Teaching vocabulary to improve reading comprehension

Dr Danielle Colenbrander (University of Bristol, UK) will present a one-day workshop on evidence-based methods for teaching vocabulary knowledge to primary school aged children, where the ultimate aim is improving reading comprehension.

Date July 31, 2018 - July 31, 2018
Time 9:00am - 4:00pm

About the workshop: 

Session 1 will focus on why and how vocabulary instruction might lead to reading comprehension improvements, and when vocabulary instruction is appropriate.

Session 2 will focus on current evidence for effective vocabulary intervention, including a discussion of which instructional elements are crucial for effectiveness.

Sessions 3 and 4 will be practical sessions focussing on how to successfully deliver vocabulary intervention, and how to adapt intervention methods to different settings.

Workshop outcomes: 

By the end of the workshop, attendees should have a clear understanding of:

  • current research on vocabulary instruction
  • how vocabulary knowledge relates to reading comprehension
  • how to teach vocabulary knowledge to children in one-on-one, small group or whole class settings

Who should/should not attend? Any prerequisites, assumed/required knowledge: 

This workshop will be useful for primary school teachers, special education teachers, speech language pathologists, and anyone working with children who have reading or language difficulties.

Preparation before the workshop:

Ideally, each participant should bring their own tablet or laptop with wireless internet access.

Dr Danielle Colenbrander is a researcher at the University of Bristol, UK. She trained as a speech language pathologist at Macquarie University before completing her PhD exploring the role of oral vocabulary in reading comprehension difficulties. She has worked with diverse populations of children in a variety of settings. She is currently running a randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of two training programmes for children with reading and spelling difficulties. She is interested in relationships between vocabulary knowledge, reading aloud and reading comprehension. In particular, she is interested in how difficulties in these areas can be remediated.

$550 per person (10% discount for enrolment in two workshops)