Judi Munday, M.A., M.Ed., Special Education Consultant, has dedicated her professional career of almost 30 years to helping children with special needs. Since founding HIS Place for Help in School in 1999, Judi has specifically focused on equipping parents of children with a wide variety of special needs to succeed in home schooling. Judi offers research-backed, evidence-based teaching ideas and practical strategies that are easy to learn and easy to apply. Her warm and encouraging presentations will provide listeners with better understanding of the unique needs in each child. She inspires hope and confidence in parents, so they may carry out the challenging task that God has called them to do. This year, Judi will be presenting several workshops at the annual convention of Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii, Honolulu, March 12-13th, selected from the following list. Contact Judi for more information.
Is It Me, My Child, or the Text?
Should my child be tested for learning disabilities? Parents will learn how to distinguish between “normal” learning difficulties and those that result from genuine learning disabilities. Parents will learn how to investigate whether the learning problem lies within the curriculum, teaching approach, the child’s learning style, and motivation Judi will provide specific guidelines to help parents discover whether the learning struggles truly lie within the child. Parents will also learn the most significant warning signs that indicate the child needs testing and specialized help.
Powerful Study Tools and Alternative Assessments
Effective study tools are based on research and teacher experience. Workshop participants can become more effective teachers as they learn appropriate strategies, evidence-based approaches and appropriate assessments that can be applied to any ability level. Parents will discover how to teach study skills to enhance each child’s learning. Parents will learn to set clear learning expectations as an ongoing component of instruction so that studying becomes an integral part of the learning process. Parents will also learn to use alternatives to pencil and paper based teaching and assessment – without having to spend endless hours in lesson preparation!
Choosing and Using Curriculum
When teaching children with special needs, there are critical guidelines that must be considering before choosing curriculum that meets each child’s needs. This workshop will address the practice of using “whole-year” packages for children who learn differently, and parents will learn how to adapt almost any curriculum to support the needs of each learner through modifying, adapting, and pacing instruction. (Available on this website and in the book “Teaching Your Special Needs Student” – for details see Home.)
Principles of Effective Instruction
This workshop will teach research-based strategies for teaching efficiently and effectively. Parents will learn some of the “power tools” for effective instruction, such as graphic organizers, scoring rubrics, and instructional technology. This workshop offers a condensed introduction to the best of university level “teacher preparation” classes! Judi will also share some examples found in the Bible of the instructional strategies God’s used when teaching us of Himself and His ways.
Adapting Instruction for Individual Needs: Modifications and Accommodations It is challenging to adapt lessons and textbooks for struggling learners — especially when other children in the family have their own needs. In this workshop, parents will learn helpful and effective ways to adapt instruction and teaching materials without purchasing expensive books or new curriculum. Judi’s ideas for individualizing instruction in reading, math, and written work do not require excess time to prepare and implement! Participants receive a handout listing relevant web links and free/low-cost resources.
Teaching Students with Communication ChallengesMany students struggle with oral and written communication. Language-based weaknesses arise from many causes: learning disabilities, neurological issues, and autism spectrum just to name a few. Judi helps parents to recognize these hard-to-recognize deficits that affect a student’s ability to acquire, understand, use, and retrieve learning. Parents will learn how to use powerful proven strategies and instructional tips that help with instruction and testing. This nuts-and-bolts workshop provides practical tools that parents can easily incorporate into daily teaching – no excessive advance lesson planning or preparation time required.