#NCTE18: Saturday

The  magical learning continues at  #NCTE18 and a theme that emerged on Saturday:

Slow down . . .

Yes, there is a sense of urgency. 

Make every minute count.

BUT stop counting every minute. 

Stop.

Slow Down.

Look into the eyes, heart and soul of every student. 

The day flew by and again there were folks that I never saw. Decisions about sessions were incredibly hard to make.

The #BowTieBoys, Jason Augustowski and Dr. Mary Howard 

It is all about the heart. And paying attention to the students. Listening. And learning WITH them. This quote from Jason is a great snippet for teachers to consider.

Roundtable sessions planned and executed by the students. Simply amazing.

Articulate

Poised

Powerful

Interactive

Showing not just telling

Students from middle school through high school.

Not to be missed!

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Responsive Teaching:  The Courage to Follow the Lead of the Reader

The respect, love and joy of this panel made my day!  Students at the heart of our work.

 

A perfect merger.  And such important work!

“Think about a teacher who loved you into being.  Responsiveness begins with heart . . .”
Don’t rush to “check it off”.  Skill and expertise has to come behind. Don’t land on the side of “judgment”.  “What’s going on?” “Wonder.” And then the learning that comes from the four quadrants.  

“Step back so your students can step forward.” Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris

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Tom Newkirk has been a favorite of mine from my first #NCTE conference when he bemoaned that “the hamburger graphic organizer is not only an insult to a paragraph, but is also such an insult to a hamburger”.

4 Battles Literacy Educators have to Fight

1. Economy – Curriculum as Hoarding (add, add , add & nothing is deleted)
2. Louise Rosenblatt – Model of Reading – Literacy as Transaction
3. The battle for writing. Writing should not be colonized by reading.Literary analysis 795,000 fanfiction pieces about Harry Potter
4. Battle for choice- Carnegie – “public library”  Teachers will need to make it free!
   

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   Questions to Ask when you Write

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When Phonics is the Foundation – in a Curriculum of Authentic, Deep Literacy

Lucy Calkins,  Rachel Rothman-Perkins and Rebecca Cronin

Rebecca, Rachel, Lucy and Mabel

“To teach well is to rally your people with heart and soul to learn with courage and enthusiasm. Fear:  Is this curriculum going to cover everything?  Mastery? Proven? Everything? Fear-driven anxious place is far too common with NO place in child’s emergent literacy. Voice is the single quality that matters most. Voice matters for teaching, and learning (as well as writing). To teach phonics well, imagine yourself at kitchen table talking to someone right there with you. Teaching phonics is leading and teaching. “

“That sense of connectedness matters tremendously.  Connecting matters. Connecting to reading and writing. TRANSFER – only reason to teach phonics for reading and writing. TEACHING kids identity. Language is a joyful world!”

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And because this is not an “All About” post since I promised “snippets” I will write later about the fabulous session from Colleen Cruz, Kassandra Minor, and Cornelius Minor.

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