Looking Back at the Year
Phew! This school year has been an incredible and breathtaking ride. I had no choice but to hit the ground running at full speed and I finally feel like I am in a place to reflect. It has been fast, demanding, filled with high stakes decisions (some I smile with pride at and some I still wince at).
And I have loved the thrill of it all.
In the fall, a seed was planted by a brilliant and well respected mentor and The Language and Reading Study group came to light.
My colleague Lyndsay and I have poured our hearts and minds into finding relevant and interesting topics, looking to provide opportunities for thoughtful discussions so we may challenge our practices and thinking. We continue to provide Alberta SLPs, Teachers, and Educators with information grounded in scientific research which pushes us to consider how to best teach ALL children to read.
As it turns out, there are many interested in learning about this topic and we are so grateful to have a group of colleagues to discuss new and exciting research and ideas with us, each month.
Events & Presentations
In November Lyndsay and I continued to explore how we might further shine a light on the research behind how ALL children learn to read, within the larger Alberta context.
We applied to both the Calgary City Teachers’ Conventions as well as the Endless Skies Teachers' Conventions. Again, we were encouraged and supported, given nods of approval to take what seemed like a huge leap.
So we jumped.
Going against the grain is never easy and always scary. And taking a leap when you can’t guarantee the outcome is terrifying. As it turns out, it was completely worth it.
Educators from those conventions were excited to have access to information about the research behind how all children learn to read. We were thrilled there was an openness to hear this information.
Our Presentation Topics
Read more about our topic from our presentation at Endless Skies’ Teachers’ Convention: Word Level Reading and our topic from our presentation at Calgary City Teachers’ Conventions: Knowing Words & Vocabulary Instruction.
Planning for What’s Next
In January, Lyndsay and I received word of formal acceptance into the Apraxia Kids Bootcamp Training.
This year, our applications were strong enough to “make the cut” and we are excited to be learning from the best in North America for five gruelling days and evenings, coming this August 2021.
We are looking forward to connecting with and learning from SLPs and researchers who have a passion for implementing effective treatment of children with severe and persisting spoken language disorders. We can’t wait to learn more, grow our minds, and push ourselves to thoughtfully consider our practices for this population of students.
We look forward to sharing this knowledge with interested SLP colleagues, in the future.
The Study Group | SLPs & Educators
The Language and Reading Study Group (Spring Series) kicked off in April. We are so proud to offer this new series of topics, which focuses on language development and impacts on literacy (reading, writing, spelling).
This spring, we are specifically looking at the relationship between language impairments and later reading difficulties.
The Science of Reading is becoming a topic that can no-longer be brushed aside in Alberta schools
We are proud to be learning from one another and to have local researchers from the University of Alberta (and beyond!) supporting our learning and facilitation of this group.
The support from this community of leaders inspires us to keep going, despite the countless roadblocks we have had to overcome over the years. We want to thank all of you who have attended or reached out for information. And we look forward to learning more from one another, this spring.
Join Us For the Language & Reading Study Group
If you’re interest in joining the Study Group, reach out on social media (@totallytalkingyeg on Facebook & Instagram) or a send a message directly for the meeting content and virtual link.
We have all Language & Reading Group dates and topics posted on my Totally Talking Events & Presentations page.
Want to follow along?
You can find me on social media where I share a little bit of everything (from peeks at behind-the-scenes to blog posts and information on topics we present on or share in our Study Group).
Facebook: Totally Talking - Speech, Language & Literacy Services
Instagram: @totallytalkingyeg
Study Group: Events & Presentations
Blog: Totally Talking Blog
Get to know Lyndsay Bourdeau on my blog and connect with her online here:
Website: speechlanguageliteracy.org
Facebook: Speech, Language & Literacy Centre
Instagram: @myspeechlanguageliteracy
