William Van Cleave is in private practice as an educational consultant whose specialties include morphology and written expression.
A nationally recognized speaker, he has presented on effective teaching practices at conferences and schools around the country since 1995. While his own background is in language-based learning difficulties, the strategies William promotes are effective for students of all skill levels and abilities. His high level of enthusiasm and energy, his interactive style, and his passion for working with teachers make him an effective presenter, whether he is visiting a school and sharing with its faculty or presenting at a national conference.
In 2004 William published the first edition of Everything You Want To Know & Exactly Where To Find It, an Orton-Gillingham based reference guide. Now in its fourth edition, this manual serves tutors and teachers of struggling readers and spellers around the country. He has since developed a number of multisensory games and activities. These and other useful teaching materials are available at wvced.com.
In the spring of 2012, William completed Writing Matters: Developing Sentence Skills in Students of All Ages. Schools in the public and private arenas have adopted his methodology, and his writing approach is used by both one-on-one tutors and classroom teachers. In the fall of 2013, he and co-author Caroline Dover completed Phrases & Sentences for Reading & Spelling, a companion text to his Everything book.
Most recently, he has been part of the professional development component of a S.I.G. Grant with a charter school for last chance students in Oklahoma City. There, he has trained, observed, and mentored faculty; model instructed; and designed and implemented curricula.
William is currently working on several projects, including a series of workbooks to complement Writing Matters. He has plans for guides on essay writing and the research process.
During his career William has tutored; taught literature, writing, and math; and held several administrative posts. He continues to tutor privately in Greenville, South Carolina as well as over Skype. He received his B.A. in English and Women’s Studies from The College of Wooster and earned his M.A. in English from S.U.N.Y. New Paltz.
