#NCTE18: Digging Deeper #3

Professional Learning:  My Right and My Responsibility

#NCTE has fueled my learning for the last five years.  I found folks that stirred my learning heart and soul.  Hearing those words straight from the authors who wrote them was transformational. Their passion and excitement extends long past a panel, a roundtable, or a presentation.

And yes, it comes with a cost.  The cost of attending a national conference. #NCTE asks attendees about the source of the expenses in their conference surveys.  The likelihood of a school paying for every expense incurred may make the cost prohibitive but there are many of us who attend on a regular basis (five consecutive years) who are quite “picky” about our sessions because we are there for the learning and attend on our own dime..

After hearing Tom Newkirk at my first #NCTE conference loudly proclaim that a hamburger graphic organizer was an insult not only to a paragraph but a bigger insult to a hamburger, I have read his books, been in a twitter chat with him, and watched for authors that mention his name.  He is Ellin Keene’s editor and Ellin has so many words of praise for him. This year at #NCTE it was truly a pleasure to listen to:  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. 795,000 fanfiction pieces about Harry Potter
4. Battle for choice- Carnegie – “public library”  Teachers will need to make it free!

Since returning home, I have reread his essay in this collection.

I have also read these two books since #NCTE18.

And I am returning to some sections of these two books for more work with Responsive Teaching because I know that teachers have to “say less so readers can do more”!

I now have some reading and writing plans to consider that involve my own thinking and application. Some will appear in my own professional development, some may show up in this blog, and much will continue in future conversations with friends as well as Twitter thinking.

For those who did attend #NCTE18, how will you extend your learning?

Here are some possibilities:

1. Read a book by an author you heard.
2. Listen to a podcast by an author you heard.
3. Participate in a Twitter chat by an author you heard.
4. Write a blog post or two about your learning.

An investment of time is required for any of the four items listed. You can borrow the book on interlibrary loan at no cost or check and see if a friend has it in their professional library.  Check online. A free chapter may be available on the publisher’s website. Additional follow up ideas may come from the publisher’s website or a facebook page for the “group”.

So if attending a national conference is “on your list”, start planning now.  How can you begin “saving” for that dream?

1. Read the twitter stream from #NCTE18.
2. Read some blogs from #NCTE18.
3. Plan for a roommate NOW.
4. Make a plan to re-allocate some personal discretionary funds so you can attend.

Where will you begin? 

What is your plan?