PAF’s professional development focuses on multisensory techniques for teaching reading, spelling, and handwriting in the primary grades. Topics include research-based instructional practices on developing accurate decoding and fluent reading through direct explicit instruction, building vocabulary and comprehension, lesson planning, and assessments.

Courses are taught and support is given by Master Teachers with years of experience teaching PAF in public and independent schools. 

For individual teachers seeking professional development in the PAF Reading Program or for new staff hired by districts or schools already implementing PAF, we offer a 16-hour course delivered through a synchronous platform.

The PAF Professional Development for Teachers consists of two parts:

Course (12 hours) will cover:

• An overview of research-based multisensory techniques for teaching reading, spelling, and handwriting
• Components of a PAF lesson at various levels in the sequence
• Planning a PAF lesson
• Instructional practices for developing accuracy, fluency, and comprehension
• Meeting the needs of diverse students, including mulitlingual learners, students at risk of learning difficulties, and accelerated learners
• Administering and analyzing PAF’s curriculum-based assessments

Ongoing Support (4.5 hours) will include:

• Lesson planning
• Placement of students into instructional groups
• Pacing of instruction
• Differentiating instruction
• Instructional language
• Question and answer sessions

Details of upcoming opportunities to attend the PAF Professional Development for Teachers are below. 

• Session recordings cannot be viewed after the scheduled training session.
• A certificate of completion of PAF professional development will be delivered to each participant provided that proof of attendance is delivered to the PAF team by the school or district. PAF will not be responsible for taking attendance. 

Teachers can also attend one of the Multisensory Reading Instruction Courses, PAF Part I or Part II, offered at the Windward Institute. Please contact wi@thewindwardschool.org for information and to sign up.

PAF Proficiency Tests

In this two-hour workshop, participants will learn how to administer and analyze the PAF Proficiency Tests. In addition, Master Teachers  will explain how to use the qualitative information from this assessment to inform classroom instruction and establish instructional goals for your students.

Read Alouds: A Key Component of a Structured Literacy Program

A thoughtfully planned read aloud is an opportunity for students to expand their vocabulary (Logan et. al, 2019), improve comprehension (Duke & Pearson, 2008), and enrich their background knowledge, while developing their love of reading.

In this workshop participants will gain insight into the research and implementation of Read Alouds to reinforce why this classroom activity is a vital part of a child’s literacy development and how this practice goes hand-in-hand with a comprehensive structured language program.

Join the PAF Reading Program team in adding these skills to your teacher toolkit to expand the breadth of your Read Alouds:

• Picking a read aloud book
• Outlining opportunities and roadblocks
• Addressing background knowledge for inclusivity
• Strategies for “Think Alouds”

Keeping Current with Reading Research

The body of research referred to as The Science of Reading continues to expand and deepen. From historical knowledge to the latest findings, it can be overwhelming to know the “what” and “how” to remain informed to best meet students’ needs.

Join us and learn how The Simple View of Reading weaves into Scarborough’s Reading Rope and extends to new findings on comprehension as the body of reading research progresses.