Webinar registration is FULL! If you would like to be added to a waitlist, please email info@arizonaida.org. 

This is a two-part webinar (two 90-minute sessions). 

Working memory is the retention of a small amount of information in a readily accessible form. It facilitates planning, comprehension, reasoning, and problem-solving (Cowan, 2017). Working memory is essential to carrying out multistep activities, completing mental manipulations, and following complex instructions. During the first session on May 6th, participants will learn about working memory, how it relates to education, and how to notice its influence in their home or classroom. 

At the end of Session 1,  participants will be able to:

1. Explain what working memory is to another person who did not attend the session.
2. Analyze different settings/situations to see how working memory might be involved.

Attendees will be given interactive and practical applications to implement between sessions and review during the May 20th session.* 

We will resume at 9 am on May 20th to discuss strategies to support working memory and examine participants’ own lesson plans to identify the ones that support or do not support working memory. This will be an interactive session with small groups to allow participants to highlight techniques they are using that support working memory OR add in additional support.

At the end of Session 2, participants will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast lesson plans and determine which plans support working memory and describe how it is supported.
2. Discover ways in which they are already supporting working memory in their lesson plans or envision new ways to support it. 

Note: We recognize that parents may attend, so ‘lesson plans’ might be plans for a child to complete a task at home, academic or not. 

This webinar is free to attend. 

Professional Development: Three Continuing Education Units/Professional Development Hours (CEUs/PDHs) will be offered to educators and SLPs/SLPAs working on their certificate renewal. Participants must attend both live sessions. 

*SLPs/SLPAs – This webinar is NOT a pre-approved ASHA CEU course, but can be used towards your 30 PDH requirement. Please reach out to Heather.Caska@ArizonaIDA.org with any questions.

Certificate Cost:  IDA Members $0/Non-members $5 

CEU certificates will be issued to those that submit the CEU – Webinar Reflection Form and make payment. Form and payment links will be sent after session 2.  Certificates will be emailed by June 17th, 2023.

About the Presenters:

Mary Alt is a Professor and the Department Head for the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Science in the College Science at the University of Arizona. She is a certified speech-language pathologist who has practiced in the public schools and private practice. She leads the L4Lab:Language, Learning, Literacy, Lexicon.  The L4 lab is focused on learning how these four topics interact in making us effective communicators and understanding what happens when these important skills do not develop or break down.  Our lab is also interested in discovering interventions and solutions to learning challenges. Dr. Alt, the L4Lab, and their partners are currently studying the development of working memory in elementary-aged children with and without language learning impairments and exploring which treatment parameters lead to the best word learning outcomes for late-talking toddlers. 

Shelley Gray is a Professor of Speech and Hearing Science in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University and a certified speech-language pathologist. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and a Barrett Honors Faculty member. She leads the Child Language and Literacy Lab (CHILLL) that focuses on the development of early literacy, reading, and working memory in children and adolescents and the development and testing of assessments and curricula to improve children’s learning and academic success. In collaboration with many talented colleagues, CHILLL has ongoing studies investigating the development and testing of the Teaching Early Literacy and Language (TELL) preschool curriculum, testing of the Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM), and longitudinal studies of reading and working memory in elementary through high school students.

IDA Arizona Moderator: Heather Caska