Educator Course Network (ECN)

AIM Institute for Learing & Research

The AIM Institute for Learning & Research® is a center for educational excellence and professional development disseminating to educators the latest research, technology, and best practices in the fields of literacy and language-based learning disabilities (dyslexia). AIM Pathways is an interactive digital platform designed to deliver research and evidence-based teacher professional development. The platform will house multiple courses aligned to the IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards (for all teachers of reading) as well as theoretical models of the science of reading such as The Simple View of Reading and Hollis Scarborough’s Reading Rope.

The first course, AIM Pathways to Proficient Reading is an IDA accredited graduate level course that gives participants the opportunity to learn, practice and apply knowledge of the science of reading to real life classroom scenarios. Content is presented to participants in a variety of interactive modalities designed to engage the adult learner. Pre and Post Knowledge inventories as well as end-of-section quizzes measure knowledge acquisition across all content areas. Participant performance is also monitored by data collected in the platform and analyzed by an AIM Facilitator. Pathways to Proficient Reading can be taken over a semester, a school year or during the summer. The course takes between 35-45 hours to complete depending on the teacher’s
background knowledge.

In conjunction with the course, participants also engage in a Virtual Community of Practice. Eight one-hour facilitated online sessions designed to provide support, answer questions, and help teachers translate their new knowledge into instructional practice.