Timothy Shanahan gives the
Research Address
Every day presents a new opportunity to explore literacy research at the International Reading Association (IRA) 59th Annual Conference in New Orleans. Enjoy Featured Research sessions, Research Into Practice sessions, poster sessions, and our annual Research Awards with an address by Timothy Shanahan.
Friday, May 9
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
IRA Research Institute
The IRA Research Institute is already sold out! The day-long program co-chaired by Maureen McLaughlin and Kathy Headley features keynotes by Richard Allington (struggling readers), Claude Goldenberg (English learners), James Bauman (vocabulary), Linda Gambrell (motivation), Nell Duke (reading comprehension), Timothy Rasinski (fluency), Linnea Ehri (phonemic awareness and letter knowledge), and Katherine Dougherty Stahl (phonics).
Saturday, May 10
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
The IRA Literacy Research Panel: Evidence-Based Practices for Literacy Education(Poster Session)
This poster session features updates from the CCSS-aligned LRP interdisciplinary units (IRA Bridges) that have been implemented in classrooms during this school year, newly approved interdisciplinary units, research presentations by LRP members, and articles from the LRP on Reading Today Online. Virginia Goatley and John Guthrie chair the session.
- Elizabeth Ann Flens Avila, Kathleen C. Perencevich, Sean Hennigan, and Ellen Kaplan share an overview of a fourth grade unit integrating literacy and life science through the Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) program.
- Debbie Linville, Leni Fragakis, and Liz Green share details about the Exploring our Natural Resources Interdisciplinary Unit for Grades 1–2.
- Ana Taboada Barber, Leila Nuland Richey, and Melissa Gallagher present on Integrating American History with Literacy Practices for English Learners in Inclusive Settings.
- Elizabeth Birr Moje provides information about Teaching Students and Teachers Disciplinary Literacy: Studying a Novel Teacher Education Program.
- Diane Bottomley, Kimberly Beal, and Peggy Sue Rice present The Capital Gains of Student Learning: The Impact of a Third Grade Economics Interdisciplinary Unit.
- Peter Johnston and Gay Ivey share insights on The Consequences of an Engagement Focus in Reading based on two studies.
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
The IRA Literacy Research Panel: Policy Issues and Research
In this session, panelists Bill Teale, Virginia Goatley, Peter Freebody, and Patricia Anders will join moderator Peter Afflerbach in a discussion of teacher education, credentialing, and teacher assessment.
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Summer as a Teachable Moment: Addressing the Primary Source of the Rich/Poor Reading Achievement Gap (Featured Research Program)
Presented by Richard L. Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen, this session focuses on the primary source of the rich/poor reading gap, namely educators’ general failure to see summer vacation as a teachable moment. Research shows that summer reading and ease of book access are central to closing the achievement gap and that summer reading loss accounts for about 80% of the gap. Moreover, access to books during the summer varies significantly between low and middle income children. Guidance will be offered to attendees on what needs to be done to address the access problem and counter summer reading loss.
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Leveraging Technologies for Learning (Poster Session)
2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
IRA Outstanding Dissertations (Poster Session)
3:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Research Address and Awards
The 2014 IRA research awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 10. Co-Chair and IRA President Maureen McLaughlin introduces Timothy Shanahan, the research keynote speaker, who will present, “Instructional Level Texts or Challenging Texts.” Co-Chair Diane Barone, former IRA Board Member and current co-editor of The Reading Teacher, introduces the award recipients. This year’s awards include IRA Albert J. Harris Award, IRA Dina Feitelson Research Award, IRA Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship Award, IRA Steven A. Stahl Research Grant, IRA Helen M. Robinson Research Grant, IRA Teacher as Researcher Grant, IRA Outstanding Dissertation Award, IRA Elva Knight Research Grant, IRA Esther Zolt Academic Research Grant, and IRA Esther Zolt Teacher Research Grant. Information on the criteria for nominee qualification and the vetting process used to determine recipients of these awards can be found at /grants.
Sunday, May 11
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
The IRA Literacy Research Panel: Priorities for Literacy Policy and Practice
In this session, members of the LRP address national and international priorities for literacy policy and practice. Peter Johnston and P. David Pearson chair the session.
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Becoming a Teacher Researcher: Exploring IRA’s Teacher as Researcher Grant (Research Workshop)
Chaired by Laura Pardo, this session, which includes Paula Saine as a speaker, provides information on IRA’s Teacher as Researcher (TAR) Grant, including how to navigate IRA’s TAR website and complete the application process. Attendees learn what it means to be a teacher researcher and how to conduct action research. Committee members are available to answer questions about the research process and the grant application. The following award winners from previous years will present findings from their projects, Nakeiha Primus, Claudia Fimpel, Shaun Eyre, and Elizabeth Edmondson.
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Thinking Differently About Differences in Learning (Poster Session)
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Meet the Researchers(Poster Session)
3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Aiming High: From Secondary to Career (Poster Session)
3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Choosing the Right Drivers for Whole School Changes in Reading Pedagogy (Featured Research Program)
Three Australian educators, Gary Kilarr, Brian Cambourne, and Christine, describe how they implemented changes to the professional learning and literacy teaching culture in an isolated K–10 rural school in Tasmania. They consider the potential of collaborative teacher inquiry for creating a culture which enables teachers to identify “the teachable moment” in ways that enable all students to learn.
3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
What’s New in Language Arts Research? (Research Into Practice Session)
This session begins with a brief overview of the third volume of The Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts. Authors seated at round tables will share chapter contents interactively with participants. Rotations occur every 20 minutes in order for participants to hear multiple papers. The session ends with a whole group discussion highlighting the round table exchanges and identifying suggestions for the next volume of the Handbook. Speakers include, Diane Lapp, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Nancy Roser, and Karen Wood.
Monday, May 12
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Getting It Right From the Start With Young Learners (Poster Session)
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Research in the Making: From Literacy Framework to Literacy Practice (Research into Practice session)
In an era characterized by increased accountability, federal legislation and resultant mandates have accentuated instructional leadership roles for school principals while focusing increased scrutiny on literacy. But the teachable moment of reading just doesn’t happen, it is created. Despite intense inquiry into literacy practices, scant research has been conducted identifying literacy leadership knowledge. Attendees of this session are part of research-in-the-making by completing a survey on literacy leadership. The speakers include Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, Bonnie L. Hoewing, and Tynisha Willingham-Meidi.
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
What’s New in Literacy Teaching? (Research into Practice session)
This session presents current research on critical topics such as vocabulary, comprehension, text complexity, digital learning, and children’s literature. The focus is on teaching, on how to translate research findings into practical classroom strategies that work for today’s students. References are made to the IRA E-ssentials as topical resources. Speakers include Karen Wood, Brian Kissel, Jeanne Paratore, and Rachel McCormack.
Don’t miss out on these opportunities to learn from influential and inspiring literacy research leaders! The International Reading Association 59th Annual Conference will be held Friday, May 9 through Monday, May 12, 2014 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Visit www.iraconference.org for conference details or to register.
Chelsea Simens is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.