Previous Northern Virginia Workshops | Landmark College Institute for Research and Training

Below is a list of our previous workshops in Virginia. If you would like to host a workshop at your school, or hear from us when new workshops are planned, please fill out our interest form.

Summer 2010 Institute at Flint Hill

Sessions provided in-depth review of the latest research and theory, as well as opportunities to practice implementing workshop concepts.

Location: Flint Hill School, Oakton, VA 22124
Date: August 2010
Audience: Secondary (grades 6-12) teachers & parents; college & university professors; principals, school heads, administrators; educational consultants; curriculum coordinators and staff developers; learning specialists, special educators; disability support staff; tutors, advisors.

Workshop: Executive Function in Depth: New Research and Practical Strategies

Why do some bright students with good academic skills appear to “spin their wheels” and fail to achieve their potential? This is often a result of difficulty with executive function, the mental processes that regulate goal-setting and task completion.

This session built upon the 2009 presentation, “Meeting the Challenge of Executive Function,” by examining recent research and exploring more practical strategies. (Prior attendance is not necessary.)

Location: Commonwealth Academy, 1321 Leslie Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301
Date: April, 2010
Audience: Secondary (grades 6-12) teachers & parents; college & university professors; principals, school heads, administrators; educational consultants; curriculum coordinators and staff developers; learning specialists, special educators; disability support staff; tutors, advisors.

Summer 2009 Institute at Flint Hill

This three-day summer institute offered full-day workshops: Universal Design, Teaching Writing to Students with LD/ADHD, and Improving Reading Comprehension in the Content Areas.

Location: Flint Hill School Oakton, VA 22124
Date: August 2009
Audience: Secondary (grades 6-12) and post-secondary educators, including classroom teachers, department chairs, curriculum coordinators, administrators, educational consultants

August 17: Universal Design

To address the needs of our cognitively diverse society, we should embrace the concept of "universal design," which emphasizes the importance of creating instruction to be optimally useful and effective for the broadest range of individuals. This session will review common learning challenges as the basis for creating a framework of best practices for designing instruction. It will include resources and strategies to promote optimal learning and review a number of emerging technologies that may help close the gap between ability and disability.

August 18: Introduction to Teaching Writing

This workshop addresses academic writing as a complex and challenging cognitive task that places great demands on student language skills, attention, memory, and effort. The presenter will review the latest research in writing instruction related to struggling students and model effective writing instruction and strategies to promote academic success for secondary and postsecondary students with learning disabilities and attention disorders. The session will conclude with a look at analytical writing demanded by high stakes testing.

August 19: Improving Reading in the Content Areas

This workshop will review the latest research in reading processes with a focus on reading comprehension. Participants will receive examples of effective strategies that promote reading comprehension in core content areas, within a framework for effective instructional design. The workshop is designed for general education instructors as well as those who work with students with learning differences. Participants should bring currently used texts and reading assignments on which to build lessons and activities.

April 2009 Workshop: Meeting the Challenge of Executive Functioning

This one-day workshop explored the theoretical basis for executive functioning challenges at school and home, providing educators and parents with insights for designing effective interventions that promote academic success. Participants developed a repertory of strategies for meeting the challenges of time and task management, with a focus on efficient study routines and coaching approaches for student self management.

Location: Commonwealth Academy, Alexandria Virginia
Date: April 21, 2009
Audience: Secondary and postsecondary educators, parents, counselors, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and others who work with students with learning challenges. This workshop was sponsored by Landmark College and Commonwealth Academy.

Agenda

Presenter: Linda Hecker, M.Ed. Lead Education Specialist, Adjunct Associate Professor

Linda Hecker, M.Ed., Lead Education Specialist

Linda Hecker, M.Ed., has taught at Landmark College since its founding in 1985. Currently a Lead Education Specialist for the Institute, she has overseen teacher training programs, taught English, study skills, and music classes, and served as an academic advisor, Chair of the Tutorial Department, and Academic Dean. She received her M.Ed. from the University of Hartford and her B.A. from Brandeis University. Ms. Hecker has presented workshops, courses, teacher training programs, and/or keynote speeches at dozens of institutions and conferences. Recent talks spotlight venues as diverse as the Smithsonian Museum, George Washington University, Chicago Public Schools, and the American Community School, Athens, Greece. She lives in Guilford, Vermont, and is an avid freelance violinist.

For additional information, please call, write or email us at:

Landmark College Institute for Research and Training
PO Box 820
1 River Road South
Putney, VT 05346
(802) 387-1662
institute@landmark.edu