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Event Organizers:


Live Events: Keynotes, Talks, Seminars, and Workshops



Overview
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"The most powerful professional development experience I have ever had.   This was truly an awakening for me!  I will never look at the reading process in the same way."  - Julie Colley Lowery, Education Specialist, Alabama State Department of Education, Special Education Services

"The Children of the Code gave a tremendous presentation in our service center about the importance of knowing how to break the code for all students, specially our struggling readers.  I really enjoyed the historical background of the functions of language and how the alphabet symbols came to be part of the magic of reading." - Amy Mares, M.Ed., Sr. Education Specialist, Region One Education Service Center, Edinburg , Texas

"ALL the comments heard from the registration people, people in our classes this week, table discussion leaders etc. have been positive. You made a wonderful contribution. The topics have stimulated classroom discussions. We are extremely pleased with the impact made in our community. You are great. The BIG picture was outstandingly FINE!" - Linda Koehler, Professor of Special Education, University of Central Missouri

"Working with the Children of the Code staff was one of the most delightful experiences in establishing staff development. The training was extraordinary! Six months later, conversations are still occurring around thoughts from that event. It was the easiest and best event we have done! Thank you Children of the Code for outstanding professionalism and customer service while delivering dynamic, relevant information and challenge!" - Mary Ashe, Coordinator,The Literacy 
Connection Project 
 Enlightenment, Raleigh, North Carolina

"What David delivered to our small district was a thought-provoking and powerful presentation that emotionally affected, parents, teachers and community members. Two weeks following the seminar, people are still talking about it and wanting to know more. Hopefully this is just the beginning of an awakening......." - Jane Pfautsch, Reading Specialist, Granville Schools, Granville, OH

"Being part of such a sweeping, panoramic view of the complexity of breaking the code and learning how to read, sparked intense dialogue among this committed group of Chicago practitioners. I also appreciated the technical support we received from your organization—the web page links got the word out in a fast, efficient manner." - Marta Sánchez, Family Literacy Project Manager Hull House Chicago, Illinois

"It was a pleasure working with you and having you with our group. The conversations that I have had after the experience have been very positive with a lot of "thought" going on out there!  Your message was heard and already I have been in meetings where administrators incorporated their learning into upcoming presentations and in future planning. Thanks again for sharing the day with us." - S. Wood, Director of Technology and Leadership Development, Oak Hills Local Schools, Cincinnati, OH

"The presentation was very well received. It was informational and engaging. It was a pleasant experience overall. The challenges society puts on reading was very interesting. It is an angle that is not given much importance in other programs. Early reading readiness skills are so important. We have to get the word out. You are doing a good job." - Kyle Hesser, President 2007, Nebraska School Psychologists Association

Including Clips from
interviews with:
Dr. Louisa Moats
 Scientist, Author: Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading ...

Dr. Tim Shanahan
Chair, National Early Literacy Panel,
Past-President I.R.A. 
Dr. Marilyn Adams
 Chief Scientist, Soliloquy Learning, Author: Beginning to Read
Dr. Jack Shonkoff
Chair, The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
Dr. Russ Whitehurst
 Ex-Director, Institute of Education Science, U.S. Department of Education
Siegfried Engelmann Professor of Instructional Research, University of Oregon; Creator of Direct Instruction
Dr. Paula Tallal
 Board of Governors' Professor - Neuroscience
Rutgers University
Dr. G. Reid Lyon
 Past-Branch Chief, National Institute of Child Health & Human Dev.
Dr. Ed Kame'enui
 Commissioner for Special Ed. Research,  U.S. Dep.of Education
Dr. James Heckman
Nobel Prize Economics Author: The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children
Dr. Mike Merzenich
 Chair of Integrative Neurosciences, UCSF;  Member National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Keith Stanovich
 Chair, Applied Cognitive Science, U. Toronto, Author: Reading Matters
Nancy Hennessy 
 President (2003-2005), International Dyslexia Association
Dr. Don Nathanson
 Clinical Professor, Human Behavior, Jefferson Med. College
Dr. John Searle
 Prof. of the Philosophy of Mind & Language, Berkeley; Author: Mind, A Brief Introduction
Dr. Erik Hanushek
 Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Koret Task Force K-12 Education
Dr. Todd Risley
 Psychologist, Researcher, Co-author: Meaningful Differences.
James Wendorf
 Executive Director, National Center for Learning Disabilities
Dr. Keith Rayner
 Professor, University of Mass. Author: Eye Movements in Reading
Dr. Richard Venezky
 Author: The American Way of Spelling: The Structure of English Orthography
Dr. Peter E. Leone 
 Director, National Center on Education, Disability & Juvenile Justice
Dr. Alex Granzin  
  Past President, Oregon School Psychologists Association
Rick Lavoie
 Learning Disabilities Specialist, Creator:  The F.A.T. City Workshop

and many more..


Children of the Code events are multidisciplinary, multimedia, learning journeys into what is at stake and what is involved in learning to read.  Our events are thought provoking tours through the insights of over one hundred and fifty field leading scientists, scholars, educators, government leaders, children, and parents.


Professional Development Workshops for Teachers

"This was truly an awakening for me!  I will never look at the reading process in the same way."   - Julie Colley Lowery, Education Specialist, Alabama State Department of Education, Special Education Services

 "I am a 30-year teacher and I felt like for once what was being said to me made absolute sense."  - K. HusVall, Cheektawaga, New York

We don't sell products or advocate for a political, ideological, or methodological agenda - we don't play the blame game either. Our events proceed from the premise that independent of all the arguments about how to teach reading, the better educators and parents understand the challenges involved in learning to read, the better they can help children learn through those challenges. 

"The Code and the Challenge of Learning to Read It" is a powerful professional learning experience. It communicates multiple messages that challenge the diverse personal and professional interests of educators on a variety of engaging levels." - Elizabeth D. Holmes, Director, Center for Quality Teaching and Learning, Columbus State University


Conference  Keynotes

"Insightful and informative. This is not a quick fix or remedy for reading problems, but a thorough scientific explanation of the entire reading process from leading experts in a variety of fields. Attending this event will provide a deeper understanding of why children struggle with reading and what needs to be done to address this crisis in our schools."  - Karen Kemp, Seminar Organizer for Council of New York Special Education Administrators, Director of Special Programs, Cohoes City Schools

For more information about attending Children of the Code events please click here
For more information about arranging Children of the Code events please click here

COTC events weave Children of the Code video sequences and multimedia content into exciting and perspective-shifting learning experiences that re-orient how our audiences think about 'the code' and the 'challenges in involved in learning to read it'. 

"Wow! Eureka! Now I get it. I wish I had heard this 25 years ago." - M. Plail, Sutton Elementary Even Start, Houston, TX  


University Lectures

What is reading? How does learning to read affect our intelligence, emotional development, and the overall health of our learning?  How does learning to read as children shape how we grow into adults?

"Extremely thought provoking! I really never thought about reading in the way I now am." - G. Willis, Gerald Adams Elementary School, Key West, Fl

What is the relationship between the alphabet, spelling, spoken language, reading, and writing?  Why is it so confusing? How is it confusing? How does the brain work out this confusion and what happens when it can't do it fast enough?

"Wow, that’s interesting.  I think that’s a lovely description of it (the challenge of learning to read).  I’m impressed with the cast that you’ve assembled; it’s certainly a very impressive group." - Dr. Tim Shanahan, Chair National Early Literacy Panel,  President (2006), International Reading Association


District Leadership Seminars

What is the difference between dyslexia and reading improficiency?  What is the difference between inherited weaknesses and growing up in environments that insufficiently exercise the neuro-developmental prerequisites of reading?  How does learning to read affect self-esteem and how does self-esteem affect learning to read? How do the feelings evoked by learning to read difficulties exacerbate learning to read difficulties?

"Like most scholars, until awakened by the “Children of the Code” project, I took reading as much for granted as eating and drinking. Very few of us have paid sufficient attention to the specific emotions triggered in children as they begin to read.   “Children of the Code” merits the serious attention of anyone interested in emotional health of children or the future of America."  -  Dr. Donald L. Nathanson, M.D. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College, Author: 'Shame and Pride' and 'Knowing and Feeling'


Thought-Leader Dialogues

The central purpose of the Children of the Code Project is to help educators, parents, and all who care about children, develop a deeper first-person understanding of 'what is at stake' and 'what is involved' in learning to read.

We offer keynote addresses, presentations, talks, seminars, and workshops.  We customize and orchestrate each event to maximize relevance, connection, insight, and impact.  Because we are a non profit project our events are comparatively inexpensive - in many cases, only a fraction of the cost of engaging just one of our interviewees.

For more information about attending Children of the Code events please click here
For more information about arranging Children of the Code events please click here

"It's a wonderful thing that you're doing. I appreciate the scope of what you're doing. It's called information improvement which is the prime issue in knowledge advancement. How do you put things together in ways that are easily understandable and communicable to other people. You're talking about a big thing. People see pieces of it and you're putting together a whole lot of things that no individual one of us has a grasp on."  Todd Risley, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Alaska, Co Author - "Meaningful Differences"

More comments from Previous Event Attendees and Organizers


About the presenter:

David Boulton is the Director of the Children of the Code project and the producer and interviewer of the Children of the Code Documentary series. He appeared in the "The New Science of Learning" PBS documentary (watch a clip) and his work has been featured in numerous books and articles. His own articles on learning have been published internationally. Read an Interview with David Boulton

"For the past thirty-three years I have been a teacher and educator of all levels of schooling, colleges and universities and I was extremely impressed by David's insights into the learning process." - Roy Lundin, Ph.D, Director Queensland University of Technology, Australia

"Your presentation for our Schools of the Future Design Team was stunning!  Your work is the key to revolutionizing schools of the future. I cannot remember when I have had such a great learning experience." - Margaret Gayle, Author of Educational Renaissance

Copyright statement:  Copyright (c) 2014, Learning Stewards, A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, All Rights Reserved. Permission to use, copy, and distribute these materials for not-for-profit educational purposes, without fee and without a signed licensing agreement, is hereby granted, provided that "Children of the Code - www.childrenofthecode.org"  (with a functioning hyperlink when online) be cited as the source and appear in all excerpts, copies, and distributions.  Thank you. (back to top)