Professional Development for Educators
On Demand Courses
On Demand Courses are online professional development courses for educators. They provide learning opportunities for teachers and other education related professionals interested in upgrading or expanding their knowledge, skills and teaching practice with a specific emphasis on proven strategies for children with learning challenges.
These online, self-paced courses, webinars and workshops are made available by reputable organizations grounded in research-based approaches. While the courses are all online, they may differ widely in terms of resources, costs and other considerations. They may include any or all of the following:
- credits applicable to further education
- facilitated training during specified times or based on trainer availability
- accompanying workbooks
- costs in $CAD, $US, Euros, or be free!
- time zones different from local time
- certificates of completion
- life-time access to materials/videos with registration
Please read each online course selection carefully to determine what exactly is being offered and which of the considerations listed above apply.
Reading & Literacy Courses
Learn what the Science of Reading tells us about how the brain learns to read, and how to apply this knowledge to your classroom.
Offered by the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta
Learn how to use the Reading Readiness Screening Tool and then how to implement effective intervention strategies based on Structured Literacy.
Offered by the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta
The Basics of Decoding and Spelling Instruction course is a 15h online, on-demand course that provides instruction on how to teach decoding and spelling so that all students can learn to read and spell.
Offered by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Ontario
Introduction to the Science of Reading and reading strategies.
There are also courses for school leaders to learn how to implement the Science of Reading in their schools or districts.
Courses are accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
Offered by AIM Institute for Learning & Research
Both offered by AIM Institute for Learning & Research
The Reading Teacher’s Top 10 Tools
Developed by Dr. Deb Glaser, Top 10 Tools is an online comprehensive reading course designed to immerse educators in the science of reading, including research and practical applications in the classroom. This course is aligned with IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards (KPS).
Offered by Tools 4 Reading
Grade 4 to High School for English Language Arts, Literacy and ELL teachers.
Offered by Achieve the Core
Writing Courses
Effective instructional practices that will benefit all students, including linguistically diverse populations and those with or at risk for language-based learning disabilities.
Offered by AIM Institute for Learning & Research
Supported by decades of research, this is a “best evidence-based, classroom-proven writing method helping all level of K-12 and college entry students excel at writing and learning.” It was originally developed for students with Learning Disabilities.
Offered by SRSD Writing to Learn
Math Literacy Courses
A different pedagogical approach, suitable to all grades, for structuring math instruction in such a way as to gain “…general improvement in mathematics performance including computational fluency, conceptual understanding and problem solving…”, both in the short-term but also in the long-term.
Offered through a collaborative partnership with the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.
This approach is best intended for elementary but also applicable to secondary grades.
Offered by LD@School a project of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO