T.H.E. P.A.C.T. 2-Day Intensive Lab

Not enough time to write objectives, develop instructional plans, and design simple AT solutions? Join us . . .

During The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. 2-Day Intensive Lab, you will implement the principles you learned in the 1-Day Introductory Course to put into place a step-by-step system you can begin implementing on Monday morning.

What is so great about T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is that any instructor has a framework for adapting materials that they can follow with each new lesson. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. modules address the four areas of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking – ensuring that a learner of any age or disability greatly improves in knowledge, skills, and performance.

- Jean Slater
President of Slater Software

	Walk away with a list of objectives, aligned to your state standards, that you have drafted to add to your I.E.P. for teaching vocabulary, accessing literacy materials, instructing writing, and improving communication for learners with developmental disabilities and varying learning disabilities.
	Set up a consistent structure when handing in Alternative Assessments and Portfolios by having a systematic approach to language-based instruction and data collection.
	Leave with customized and "to-the-point" activity descriptions tied to your objectives that are reasonable to implement in a given day for paraprofessionals and other team members to easily follow and record performance data for each language-based activity.
	Save time in the creation of AT solutions by designing and drawing simple tools in this lab session for diverse learner profiles prior to constructing your illustrations.
	Save money in your budget by using "what you have in your closet & on your shelves" and by incorporating the use of inexpensive, color-coded office supplies - rather than having to purchase all your solution items from specialized catalogs.
	Leave the lab with tools that you have made in four "Make-and-Take" sessions created for each module of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. from your customized illustrations that you can use on Monday morning with your learners.
	Walk away with new ideas for teaching vocabulary in the Learn About module that are not "one size fits all" but, instead, customized to your learners' preferences.
	Leave with reusable adapted literacy ideas and easy-to-use templates in the Read About module that do not always require a computer.
	Depart with practical writing ideas about how to set up concept maps, writing cubes, scaffolded writing templates, and customized writing workbooks in the Write About module for learners with developmental disabilities and learning disabilities.
	Walk away with a detailed understanding of how to set up simple visual and auditory communication supports for improving a learner's ability to give basic answers, take turns in a work group, state facts, provide describing details, & give oral presentations in the Talk About module.

Who Will Benefit from Attending?

Anyone who is struggling with not enough time to customize and adapt content for academic, life skills, or social skills training & needs a systematic way for this to be done for a learner of any age with a disability

Special education teachers & case managers

Speech-language pathologists & assistants

Occupational therapists & assistants

Teachers & curriculum specialists

AAC & AT consultants

Instructional assistants & paraprofessionals

Educational consultants

Behavioral consultants & autism specialists

Vocational rehabilitation & employment staff

Early intervention staff

Program administrators

Parents

Undergraduate & graduate students

Types of Learners Who Can Benefit
From Using T.H.E. P.A.C.T.

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. can be set up for any person with a disability – mild to significant – ranging from learners with a developmental disability to those with verbal or nonverbal learning disabilities. Examples include learners with:

Developmental disabilities

Intensive needs

Verbal learning disabilities

Nonverbal learning disabilities

Neurotypical disabilities

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. can be set up for diverse learners with diagnoses including, but not limited to: cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's, Down syndrome, learning impairment, Rett's syndrome, central auditory processing disorder, social thinking disorder, traumatic brain injury, and/or language-based learning disabilities.

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. framework is not just the key for opening the doors of success for our special learners and students with disabilities – T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is the answer for special education teachers' dilemma of Alternate Assessment portfolios for these very students – Thank you, Phyl! - Becky Longley Special Educator

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is all about connecting the dots and seeing the light bulbs turn on in your student's eyes. There's nothing better than being provided with simple and precise steps so that your student is able to see a clear picture of what they are learning – thank you, T.H.E. P.A.C.T.! - Gigi Boardman Instructional Assistant

Meet the Author / Course Director:
Phyl T. Macomber, Assistive Technology Specialist

Phyl T. Macomber, Assistive Technology Specialist, is the President of PracticalATSolutions.com & Make A Difference, Inc. She is an award-winning, national speaker on topics of adapted curriculum and teaching, augmentative communication, collaborative team building, and specialized software. Phyl has authored an adapted curriculum framework called T.H.E. P.A.C.T.™ - Technology Helps Easy & Practical Adapted Curriculum Teaching - which outlines how to design "Learn About, Read About, Write About, and Talk About™" modules for special needs learners of any age.

Phyl is also authoring the PracticalATSolutions.com Book Series, with the initial book in the series titled, The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. - the first of several volumes that will be written about this framework. Phyl is donating 50% of the profits from this book series to fund ovarian cancer research, in honor of her mother who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2007.

Additionally, Phyl has released T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Multimedia System, which is a collection of resources – including T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Workbook Software Tool – that teaches each team member how to set up and execute the framework.

Since completing a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital's Kennedy Krieger Institute in 1988, Phyl has provided customized consultation and skill-building training to teams serving individuals with disabilities in New England and on a national basis. Some of Phyl's volunteer work includes having collaborated with the television crew of ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with onsite identification, delivery, & setup of communication technologies for a child in his new home.

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is not just for special education. It is a technique for teaching all students at all levels. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is a practical, reasonable technique for organizing, creating, implementing and assessing measurable outcomes in education. I plan to use what I've learned here to structure and design an adapted technology class for special education at Black River High School/Middle School. I will also use these techniques to better structure and teach my classes for more traditional learners. Any educator at any level would benefit from learning and implementing T.H.E. P.A.C.T. - Sheila Selden Technology Teacher

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. takes all aspects of teaching and combines it into one easy-to-learn, easy-to-apply framework. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is now THE framework used throughout my program. - Angela Dougher Special Educator for regional autism program You really get what it is really like in the classroom! - Emily Brightman Special Educator

2-Day Intensive Lab Schedule

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of the course, the participants will be able to:

	Use "POWER" words to write meaningful objectives for teaching vocabulary, accessing accessible literacy materials, instructing writing, and improving communication for diverse learners.
	Write concise instructional plans for language-learning activities in Learn About, Read About, Write About, & Talk About modules.
	Design, illustrate, & create simple low technology AT solutions during 4 "Make-and-Take" module sessions throughout the course for diverse learner profiles.
	Complete T.H.E. P.A.C.T. AT Inventory Form to see "At-A Glance" what you already currently have in your closet & have stored on your shelves to determine what you still may need to purchase.
	List ways to explicitly teach vocabulary using language-based, differentiated instruction.
	Describe how to adapt literacy materials for literacy-challenged learners with developmental disabilities & varying levels of learning disabilities.
	State strategies to teach note-taking to learners with developmental disabilities & learning disabilities incorporating a variety of visual & auditory supports.
	Describe customized strategies when setting up adapted writing tasks for brainstorming, composing, & editing using simple AT solutions.
	List ways to improve participation of learners in a small group, classroom setting, & vocational tasks for learners using augmentative communication supports, having word-finding problems, & demonstrating word retrieval issues.

Course Registration Fees

Methods of payment for the course are:

1. Credit cards & PayPal – Online or print registration form 2. Purchase Orders – Print registration form 3. Check - Print registration form

Location Info

West Lebanon, NH

Thursday, September 30, 2010 and Friday, October 1, 2010 A Fireside Inn & Suites 25 Airport Road West Lebanon, NH 03784 Phone: (603) 298-5900 Directions: www.AFireSideInn.com NOTE: A block of rooms is being held at a discounted rate for this course. Please reference The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. when making your room reservation by phone. Click here to register online by credit card » Click here to register by Purchase Order or check and print a registration form »

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is an easy framework for adapting any curriculum to any individual using the tools that are already available to you. Learners will have a practical framework to understand new information and communicate their knowledge. You will have consistent tools to record progress, capitalize on a learner's strengths, and target areas for remediation. - Cara Leckwold, AAC Specialist

Phyl is a great presenter...passionate, personable, resourceful, knowledgeable, friendly, positive and energetic. - Tiffany Rossi Special Educator The whole idea is a phenomenal one. It truly incorporates all populations and diagnoses, as well as various age levels! - Doreen Daneault Occupational Therapist

Terms, Conditions, Confirmations & Cancellations

An e-mail confirmation will be sent upon receipt of your course registration payment. A refund, less a $50 service charge to cover administrative costs, will be granted to cancellations received in writing on or before 30 days from the date of the course. Regrettably, no refunds will be given on cancellations received less than 30 days from the date of the course, or due to inability to attend or because of adverse weather conditions. Credit, however, is gladly given for future courses. Also, if any registrant is unable to attend, but wishes to transfer their registration to another individual, this may be done at any time, up to, and including, the day of the course. This entire policy applies for purchase orders and all other forms of payment.

Phone cancellations will not be accepted. Written cancellations must be mailed to:

Make A Difference, Inc.
789 Hammond Hill Road
West Windsor, Vermont 05089
Attn: The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Registration

I have read and understand all of the above terms and conditions, including the cancellation policy.

By registering for a course & clicking the "SUBMIT" button upon checkout, you agree to the above statements.