Workshops & Training

William Van Cleave typically designs presentations to suit the needs of specific groups. Number of participants, amount and scope of experience, and age and skill level of students the participants teach are all contributing factors to these tailor-made workshops. The longer the presentation, the more thorough the topic can be addressed and the more hands-on application participants have with the material. Whereas a ninety minute presentation might serve as an introduction to a topic, a multi-day workshop allows participants to practice implementing the strategies introduced.

Participants come to understand the needs of the student with language-based learning difficulties. They learn useful tips regarding presentation and organization, reading comprehension and textbook skills, and how to develop meaningful and creative assignments, activities, and lesson plans for many different kinds of students.

Typically offered in a one to two hour format, this presentation addresses the brain as a means of justifying multisensory instruction. The audience examines a definition of dyslexia and how it applies to our current understanding of the brain. Finally, they examine current research and how the tenets of multisensory instruction address the needs of the student with language-based learning difficulties.

This hands-on workshop explores useful strategies for developing students' writing skills. This presentation includes the motor component, list generation, grammar, sentence creation, paragraph development, and proofreading and revising techniques. Participants learn a structured, sequential approach to developing students' writing skills. They practice with the various teaching strategies introduced and learn techniques they can apply the very next day in their classrooms!
Click here to download a current handout for the workshop Writing Matters: Developing Writing Skills.
Click here to download a current copy of Grammar Charts. Print back to front and cut in half, providing a stack of 5x8 cards in numerical order.
Click here to download the preposition card.

Participants in this workshop learn about visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways. Using this foundation as a springboard, the presenter introduces the tenets of basic decoding and spelling instruction, including symbol to sound and sound to symbol relationships, kinds of syllables, and syllable division.

This workshop begins with an explanation of the importance motor memory to cement reading and spelling. Then, participants learn the advantages of cursive writing and move into appropriate positioning, letter formation, and teaching techniques. Includes discussion of kinesthetic/tactile learning, dysgraphia, keyboarding, and assistive technology.

This course provides teachers with an in-depth understanding of the English language and a logical approach to teaching it. Participants learn about the structure of the English language, basic phonics, the motor component, encoding and decoding strategies, written expression, advanced word structure, and the make-up of the brain. While this workshop does include some lecture, a substantial amount of time is given over to practicing with the material and learning how best to integrate it into the classroom or tutorial. (Offered in five-day and ten-day versions.)

Students with language-based learning difficulties have a difficult time with activities requiring rote memory. Participants approach spelling cognitively, learning the systems that govern the language and how best to instruct students to improve spelling. Includes hands-on techniques.

Recognizing that most schooling provides decoding at only the primary level, this workshop picks up where basic word attack leaves off. In fourth or fifth grade, students are introduced to textbooks filled with longer, multisyllabic words. In early high school, the caliber and complexity of that reading increases substantially. Even with effective basic phonics instruction, readers are often unable to handle both the increased quantity of text and its complexity. Participants briefly examine the origins of our language, learn about characteristics of the major languages of influence, look over basic word parts, and study some effective tools for instructing students in this valuable area. Tools such as these help the student whose word decoding abilities have plateaued to move to the next level -- for decoding, vocabulary development, and ultimately comprehension.

Click here to download the handout for the workshop Word Smarts: Morphology Development & Advanced Decoding.