edWebinars
«Back to all edWebinarsSupporting Your Developing Readers: Strengths First, Skills Forward
Wednesday, December 9, 2026 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST
Supporting Your Developing Readers: Strengths First, Skills Forward
Presented by Taylor Hovish, Ed.M., Experienced Educator, Chief of Product Design, BrainScience Works; and Shama Hinard, Former Educator, Current Chief Learning Officer, BrainScience Works
Moderated by Anne Boswell, Director of Admissions and Outreach, Athena Academy
Sponsored by BrainScience Works
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
When a student struggles to learn to read, our attention naturally turns to the skills they haven't yet mastered. But what if we also started by asking a different question: What does this student already do well, and how can we build upon those strengths to support literacy development?
Every student brings a unique combination of abilities, experiences, interests, and knowledge to the classroom. Recognizing and leveraging these strengths can help educators create meaningful opportunities for engagement, build confidence, and support the development of essential early literacy skills.
In this edWebinar, we'll explore how strength-based literacy instruction complements evidence-based reading practices by shifting the focus from what students cannot yet do to the capabilities they bring to learning. Drawing on research from neuroscience and education, we'll examine how visual-spatial abilities, oral language, hands-on exploration, and other student strengths can provide valuable entry points for instruction while maintaining the explicit, systematic teaching necessary for reading success.
Designed for classroom teachers, reading specialists, and school administrators, this session will connect research to practical classroom strategies and broader schoolwide instructional practices. Attendees will explore how recognizing student strengths can inform instructional decisions, support students who struggle with foundational reading skills, and foster a learning environment where all students have opportunities to grow.
Strength-based instruction is about building on what students bring to the classroom to help them develop the skills they need to become successful readers.
This edWebinar will be of interest to PreK-5 teachers, reading specialists, school leaders, and district leaders.
About the Presenters
Taylor Hovish has over a decade of experience in special education and school administration. She holds a graduate degree from Harvard University, where she conducted research on children's understanding of various teaching techniques. She has presented at the American Educational Research Association, facilitated workshops at Learning and the Brain conferences, been published in 2e Magazine, and, most recently, authored a children’s book in the A Kid’s Book About… series. She is passionate about community service and has extensive volunteer experience as a Professor at Mount Tamalpais College in San Quentin and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster youth. As Chief of Product Design, Taylor is excited to bring her expertise and passion for strength-based learning to BrainScience Works!
Shama Hinard is the Chief Learning Officer at BrainScience Works, bringing more than 25 years of experience in education as a school administrator, classroom teacher, and student advisor. Throughout her career, she has led the development and implementation of innovative academic programs designed to support student growth and achievement. A passionate advocate for student-centered education, she believes in recognizing and building upon each learner's unique strengths while addressing their academic, social, and emotional needs. In her current role, she draws upon her extensive experience in schools to help bridge educational research and classroom practice, supporting meaningful learning experiences that empower all students, especially those who learn differently, to thrive.
About the Moderator
Anne Boswell is the Director of Admissions and Outreach at Athena Academy, a San Francisco Bay Area school that serves dyslexic and twice-exceptional (2e) students through individualized, strengths-based instruction. She is passionate about educational approaches that recognize and nurture students’ unique abilities, helping them build confidence and reach their potential. As a mother of two twice-exceptional sons, Anne brings both professional expertise and personal perspective to her work supporting neurodivergent learners and their families. Anne holds a B.S. from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and master's degrees in education and counseling psychology from Santa Clara University.
Join the Teaching Reading and Writing community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
BrainScience Works helps teachers make foundational literacy click through hands-on, visual-spatial, and multisensory learning. Designed for PreK–5 classrooms, our supplemental literacy solutions offer a different approach to helping students understand letters, sounds, and words.
Students say, build, see, and write as they explore essential literacy concepts through engaging, interactive lessons. Our three programs—Learning Letters, Seeing Words, and Knowing Words—make abstract concepts concrete, helping students connect sounds to letters, blend and build words, and recognize high-frequency words.
Designed to complement existing literacy instruction, BrainScience Works gives teachers clear insights into student progress so they can identify needs and differentiate instruction. We help teachers support every learner on their path to reading success by making literacy active, tangible, and memorable.
