Education Redefined Podcast Redefine Instruction

If you’re looking to empower a student diagnosed with dyslexia and build a village of support, then you must add the International Dyslexia Association to your list. This week I speak with Sabine Triplett the president of the Houston chapter of International Dyslexia Association.
Sabine talks about the
•History and mission behind the Houston Chapter
•The resources & support provided by this community
•The Fall Symposium and the Spring Conference
•Benefits of membership
•Scholarships for teachers and students
•The College Panel and
•Most of all how IDA Houston has been personally supported her to navigate the landscape of dyslexia.

I do want to point out the upcoming Virtual Fall Symposium scheduled for Sept 25th. Save the date! Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Margie Gillis talk about ‘The Nuts and Bolts of Monitoring Students’ Reading Progress.’

Click on the link in the show notes to register now.
https://www.houstonida.org/event/2021-fall-symposium/
Sites: https://www.houstonida.org/

Learning Ally is one of biggest supporters of students with dyslexia. Learning Ally not only provides audio books but also engages students through a multi-sensory approach to reading. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Terrie Noland who is the VP of Educator Initiatives with Learning Ally.

It is a great pleasure to introduce Dr. Terrie Noland. She has a PhD in Literacy and is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner, with over 27 years of experience in education. She provides leadership, mentorship and consultant services to schools and districts all over the country.

Dr. Noland has dedicated her life to making students successful. In this episode, Dr. Noland identifies the ways in which Learning Ally engages learners, talk about Learning Ally’s parents and educator communities, volunteer opportunities and much more. She also addresses how Learning Ally has innovated through the years to meet the needs of students.


Checkout 13 amazing sessions from Learning Ally’s Virtual Conference, Spotlight on Dyslexia. These sessions are available until December 1st. Use the promo code SPODCC for a special discount.

Spotlight on Dyslexia: https://learningally.org/Conferences/Spotlight-on-Dyslexia-2021

Here are a few links that would be helpful if you’d like to get closely involved with any of the initiatives mentioned during this episode:

Learning Ally: https://learningally.org/
Join the Learning Ally Educator Community: https://learningally.mn.co/landing?space_id=2785183

This week the spotlight is on Rhonda Hill where she talks about the importance of early intervention and dyslexia therapy. In this episode, I speak with Rhonda Hill who began her journey in the field of education about 20 years ago. After failed efforts in securing a public-school teaching job in Houston, she was ready to seek another way to help her son. Just at the right time a word of encouragement spurred a different path, one that she had not heard of during her studies in the ACP.
She began her training at Neuhaus Education Center in the fall of 2006. In less than 3 years, she graduated from the Dyslexia Specialist Preparation Program. Quickly, she became a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist (LDT) and a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT).
She sees her work as a calling. She loves turning on the reading, writing and spelling parts of the brain in her students. Over the past 15 years, her caseload has spanned small groups in “at-risk” public schools, adult literacy classes, on campus support for individual students at local private campuses, K-2 Reading specialist at a private school and most recently virtual delivery to students in CA, WA, Ohio, NJ and as far as Japan. She currently owns Great Circle Reading, PLLC located in Bellaire, TX.
When she is out of the office, she spends time with her family and friends in Bellaire. Self-improvement and learning to live her faith equip her with the patience and wisdom to be the best version of herself.
In this episode, Rhonda addresses:
•What dyslexia is.
•Can it be cured.
•Structured Literacy
•Advocacy for children with dyslexia
•How to diagnose dyslexia
•Gives a glimpse of therapy and much more.
Visit Great Circle Reading: https://sites.google.com/gcreading.com/dyslexia/home?authuser=0

In this week’s episode, the spotlight is on Angelica Medrano. Angelica has over 15 years of experience in special education and holds teaching certifications in Special Education and English as a Second Language. She began her teaching career as a Special Education teacher at Hamilton MS in the Houston Heights. After a few years of teaching, she moved to a districtwide position in Special Education. During her career, Angelica provided extensive training in areas such as the ARD/IEP Process, Effective Instructional Strategies, Inclusive Practices, Learning Disabilities and Universal Design for Learning. She worked directly with students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

Angelica is a member of COPAA- Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. Utilizing her experience and knowledge of the education system and student learning abilities, Angelica believes in advocating for the best education for every child.

She decided to leave public education to work directly with parents and students. Her goal is to set children up for success in school. The process should not be overwhelming or time consuming. As someone who has attended ARD meetings in many different roles, she understands that no one should sit in meetings that last hours and have no resolution. She works efficiently and effectively to ensure every child receives the appropriate services and supports.

In this episode, Angelica talks about the:
• Nuances of navigating the school system.
• Importance of advocating for your child.
• What to do if you need assistance in speaking with the school.
• Significance of teaching children to advocate for themselves and much more

She offers free parents resources and is willing to work one on one with you & your child. Check out EDUPrepspace.com or join the FB community for more information.

n this episode, I speak with Nancy Redding who has dedicated her life to empower students with dyslexia. In addition to being a Fellow in Academy of Orton - Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, Nancy has many accolades to her name.

Nancy is a former community college learning disability specialist and has served as a learning specialist at both high school and elementary school levels in Northern California. With over 40 years of expertise as a private academic therapist, Nancy has been the past president of the Northern Branch of IDA and Regional Representative for the Branch Council of IDA. Nancy has also co-authored the Patterns of Success, a reading and spelling program designed to supplement OG intervention.

During this conversation, Nancy helps uncover the truth behind empowering students with dyslexia. She talks about:
• how students with dyslexia learn,
• Distinguishes balanced literacy from structured literacy
• Provides tools to initiate a successful conversation with the school
• The significance of early identification and intervention
• Importance of advocacy
• How to judge the efficacy of a reading program
• Share a success story and much more.

Listen as Nancy peels the layers to set students up for success.

Reach out at www.Nancyredding.com
Patterns of Success, an Orton Gillingham based program, authored by Nancy Redding: https://www.nancyredding.com/publication

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Listen to this conversation with Dr. Tracy Weeden, the President and CEO of Neuhaus Education Center , about empowering students with #dyslexia. During this conversation, she talks about resources made available through #Neuhaus and how to access them. As Dr. Weeden says, “Nobody should walk this journey alone.” Let’s build a village to empower students with dyslexia. Listen as Dr. Weeden talks about the history of #Neuhaus, identifies key resources for students and shares her vision for success.