Spotlight on Dyslexia Event Speakers

Kristin Barbour

Kristin Barbour

Executive Director, National Institute for Learning Development (NILD)

Kristin is the Executive Director of the National Institute for Learning Development (NILD), a 501(c)3 educator training organization. NILD assists and supports students with learning differences to flourish through cognitive transformation by equipping educators and schools to help all students achieve. Kristin has served as a speech-language pathologist in hospitals and K-12 education settings and as an educator in higher education. For over 20 years, Kristin has provided educational workshops on research-based instructional practices to develop students’ thinking and learning abilities. Kristin served on the International Dyslexia Association’s committee to develop the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. Kristin completed her EdD at Johns Hopkins University in the Mind, Brain, and Teaching specialization.

Sessions

Build

Connecting Writing to the Brain, the Science of Writing and Literacy Practices

American policymakers, educators, and parents are committed to ensuring all K-12 students learn to read. Over the last decade, the focus on the science of reading continues to inform reading instruction. However, writing is often missing from the reading conversation and an overlooked aspect of literacy instruction. This presentation aims to enhance educators’ knowledge and abilities to include writing in literacy instructional practices.

Informational content in this presentation includes meta-teaching and meta-learning writing and reading, systematic and explicit writing instruction, and science of writing best practices. The benefits of attending this presentation include enhancing educators’ beliefs and knowledge about building students’ literacy skills while implementing the science of writing instructional practices.

Session Objectives:

  • to provide educators the opportunity to consider their own beliefs related to teaching writing within literacy instruction and students synergistically learning reading and writing skills
  • to build educators’ knowledge of instructional practices to embed writing in reading instruction
  • to know how writing connects to the brain, how reading and writing interlock, and how to implement the science of writing practices.
Kristin Barbour

Kristin Barbour
Executive Director,
National Institute for Learning Development (NILD)