Top 5 best reading conferences for teachers

Teaching is more than having vast knowledge to share with students. It’s as much an art as it is a science.

A significant part of being a successful teacher is the ability to help students achieve academic success. Of course, that’s easier said than done when working with kids, teens, and young adults who are facing reading difficulties.

It takes specialized knowledge and an affinity for social-emotional learning practices to help others read better and faster. If you want to be better at it, you can start by going to reading conferences.

Best upcoming reading conferences

The U.S. has many reading and educational conferences every year. Teachers can attend various specialized events, from a one-day conference to four- or five-day-long conferences dedicated to literacy instruction and teaching strategies.

Here are some conferences worth attending to discover new tools and teaching techniques:

LitCon

LitCon is one of the best K-8 literacy conferences in the U.S. Keynote speakers specialize in the latest research on literacy education and practices. Scheduled for January 28–31, 2023, LitCon features speakers on reading recovery, leadership in literacy, literacy coaching, classroom literacy, and children’s literature.

This year’s keynote speakers include Patrick Harris II, Peter Afflerbach, and Rachael Gabriel. Columbus, Ohio, hosts the famed reading conference with a history of almost four decades. It’s a must-attend for anyone looking to diversify their teaching skills and help others develop better language comprehension skills.

SXSW

Austin, Texas, will hold the SXSW conference from March 10-19, 2023. The event caters to various teachers seeking professional development. Guest speakers hold many sessions in fields like practice and pedagogy, community initiatives, arts, and storytelling.

The national conference expects reading specialists and other speakers to attend from various countries. Attendees can listen to literacy instruction and other special education teaching strategies sessions from featured speakers. The in-person talks and other networking opportunities can help public school classroom teachers improve their approach regarding students with disabilities.

ASCD

The ASCD annual conference takes place in Denver, Colorado, from March 31, 2023 to April 3, 2023. It’s an ideal event for educators that want to renew their passion, connect with specialists, and learn from literacy coaches, reading specialists, and other leaders trained in literacy instruction.

Featured speakers include Brandon P. Fleming, Michele Borba, and Shawn Achor. The program includes sessions on equitable learning, personalized instruction, and using data and assessments to implement better special education techniques.

Educators from middle school to high school grade levels can benefit from this learning conference.

Online Teaching Conference

The Online Teaching Conference, or OTC, takes place at the Long Beach Convention Center in California from June 21-June 23, 2023. It focuses on effective online education tools and methods that may help teachers understand the science of reading and better connect with students with disabilities.

Anyone from faculty staff to administrators may attend the conference and contribute to advancing educational success. The emphasis is on curriculum, pedagogy, and the use of technology through webinars and other methods.

Innovative Schools Summit

The Innovative Schools Summit, or ISS, has five events in 2023:

• February 22–25 in New York City
• March 30–April 2 in Orlando, Florida
• June 20–24 in Atlanta, Georgia
• July 5–9 in Las Vegas, Nevada
• November 30–December 3 in San Antonio, Texas

The events focus on innovative teaching strategies, school climate, and the various ways of educating at-risk students. Whether it’s social-emotional learning, literacy instruction, or other topics, the ISS events cover a wide range of topics.

Literacy teachers can benefit from even one day of attending sessions and networking with specialists in their field. Due to the niche focus areas, each event can cater to a small group of people with similar interests in special education techniques and professional development.

Why it’s important to attend conferences

Reading conferences offer great opportunities to step outside the bubble and gain a different perspective on modern and efficient teaching techniques. Educators can network with like-minded people and connect with specialists to learn about the latest developments in special education.

Attending a conference is also an excellent way to challenge outdated thinking patterns and teaching methods. Teachers can get new ideas on accelerating reading recovery, improving independent reading, and implementing new teaching strategies.

How Speechify can help learners

Literacy instruction comes down to implementing the right tools and strategies to help students improve their language comprehension. Speechify is one of those tools. It’s a text to speech, or TTS, reader available on multiple platforms that assists students and teachers in many ways.

Students with reading disabilities can use it to read aloud complex text and get better at recognizing various phonics. Teachers can use Speechify to create course materials, digitize them, and even carry out assessments for students with reading difficulties.

The Speechify app also uses TTS and optical character recognition technologies to make written content more accessible to anyone who struggles with reading. It works on desktop computers and mobile devices and offers support in multiple languages.

Its natural-sounding AI-generated voices and many accents can help students read faster, process information better, and improve their memory and character recognition.

You can try Speechify for free today to learn more about using TTS tools at home or in a classroom environment.

FAQ

What does ASCD mean?

ASCD stands for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. It’s a non-profit organization dating back to 1943.

What are some other conferences worth checking out?

Educators working with people with disabilities may benefit from attending the ISTELive 23, ICLE Model Schools, and NAFSA annual conferences.

What is the difference between a reading conference and an educational conference?

Reading conferences involve more one-on-one interactions and often prioritize reading workshops. Educational conferences can cover various topics and may not always cover literacy instruction or the science of reading, depending on how coordinators design the events.