“Train a child according to his way” (Proverbs 22:6) is a Biblical aphorism summing up the feeling of many parents and educators. Inspired by this ever-enlightening teaching from King Solomon, the Orthodox Union’s Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilities and The International Jewish Resource Center for Inclusion and Special Education will present, “”Maybe We Should Teach the Way They Learn,” a special education conference for yeshiva and day school educators from across North America. The conference will be held on Veteran’s Day, Tuesday, November 11, at 9 a.m. at Manhattan Day School, 310 West 75th Street, New York, NY.
Yachad provides unique social, educational and recreational programs for individuals with learning, developmental and physical disabilities with the goal of their Inclusion in the total life of the Jewish community.
“The theme of the conference, “Maybe We Should Teach the Way They Learn,” reflects the presenters’ topics concentrating on modifying different learning styles in the classroom so all can learn at an ideal pace,” said Batya Jacob, director of educational support services at Yachad. “There will be hands-on workshops about dyslexia, autism, and ADHD. Our major goal throughout the year is to give all children the ability to access Jewish education. We work with educators across the United States and Canada on new technology and techniques to advance learning for students with special needs.”
While in previous years the conference was held on Election Day it was scheduled this year in coordination with the Jewish Education Project, which is hosting its conference on the same day, Mrs. Jacobs said, “because we wanted to give the schools the ability to choose whichever was convenient for them.”
The demographic of the special education conference reaches schools and educators across the country, including participants from New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Florida, among others. To date, over 100 educators have registered.
The keynote speaker, child psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, will present the topic “Collaborative and Proactive Solutions.” Dr. Greene is a renowned expert in the field of special education. He is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and also serves on the teaching faculty at Cambridge Hospital (MA), Virginia Tech, and Tufts University. He is the author of ‘The Explosive Child’ and ‘Lost at School,’ and the founder of Lives in the Balance, a non-profit organization that teaches behavior modification and advocates on behalf of behaviorally challenging children and their parents, teachers, and other caregivers.
Other featured speakers include:
- Bill Atwood, Collins Education Associate and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. He serves on the graduate faculty at Salem State College, Endicott College, and Worcester State College in Massachusetts.
- Kathy Johnson, MS Ed, started The Hunter School for struggling students and wrote the “Pyramid of Potential” DVD/Workbook Series for families and “Growing Brains Everyday Curriculum for Teachers” and “The Roadmap From Learning Disabilities to Success.”
- Jeffrey Lichtman, International Director of the OU’s Yachad/NJCD, Dean of IVDU Schools, Director of NJ Association of Jewish Day Schools and consultant to schools and agencies working with individuals who have special needs.
- Jay Lucker, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Howard University, Washington, DC
- Clarissa Willis, Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Southern Indiana, senior author of “Learn Every Day: The Program for Infants, Toddlers and Twos”; and “Learn Every Day: The Preschool Curriculum.”
To register visit www.yachad.org/specialedconference or contact Batya Jacob 212.613.8127 or batyaj@ou.org.