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    Annual Convention Wednesday Morning Highlights

     | May 01, 2012

    This highlight list for the morning of Wednesday, May 2, features events gathered from the online program grid, Guide to the Stars, and more! Visit the online program grid's event search or the interactive digital version of the program for a full list of sessions and more details. 

    9:00 a.m. 

    At 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 2, the IRA Annual Convention features invited speaker Debbie Diller in room 190AB, Teaching Edge with Ernest Morrell in room W375B, as well as many other sessions, workshops, and symposia.

    The Exhibit Hall opens at 9:00 a.m. Brod Bagert (Booth #2139) and Annie Crawley (Booth #1548) are signing books all day. The following authors have book signings at 9:00 a.m.: Michael Shoulders (Booth #2117), Christopher Paul Curtis (Booth #1314), Patricia McCormick (Booth #1255), Jim Murphy (Booth #1314), Erin E. Stead (Booth #1255), Philip Christian Stead (Booth #1255), Jacqueline Woodson (Booth #1255), Cathy Kaemmerlen (Booth #1630), and Jerry Pallotta (Booth #1524). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    The IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) offers a Membership Benefits Introduction presentation at 9:00 a.m. 

    9:30 a.m. 

    These book signings begin at 9:30 a.m.: Valerie Ellery (IRA Bookstore Booth #2247), Michael Shoulders (Booth #2117), David Geister (Booth #2411), Laura Numeroff (Booth #2240), and George O’Connor (Booth #2440). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    There is also an IRA Journals Overview + Online Navigation presentation at the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) at 9:30 a.m. 

    10:00 a.m. 

    Visit the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) for a coffee break, sponsored by Thinkfinity | VerizonFoundation, starting at 10:00 a.m. These authors will be signing books at this time: Marilyn Pryle (Booth #1314), Jennifer Wells (Booth #2148), Nancy Boyles (Booth #929), Christopher Paul Curtis (Booth #1142), Candace Fleming (Booth #1255), Steven L. Layne (Booth #1640), Jane Yolen (Booth #1726), J. Patrick Lewis (Booth #1542). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    10:30 a.m. 

    A Membership Benefits Introduction is presented at the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) at 10:30 a.m, and these authors have book signings: Karen Romano Young (Booth #2440), Dorothy Barnhouse (Booth #2725), Stuart J. Murphy (Booth #1544), Greg Neri (Booth #1255), Vicki Vinton (Booth #2725), and Sally M. Walker (Booth #1255). At 10:45 a.m. Kwame Alexander signs books at Booth #2411. Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    11:00 a.m. 

    The Teaching Edge series features Lori Oczkus presents at 11:00 a.m. in room W375B, and the Graphic Novel Author Panel includes Colleen AF Veneble, George O'Connor, and Geoffrey Hayes in room 183A. Many more sessions begin at 11:00 a.m. as well. 

    At 11:00 a.m. come to the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) for an IRA Journals Overview + Online Navigation presentation. Also, Kelly Bergman (Booth #1314), Jody Feldman (Booth #2240), Jane Yolen (Booth #2611), and Steven L. Layne (Booth #1630) will be signing their books. Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    11:30 a.m. 

    Stop by the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) at 11:30 a.m. for free popcorn! Then get books signed by Harvey (Smokey) Daniels (Booth #2725) and Steven Zemelman (Booth #2725). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings. 

    Reminders 

    Event times and locations are subject to change. Remember to "like" the 57th Annual Convention, Chicago 2012 on Facebook and "follow" ReadingToday and the #IRA2012 hashtag on Twitter to see posts and updates throughout the day! 

    Check Reading Today Online after 7:00 a.m. tomorrow for the Wednesday afternoon overview. 

     

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    Program Grid with Details about Speakers and Sessions

    Program Grid Event Search Tool

    Itinerary Planner Tool

    Interactive Digital Version of the Program

    Annual Convention Guide to the Stars Book Signing Schedule

    List of Author Sessions PDF from Engage

    More About the Annual Convention

    Register for the International Reading Association Annual Convention

    This highlight list for the morning of Wednesday, May 2, features events gathered from the online program grid, Guide to the Stars, and more! Visit the online program grid's event search or the interactive digital version of the program for a full...Read More
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    IRA Teacher Advisory Panel Gives Feedback to US Department of Education

     | May 01, 2012

    It’s been a busy couple of days for members of the International Reading Association’s Teacher Advisory Panel. After spending all of Saturday engaged upon strategic planning during the pre-convention day of Institutes, the panel met yesterday, during the opening day of the Chicago Convention, with Robert Baroz, a Classroom Teaching Ambassador Fellow from the Office of Communications and Outreach at the US Department of Education. 

    TAP

    Robert Baroz, US Ed Department Teaching Ambassador Fellow, sitting at the head of the table, participating in a focus group exchange with IRA’s Teacher Advisory Panel.

     

    This meeting was arranged to provide the TAP members with an important opportunity to participate in the Department’s current outreach effort entitled The RESPECT Project, Envisioning a Teaching Profession for the 21st Century. The Department is conducting similar sessions with teachers from around the country.

    According to Baroz, the goal is to have substantive discussions with about 5,000 teachers by the fall. To date, the Department’s Ambassador Fellows have met with about 1,500 classroom educators. “We want to get to the point where teachers are shaping policy,” he explained, “rather than policy shaping teachers.”

    Baroz himself is no stranger to the issues facing teachers. A teacher in the Boston public schools, he recently found himself in the news when President Obama, who claimed to have met him personally, cited Baroz’s experience in being pink slipped due to budget cuts as a good example of the negative impact of declining funding for education. In fact, Baroz did secure alternative employment.

    The RESPECT Discussion Draft

    Baroz’s give and take with the members of the IRA panel was centered in a 17 page discussion draft which the panelists were asked to review. The draft explains that RESPECT is an acronym for Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching. Something more than a wish list but less than a blueprint, the discussion document envisions new ways of doing things which are expressed in a series of accumulating subjunctives.

    The most accomplished teachers might be asked to serve a larger number of students per class, the document posits. High quality data measuring student learning would be made available and accessible to students on an ongoing basis, and teachers would work professional weeks and days that extend beyond the traditional school day to include the extra hours to get the job done. Students would no longer be held in lock step, age based cohorts (grades), but would instead progress through the system based on what they know and can do.

    Of course, an attempt to implement these desiderata is likely to entail a host of serious collateral issues. It is to this end that the Department is seeking to engage a broad range of stakeholders in a national discussion. Nevertheless, the short term push is on, and given the current political context, it is not clear just how compressed the period of stakeholder engagement and deliberation is likely to be.

    As explained in a letter from Secretary Arne Duncan which was also given to the panel members: “In his fiscal year 2013 budge, President Obama is seeking $5 billion to support the transformation of the teaching profession. None of us underestimates the challenges ahead, but we also understand the implications of doing nothing. Our students need us now more than ever, and the opportunity for real and meaningful progress has never been greater.”

    The Panel’s Input

    Baroz sought frank comment from the TAP members, and that is exactly what he got. Some of the panelists felt that the $5 billion plan was just “pie in the sky.” Others questioned the authorship of the initiative, suspecting that political concerns and business interests may have trumped an informed educational perspective.

    The plan’s linkage of teacher pay to experience and performance was thought to be a “two edged sword.” Some of the panelists expressed disappointment that issues such as the power of publishers are not even addressed. Others thought that teacher education needs to be designed more like the national board certification projects.

    Interestingly enough, the panelists candidly acknowledged that they were themselves split on many questions. In particular, some felt that teachers need to make business interests react to education, while others saw business as the prime consumer of the education system’s “product.” One item in the RESPECT document that did get general support was the notion that teachers shouldn’t have to leave the classroom and move into administrative roles to get higher compensation.

    With respect to standards and mandates, one of the panelists made the room erupt in laughter by explaining that “fidelity” was her new “f-word.” All in all, the input was robust, and the IRA Teacher Advisory Panel gave Boraz many ideas and suggestions to communicate back to the powers that be in the federal education establishment.

     

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    Program Grid with Details about Speakers and Sessions

    Program Grid Event Search Tool

    Itinerary Planner Tool

    Interactive Digital Version of the Program

    Annual Convention Guide to the Stars Book Signing Schedule

    List of Author Sessions PDF from Engage

    More About the Annual Convention

    Register for the International Reading Association Annual Convention

    It’s been a busy couple of days for members of the International Reading Association’s Teacher Advisory Panel. After spending all of Saturday engaged upon strategic planning during the pre-convention day of Institutes, the panel met yesterday,...Read More
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    Annual Convention Tuesday Afternoon Highlights

     | May 01, 2012

    These Tuesday afternoon highlights feature events gathered from the online program grid, Guide to the Stars, and more! Visit the online program grid's event search or the interactive digital version of the program for a full list of sessions and more details. 

    12:00 p.m. 

    The Young Adults Literature Luncheon features author Jacqueline Woodson at noon in room W375A. Authors Candace Fleming (Booth #1420) and Greg Neri (Booth #1026) start signing books at noon. Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    12:30 p.m.

    Starting at 12:30 p.m. enjoy a coffee break, sponsored by Thinkfinity l VerizonFoundation, at the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area). Authors Valorie Falco (Booth #1314), Rochelle Soloway (Booth #1314), Michael Ford (Booth #2725), Michael Opitz (Booth #2725), and Robert Renteria (Booth #929) sign books starting at 12:30 p.m. Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    1:00 p.m. 

    At 1:00 p.m., invited speaker Richard Allington presents in room 190AB, Teaching Edge features Kelly Gallagher in room W375B, and the International Author Panel includes Deborah Ellis and Patricia McCormick in room 183A, as well as many other sessions and workshops.

    These authors start signing books at 1:00 p.m.: Cindy Middendorf (Booth #1314), Patrick Shannon (Booth #2148), Alma Flor Ada (Booth #2611), F. Isabel Campoy (Booth #2611), Brad Herzog (Booth #2411), Anne Sibley O’Brien (Booth #1255), George O’Connor (Booth #1255), Mitali Perkins (Booth #1544), Peter H. Reynolds (Booth #2240), Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Booth #2240), Kristen Simmons (Booth #2340), Janet Wong (Booth #1255), Jane Yolen (Booth #1542), Cathy Kaemmerlen (Booth #1630), and Laura Robb (Booth #2725). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    The IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) offers an IRA Journals Overview + Online Navigation presentation at 1:00 p.m. 

    1:30 p.m.

    Authors Judy Dodge (Booth #1314), Lori Oczkus (IRA Bookstore Booth #2247), and David L. Harrison (Booth #1436) sign books at 1:30 p.m. 

    2:00 p.m.

    R.L. Stine, Kathy Lasky, and Jim Benton are on the Series Favorites Author Panel at 2:00 p.m. in room 184ABC. At 2:15 p.m, the Non-Fiction Author Panel features Jim Murphy and Sneed B. Collard III in room 183A. Many symposia and workshops are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. as well. 

    At 2:00 p.m. the following authors have book signings: Alma Flor Ada (Booth #2240), F. Isabel Campoy (Booth #2240), Elizabeth Elliott (Booth #1314), Anne Goudvis (Booth #1640), Stephanie Harvey (Booth #1640), Jane Lierman (Booth #1314), Jay Asher (Booth #1255), Brod Bagert (Booth #929), Heather Brewer (Booth #1255), Annette Cascone (Booth #2340), Gina Cascone (Booth #2340), Matthew Cordell (Booth #2438), Christopher Paul Curtis (Booth #1255), Deloris Jordan (Booth #2611), J. Patrick Lewis (Booth #1544), Stuart J. Murphy (Booth #1840), Mitali Perkins (Booth #1420), Courtney Sheinmel (Booth #2411), Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Booth #2611), Siobhan Vivian (Booth #1314), Hilary Wagner (Booth #1940), Jacqueline Woodson (Booth #1726), Jane Yolen (Booth #1544), and Jerry Pallotta (Booth #1524). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    2:30 p.m. 

    The Teaching Edge series continues with Alfred Tatum at 2:30 p.m. in room W375E. 

    Deborah Ellis (Booth #1332), Patricia McCormick (Booth #2240), and David L. Harrison (Booth #1542) sign books at 2:30 p.m. 

    Happy Hour begins at 2:30 p.m. at the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) where there is a cash bar for wine and beer. Stick around for the Membership Benefits Introduction presentation from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

    3:00 p.m. 

    Invited speaker Beverly Tyner presents at 3:00 p.m. in room 190AB. 3:00 p.m. is also the beginning of many sessions, poster sessions, and Special Interest Group (SIG) workshops

    At 3:00 p.m. authors Christopher Paul Curtis (Booth #1420), Debbie Diller (Booth #1640), J. Patrick Lewis (Booth #2411), Laura Numeroff (Booth #1255), Sheila O’Connor (Booth #1726), Jane Yolen (Booth #1314), Carol Jago (Booth #2725), and Laurie L. Knowlton (Booth #1630) sign books. 

    An IRA Journals Overview + Online Navigation presentation is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area). 

    3:30 p.m.

    Tom Lichtenheld (Booth #1255), Stuart J. Murphy (Booth #2240), and Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Booth #1255) sign books at 3:30 p.m. The Exhibit Hall closes at 4:00 p.m. 

    7:30 p.m. 

    Betty Roe and Michael Roe host a storytelling event at the Chicago Hilton Joliet Room at 7:30 p.m. 

    Reminders

    Event times and locations are subject to change. Remember to "like" the 57th Annual Convention, Chicago 2012 on Facebook and "follow" ReadingToday and the #IRA2012 hashtag on Twitter to see posts and updates throughout the day! 

    Check Reading Today Online after 11:00 a.m. today for the Wednesday morning overview! 

     

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    Program Grid with Details about Speakers and Sessions

    Program Grid Event Search Tool

    Itinerary Planner Tool

    Interactive Digital Version of the Program

    Annual Convention Guide to the Stars Book Signing Schedule

    List of Author Sessions PDF from Engage

    More About the Annual Convention

    Register for the International Reading Association Annual Convention

    These Tuesday afternoon highlights feature events gathered from the online program grid, Guide to the Stars, and more! Visit the online program grid's event search or the interactive digital version of the program for a full list of sessions and...Read More
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    Annual Convention Tuesday Morning Highlights

     | Apr 30, 2012

    This highlight list for the morning of Tuesday, May 1, features events gathered from the online program grid, Guide to the Stars, and more! Visit the online program grid's event search or the interactive digital version of the program for a full list of sessions and more details. 

    8:30 a.m. 

    Tuesday morning's events begin at 8:30 a.m. with the general session featuring Steven Layne and Ron Clark in room W375CD. Immediately following the general session, Clark signs copies of his book The End of the Molasses Classes

    9:00 a.m. 

    Many sessions and workshops begin at 9:00 a.m., including Research Invited Speaker Peter Afflerbach in room W190AB. The Exhibit Hall opens at 9:00 a.m. Brod Bagert (Booth #2139) and Annie Crawley (Booth #1548) sign books in the exhibit hall all day. The IRA Member Booth (#2247) offers a membership benefits introduction presentation starting at 9:00 a.m., and the following book signings are scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.: Douglas Fisher (IRA Bookstore #2247), Diane Lapp (IRA Bookstore #2247), Michael Shoulders (Booth #2117), Emily Ecton (Booth #1740), Charles Fuhrken (Booth #1640), Leslie Margolis (Booth #2342), Kate Messner (Booth #2342), Lauren Tarshis (Booth #1255), Jerry Pallotta (Booth #1524), and Henry Winkler (Booth #1314). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    9:30 a.m.

    Valerie Ellery (IRA Bookstore Booth #2247), Jennifer Rosenboom (IRA Bookstore Booth #2247), R.L. Stine (Booth #1142), Laurie Lawlor (Booth #1940), and Peter H. Reynolds (Booth #1255) begin signing books at 9:30 a.m. Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    10:00 a.m.

    At 10:00 a.m. enjoy a coffee break, sponsored by sponsored by Thinkfinity | VerizonFoundation, at the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area). Stay for the IRA Journals Overview + Online Navigation presentation starting at 10:00 a.m. 

    These book signings begin at 10:00 a.m.: Kathryn Lasky (Booth #1255), Katherine Phillips (Booth #1314), R.L. Stine (Booth #1255), Beverly Tyner (IRA Bookstore Booth #2247), Maria Walther (Booth #1314), Caroline Arnold (Booth #1255), Nicki Clausen-Grace (Booth #929), Sneed B. Collard III (Booth #1544), Matt de la Peña (Booth #1420), Deborah Ellis (Booth #1332), Mem Fox (Booth #2611), Adam Gidwitz (Booth #1255), Geoffrey Hayes (Booth #1026), Michelle Kelley (Booth #929), Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Booth #1142), Kate Messner (Booth #1640), Stuart J. Murphy (Booth #2911), David L. Harrison (Booth #1542), and Eric Ode (Booth #1630). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    10:30 a.m.

    The Teaching Edge series features Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey at 10:30 a.m. in room W365B. 

    At 10:30 a.m., these authors are signing books: Jennifer L. Altieri (IRA Bookstore #2247), Ray Coutu (Booth #1314), Ruth Culham (Booth #1314), Annie Barrows (Booth #1255), Susan Stevens Crummel (Booth #1940), Irene Fountas (Booth #2725), Trudy Ludwig (Booth #1436), Erin O’Rourke (Booth #835), Gay Su Pinnell (Booth #2725), and Janet Stevens (Booth #1940). At 10:45 a.m. Richard Michelson (Booth #2411) has a book signing. Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings.

    11:00 a.m.

    Invited Speaker Valerie Ellery presents at 11:00 a.m. in room 190AB, and the Multicultural Author Panel with Charles Smith, Jr., Robert Renteria, Greg Neri, and Andrea Cheng begins at 11:00 a.m. in room 183A. 

    Matt de la Peña (Booth #1255), Kathleen Kopp (Booth #929), Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Booth #1255), Tom Lichtenheld (Booth #1740), Kevin O’Malley (Booth #2342), and Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Booth #1740) sign books starting at 11:00 a.m. Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings. 

    Also at 11:00 p.m., the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) offers a membership benefits introduction presentation. 

    11:30 a.m. 

    Stop by the IRA Membership Booth (Hall F2, across from the Registration area) at 11:30 a.m. for a free popcorn break! Stay for the Engage and Members-Only Resources Q&A from 11:30 a.m. to noon. 

    The following authors are signing books at 11:30 a.m.: Jan Burkins (IRA Bookstore Booth #2247), Matthew Cordell (Booth #2611), Rebecca Lamb (Booth #1314), Caroline Arnold (Booth #1544), Jim Benton (Booth #1314), Kathryn Lasky (Booth #1314), and R.L. Stine (Booth #1314). At 11:45 a.m. Trinka Hakes Noble signs books (Booth #2411). Visit the Guide to the Stars for more information on book signings. 

    Reminders 

    Event times and locations are subject to change. Remember to "like" the 57th Annual Convention, Chicago 2012 on Facebook and "follow" ReadingToday and the #IRA2012 hashtag on Twitter to see posts and updates throughout the day! 

    Check Reading Today Online after 7:00 a.m. tomorrow for the Tuesday afternoon overview! 

     

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    Program Grid with Details about Speakers and Sessions

    Program Grid Event Search Tool

    Itinerary Planner Tool

    Interactive Digital Version of the Program

    Annual Convention Guide to the Stars Book Signing Schedule

    List of Author Sessions PDF from Engage

    More About the Annual Convention

    Register for the International Reading Association Annual Convention

    This highlight list for the morning of Tuesday, May 1, features events gathered from the online program grid, Guide to the Stars, and more! Visit the online program grid's event search or the interactive digital version of the program for a full...Read More
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    Victoria Risko Speaks about Celebrating Teaching at the Annual Convention

     | Apr 30, 2012

    At the International Reading Association 57th Annual Convention's opening general session on Monday, April 30, Board of Directors President Victoria J. Risko spoke about the importance of celebrating teaching in front of a crowd of thousands of literacy professionals. Here is what she said: 

    Victoria Risko"This year IRA is Celebrating Teachers! We are honoring effective teaching of reading in a changing world.

    "For this talk, I chose the title Teaching as a Powerful Act, and the teaching acts I describe are empowered by teachers’ knowledge of sound literacy instruction. 

    "As I searched for a symbol to capture the many attributes of powerful teachers, I was drawn to Robert Matta’s abstract art! At first glance, you may think that this art represents the mayham of a typical day in a teacher’s life.

    "But as we dig deeper and learn about Robert Matta, a Chilean artist, we discover that his abstract paintings signal the importance of the individual who looks inward to examine life’s choices while also acting with social conscience.

    "Looking inward and acting with social conscience – two powerful acts – that characterize the teachers I met on my journeys as an IRA officer. Teachers who shared their stories with me teach deliberatively, looking inward to analyze and reflect on their teaching while looking outward and teaching for social justice.   

    "It has been a tremendous honor to serve as your IRA President this year, and in the next few minutes I will reflect on what I have learned from teachers around the world – in Guatemala, in Ghana, in Botswana, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Canada and the U. S. – just a few of the paths I have followed to this conference and this Grand Celebration of Teachers.

    "This celebration is especially important right now, in this TIME of our history. For as Diane Ravitch, former U. S. secretary of education reminds us--we have developed a culture – world wide - where we expect to scrutinize every action of educators and point to shortcomings, but we are slow, very slow to recognize the great works that are being done.  It is time for a change – shifting the rhetoric to focus on teachers’ contributions.

    "We have multiple images of effective teachers.

    "Some come from pop culture, such as Mr. Keating in Dead Poet’s Society, Katherine Watson in Mona Lisa Smile, Dr. Larabee in Akeelah and the Bee, and Mr. Escalante in Stand and Deliverall encouraged their students’ individuality and propelled them to find their own voice. Because, as Mr. Keating said, the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.

    "And Mr. Escalante who argues that we, as educators, need to set high goals for our students, for with our support, they will achieve those goals and even more. 

    "Usually our images of effective teachers are more personalstarting with our families, as teachersfor example, I celebrate my husband, Marino Alvarez and son, Christopherwho remind me of the importance of following students’ lead and of the importance of teaching to the heart of our students. 

    "We learn constantly from our dear friends and our colleaguesfor me personally, I recognize our family friends, Janet and Gary Carmichael, here with us today, my literacy colleagues at Vanderbilt University, the literacy coaches who are members of my book club, and my teacher buddies in Nashvillealso here today!

    "We admire and honor the contributions of the past presidents of IRA, many of whom are on stage with us today and past IRA Board members, and we honor you as IRA members and literacy leaders. 
    Paraphrasing Anne Radmacher…“we stand often in the company of dreamersthe teachers who tickle our common sense and demonstrate that their students can achieve things that others may think are impossible.”

    "These are our mentors and teachersthey look inward for reflection and move forward with a social conscience.

    "On my journeys this year, I visited classrooms, interviewed teachers, professional leaders, and studentsand it has been a privilege to profile some of these teachers in my presidential blog and columns in Reading Today

    "These teachers demonstrate that their actions are not random but carefully designed and informed by research and by their knowledge of literacy and language development. The stories they shared with me define them and these stories define us, as professional literacy educatorsimportantly, these stories cross boundaries of history, geography, culture, and language.

    "I derived three patterns that characterize the powerful teachers who shared their stories with me. They: 
    Teach with precision
    Teach to students’ knowledge and experiences
    Teach with grit 

    "Teachers who teach with precision use assessments to support student learning as well as to measure it. They demonstrate that formative assessments can have a powerful impact on students’ learning. 

    "In particular, there is Mrs. D, Nancy de Arrigunaga, a first year teacher in Florida, who collects multiple forms of data to represent precisely what her students are learning. And these data constantly position her students as competent learners. 

    "Mrs. D. holds high expectations signaling to her students that that she is confident they can succeed. And as Jerry Harste (2009) advocates, she is fostering reading identities that are positive and that will influence the readers they become. 

    "The use of formative assessments to guide student learning and instructional decision making occurs throughout the worldfrom the team of Literacy Coaches in Farmington, Connecticut, to the professional development leaders in Kyrgyztan. 

    "And while precise in using data to inform meaningful instructionthese educators’ assessments are not linear, straight edged, uni-dimensional tools. Rather, as advocated by Aristotle and others, their assessments, are as flexible as a tape measure that can bend to capture nuances and individualitiesnuances and individualities that characterize students’ language and literacy development. 

    "Teachers who teach to students’ knowledge and experiences teach through the strengths of their students. Their instruction, as supported by Compton-Lilly and others, builds on the premise that literacy learning is enhanced when students take an active role in their learning using their literacy skills and life experiences to identify  and address social problems that are meaningful to them. 

    "For example, there is Ms. Valerie Pierce who teaches in Room 70 at Grant Park High School in Winnipeg Canada. This classroom is the first stop for newcomers ages 14-21, who come from the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Ms. Pierce explains that these students often feel confused and overwhelmed at the difficulty of learning new languages and literacies as they prepare to graduate from high school. 

    "Room 70 offers a rich collage of multiple literacies. Students are writing poems, music, stories, fables, essays, and video documentaries about their life experiences. A collection of the students’ writings, entitled Stories From Room 70, and their videos are shared widely within the school and community. 

    "And I draw your attention to Irma GuzmanIrma Guzman lives and teaches in Guatemala, where books and school supplies are extremely scarce. Irma’s students are publishing their life stories and their own curriculum based texts. These texts provide a means for teachers to make connections with their students but also afford teaching multiple reading and writing skills and strategies that build on students’ knowledge. 

    "As advanced by Geneva Gay (2000), these teachers teach 'through the strengths of their students' (Gay, 2000, p. 29). They recognize that students’ linguistic, cultural, and learning differences are resources for their learning, and their instruction is making efforts to capitalize on those resources. 

    "Teachers who teach with grit are persistent in providing studentsall studentsaccess to new knowledge knowledge that is useful and usable for addressing students’ needs and preparing them for life. 

    "One demonstration comes from Dr. Morapedi, a professor at the University of Botswana in Gaborone. Dr. Morapedi is the principal director of a project addressing the high dropout rates of students in her community. Her study group involves students who are preparing to be tutors/teachers of others. They are reading and writing and acquiring new knowledge in their self-selected area of studysuch as preparing for electrical work, travel and tourism, art and fashion design, or technology.

    "Bernadette Dwyer, a literacy educator at St. Patrick’s College in Dublin, Ireland; Karen Pelekis, Carole Phillips, and William Yang, educators at Greenacres Elementary School in Scarsdale, New York; and Eric McDonald, a middle school teacher at Benchmark School in Media, Pennsylvania, demonstrate that effective instruction involves their students in inquiry projects supported by access to both online and offline resources. 

    "And they demonstrate that teachers with grit provide opportunities for students to be experts, teaching each other what they are learning through multimodal productions. For example, Eric’s students write scripts and develop videos to represent their newly learned concepts. And at Greenacres, Karen’s first grade students are writing on blogs and videoconferencing with students around the world.

    "It takes determination to find time in a school day to deepen students’ learning through their own inquiry and to support applications of academic content; it takes time to study concepts from different perspectives, it takes time to free up spaces for students to be active in their own learning and to identify themselves as experts and capable learners. It takes grit.

    "Weaving these stories together, these teachers represent who we are as a professiondeliberate and thoughtful, implementing sound literacy instruction. They would tell us that they are providing their students with access to texts, their histories, and new knowledge. And as IRA member Angie Miller, New Hampshire 2011 teacher of the year, tells us, they are enjoying every minute. In Angie’s own words:  

    "'I can't imagine being anything else but a teacher--I learn something from my students every single day, and there is never any danger of getting stuck in a rut because when you're dealing with kids they keep life lively and interesting!  I laugh out loud every day at school, and I can't imagine a profession that didn't allow for that kind of joy.  That being said, teaching reading and writing is nothing short of a privilege.'

    "These teachers are us!!! And these are their powerful acts teaching." 

     

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