About
the Presenter
Richard
Cooper, Ph.D., Director and Founder of the Center for Alternative Learning,
earned his doctorate in Education at the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters
degree in Guidance and Counseling at Inter American University in Puerto Rico.
Richard Cooper is also the owner of Learning disAbilities Resources, a
firm that produces and distributes educational and motivational materials for
individuals with learning differences. He
established these organizations to provide services for individuals with
learning disabilities and their families, and also teachers and other
professionals interested in learning problems.
Dr.
Cooper is the author of a number of books and articles about learning
disabilities, problems and differences. He
has developed a number of teaching methods and instructional tools for
individuals who learn differently and he is internationally known as a speaker
and instructor on a wide range of topics about learning problems and techniques
for helping both children and adults to improve their skills.
Dr. Cooper has presented at national and international conferences and
also at summer teacher training institutes around the country.
In addition he has conducted courses for adult education teachers and
training workshops for faculties at many colleges and universities in
Pennsylvania and neighboring states. Dr.
Cooper is a frequent speaker at elementary, secondary and technical schools’
in-service days. He has developed a
number of graduate level courses on learning problems for teachers that he has
offered at Penn State University, the University of South Carolina, Louisiana
State University and Universities in South and North Dakota.
In
Pennsylvania, Dr. Cooper provides statewide training to adult educators through
the Learning Differences Center, an initiative funded by the Bureau of Adult
Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education. As part of this project he travels the state providing
training and technical assistance on screening and teaching adults who have
learning differences. He has
visited a number of prisons, training educators and teaching inmates.
As part
of his private practice, Dr. Cooper conducts screenings for learning problems
and disabilities, specialized tutoring for children and adults who learn
differently and counseling to help individuals and families deal with the issues
which often arise when a person has a learning problem.
He is on staff at a mental hospital where he provides educational
therapy. Since Dr. Cooper is
bilingual he also provides these services and conducts trainings in Spanish.
Dr.
Cooper is the past president and treasurer of the National Association for
Adults with Special Learning Needs; he also was a founding board member of this
organization. He was a member of
the U.S. Observer Delegation to the 5th International UNESCO Conference on Adult
Education in July 1997 in Hamburg, Germany.
He made a presentation at the International Dyslexia Conference in
Uppsala, Sweden in August of 2002 on Alternative Math Techniques.