an aesthetic experience, an artistic journey to identify your purpose in life. On a recent visit with Andrew Pearce, we heard his story and learned about his entrepreneurial endeavor to create wooden bowls
Early Childhood – The Exciting Span of Merging Skills Birth to Eight
A lot happens for children from birth to age eight. We have all heard the amazing reports about how experiences early in life impact brain development. Babies’ brains make 700 neural connections every second during the first three years of life! By six months of age, babies encode the sounds of the language they hear and watch the mouths of people who talk to them so they can do likewise.
Dyslexia: Failure is Not an Option
I wish I would have known what was going on when my eldest daughter, Madeline, started learning to read. She hated it. She loved all of her other subjects but reading was painful. She used to hide under the table to avoid it. The most frustrating thing about this was that the school kept telling me that Madeline was fine.
Unlocking Literacy for My Student
Have you ever had a student who did not know their letters and sounds coming into first grade? Who could not segment or blend sounds?
