The Windward Institute

Tech Tools to Support Self-Regulation at School and Home
2026-02-11 16:30 - 18:30 (Asia/Karachi) | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/98711597529
Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EST
Instructor: Joan McGettigan, Ed.D.
Grade: 2 – 8
Price: $ 120
Credentials: 2 Approved CTLE Hours
Why This Workshop
This workshop explores how technology can strengthen students’ self-regulation skills such as managing time, sustaining attention, monitoring progress, and navigating emotions around learning. Participants will discover digital tools and strategies that support task organization, scheduling, and goal setting, as well as routines and prompts that help students start, persist, and finish work. The session emphasizes how tech-based approaches can promote independence and provide consistent structures for success at school and at home. Attendees will leave with a curated list of practical tools ready to use in both classroom and home settings.
Key Learning Objectives

Learn digital tools and strategies that help students organize tasks, manage schedules, and set achievable goals
Explore routines and prompts that support students throughout long term assignments
Recognize how tech-based approaches foster independence and provide consistent structures for success
Gain a curated toolkit of practical resources ready to implement in both classroom and home settings

Building Analytical Readers: Classroom Strategies that Work
2026-02-10 16:30 - 18:30 (Asia/Karachi) | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/95810257583
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 4:30 pm- 6:30 pm. EST
Instructor: Alison Leveque, PhD
Grades: 2 – 8
Price: $ 120
Credentials: 2 Approved CTLE Hours
Why This Workshop:
Deep comprehension and analytical thinking require more than surface-level reading. This session focuses on research-based strategies for structuring reading lessons and integrating writing to strengthen understanding. Participants will explore techniques for guiding students through multiple readings with distinct purposes and fostering critical discussions that build deeper engagement with texts.
Key Learning Objectives:

Define the role of structured reading in fostering deep comprehension and analytical thinking
Introduce annotation strategies for both expository and narrative texts
Develop structured response sheets to support targeted reading activities across content areas
Examine techniques for collaborative reading and discussion activities
Explore structured writing activities that reinforce comprehension and strengthen the reading–writing connection

Promoting Executive Functioning through Time Management and Self-Regulation Strategies
2026-02-09 16:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | https://thewindwardschool-org.zoom.us/j/95459855807
Date: Monday, February 9, 2026, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EST
Instructor: Jackie Britt-Friedman, PsyD
Grade: 1 – 6
Price: $ 120
Credentials: 2 Approved CTLE Hours
Why This Workshop
This workshop helps teachers and caregivers equip children with the executive function skills they need to succeed—such as emotional regulation, goal-setting, problem-solving, and the ability to initiate, sustain, and complete tasks. Participants will explore how time management connects to core EF processes including planning, organization, self-monitoring, and persistence. Participants will leave with practical routines, visual tools, and suggested structures that make it easier for students to regulate themselves, manage transitions, and follow through on responsibilities.
Key Learning Objectives

Understand the relationship between time management and other key executive function skills
Expand knowledge about practical routines and visual tools that support students in planning, organizing, and managing transitions more independently
Learn goal‑setting strategies that guide students in breaking tasks into manageable steps and monitoring their own progress
Identify strategies to help students develop coping strategies and regulate emotions

Games for Advanced Readers, Writers, and Spellers
2026-01-29 16:30 - 17:30 UTC
Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. EST
Instructor: Alison Leveque, PhD
Grades: 5 – 9
Price: $ 60
Credentials: 1 Approved CTLE Hour
Why This Workshop
Engage students in meaningful, playful learning with games designed to strengthen advanced literacy skills. This workshop explores how interactive activities can reinforce word knowledge, spelling patterns, and vocabulary development for proficient readers and writers. Learn how to incorporate games that target multisyllabic word reading, literacy knowledge, and morphological awareness, while fostering motivation and deep language comprehension. Leave with practical, ready-to-use resources.
Key Learning Objectives

Understand how games can support advanced decoding, spelling, and vocabulary growth
Explore strategies to incorporate morphology into any curriculum
Learn to design games for multisyllable word reading, spelling, and literacy knowledge
Gain a toolkit of classroom-ready templates that promote higher-level language skills across content areas

Three Day Expository Writing Instruction
2026-01-28 09:00 - 14:30, 2026-01-21 09:00 - 14:30, 2026-01-14 09:00 - 14:30 UTC
Dates: Three Wednesdays, January 14, 21, 28; Snow Day: Feb. 4, 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST
Instructor: Betsy M. Duffy, MS Ed
Price: $650 (materials included) three day workshop
Grades: K – 12
Credentials: 16.5 approved CTLE Hours
Why This Workshop
Expectations to meet rigorous writing standards begin in the early grades and extend through high school. In this course, Betsy M. Duffy, MS Ed, Special Projects Advisor to the Windward Institute, will present strategies for teaching expository writing in all content areas in grades K through 12.
This prominent writing program, developed at The Windward School, is based on large statistical research studies for best practices in writing and utilizes strategies outlined in publications such as the Elementary and Secondary Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guides (Graham, et al.). Approaches from Teaching Basic Writing Skills (TBWS): Strategies for Effective Expository Writing Instruction by Judith C. Hochman and TBWS Templates by Betsy MacDermott-Duffy are incorporated with findings from Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading (Graham & Hebert, 2010) and “Effectiveness of Literacy Programs Balancing Reading and Writing Instruction: A Meta-analysis” (Graham et al., 2017). This writing program can be implemented in general education and special education classrooms across grade K through 12.
Key Learning Objectives

Learn specific evidence-based techniques to add structure, coherence, and clarity to students’ expository writing.
Identify instructional guidelines for developing complex sentences, outlining, writing paragraphs and compositions, and revising and editing.
Gain examples that explicitly demonstrate how to teach foundational and organizational skills necessary to write an argumentative essay.
Develop an overview of how to plan an expository reading lesson as springboard to writing.

Progress Monitoring Made Simple: Tools and Strategies for Educators
2025-12-02 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | NY
Price: $ 120
Date: Tuesday, December 2nd from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET
Instructors: MaryKate DeSantis, EdM, CAS & Alison Leveque, PhD
Grades: K-6
Why this Workshop:
Ongoing progress monitoring is a powerful tool for educators, offering real-time insights into student learning and instructional effectiveness. By consistently assessing students’ reading and spelling skills, teachers can identify areas of strength and need, adjust their strategies accordingly, and ensure every learner is on the path to success. This workshop provides practical techniques to streamline the progress monitoring process, helping educators track growth, interpret data meaningfully, and plan next steps for instruction. Participants will leave equipped with actionable methods to make assessment-driven instruction both efficient and impactful.
Key Learning Objectives:

Identify the foundational reading and spelling skills that are most important to monitor for instructional decision-making
Understand which types of progress monitoring tools align best with specific skill areas (e.g., decoding, encoding, fluency, comprehension)
Interpret student progress data through case-based scenarios to recognize signs of growth, stagnation, or regression
Connect assessment results to instructional planning by selecting strategies that address student needs and support targeted learning
Leave with a practical “toolbox” of strategies to make assessment-informed instruction more efficient and impactful across grade levels and programs

Comprehension Strategies for Every Subject
2025-11-12 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | NY
Price: $ 120
Date: Wednesday, November 12th from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. ET
Instructors: Alison Leveque, PhD and Sarah Martin, EdD
Grades: 2-8
Why this Workshop:
Students encounter complex texts across all subject areas. This workshop explores practical strategies to help learners analyze, interpret, and synthesize text-based information across various academic disciplines. Participants will learn practical strategies to strengthen students’ comprehension and reasoning skills, while navigating challenging texts with greater purpose and precision.
Key Learning Objectives:

Learn before-, during-, and after-reading strategies that support comprehension across a variety of text types

Implement effective vocabulary instruction for conceptual understanding, retention, and transfer
Integrate short, purposeful writing tasks to reinforce understanding and build critical thinking skills

Leave with a toolkit of strategies, templates, and checklists to make the most of content literacy across subjects

Laying the Foundation: Phonemic Awareness Routines That Work
2025-11-12 09:00 - 11:30 UTC | https://thewindwardinstitute.org/event/laying-the-foundation-phonemic-awareness-routines-that-work/
Price: $ 150
Date: Wednesday, November 12th from 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. ET
Instructors: Nicole Berkowitz, MS, CCC-SLP and Diane Happas, MA CCC-SLP
Grades: PK-3
Why this Workshop:
Phonemic awareness is essential for early reading success, yet many students struggle with sound recognition, blending, and segmentation. This interactive workshop will help educators understand the role of phonemic awareness in literacy development and provide actionable ways to support it in daily instruction. The session will highlight engaging activities that benefit all learners and can be easily incorporated into any early literacy program. Participants will explore common challenges—such as difficulty distinguishing similar sounds or manipulating phonemes—as well as effective scaffolding and intervention strategies.

Key Learning Objectives:

Understand the role of phonemic awareness in early literacy and its connection to decoding, spelling, and fluent reading
Identify common areas of difficulty—including sound discrimination, blending, and segmentation—and recognize how these challenges may appear in student performance
Explore a variety of adaptable routines and games to build phonemic awareness across student skill levels
Gain ready-to-use tools and routines that align with phonemic awareness goals and fit within any curriculum

Emotionally Regulated and Empowered: Supporting Executive Functioning and Self-Management
2025-10-27 16:30 - 18:00 UTC | NY
Price: $ 90
Date: Monday, October 27th from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Instructors: Mark Bertin, MD
Grades: K-8

Why this Workshop:

Are you seeking practical, research-informed techniques to help children thrive emotionally and academically? Join us for an engaging session designed for parents, educators, and caregivers eager to foster resilience, self-management, and executive functioning skills in young people. This interactive workshop will illuminate the essential connection between emotional regulation and the cognitive skills that drive planning, focus, and adaptability—equipping you with tools to make a lasting impact both at home and in the classroom.
Key Learning Objectives:

Understand the interconnectedness between executive functioning and emotional regulation across child and adolescent development
Examine the role of emotional regulation in children and adolescents with ADHD
Learn concrete strategies for supporting emotional regulation at home and in the classroom that calm the nervous system and manage academic demands including co-regulation techniques, mindfulness, self-compassion and language tools
Gain an array of habits at home and school to enhance planning, transitions, time management
Practice using mindfulness and self-compassion coaching sequences to support self-regulation and resilience

Teaching with Clarity: Understanding by Design in Everyday Planning
2025-09-01 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | NY
Price: $ 120
Date: Thursday, October 16th, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. ET
Instructors: Joan McGettigan, EdD
Grades: K – 8

Why This Workshop:
Even the most thoughtfully developed curriculum can fall short if students don’t understand the “why” behind what they’re learning. This workshop introduces a practical approach to using Understanding by Design (UbD) principles to bring more clarity, focus, and intentionality to classroom planning (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Participants will learn how to anchor instruction in big ideas and essential questions that promote deeper thinking, support long-term retention, and encourage transfer across content areas. Participants will discover how to break down unit planning into manageable steps, use time-saving templates, and ensure alignment between instruction and learning objectives.
Key Learning Objectives:

Learn how to identify and use big ideas and essential questions to frame instruction that deepens understanding and promotes knowledge transfer
Use backward design strategies to clarify learning goals and align them with daily lessons and formative assessments
Apply practical planning tools to streamline instructional decision-making and highlight what matters most in a unit
Strengthen the connection between learning objectives, student tasks, and assessment, making learning more purposeful and transparent for students
