This weekend the Twitter stream provided many insights about Literacy, Literacy Instruction, and “Intent”.  A powerhouse line up was present at the New England Reading Association conference (#NERA2016) in Portland, Maine. You can see the speakers and topics here. This post celebrates the Twitterverse that allowed me to curate these ideas from afar.

What is reading?

At #NERA2016 Saturday, Matt Glover and Kathy Collins proposed this expansive definition.  Many questions immediately came to mind.

Who does the work of reading?

What is the intent of reading?

What does this require of a teacher?

This quote from @chrisclinewcps says so much about some of the characteristics of “INTENT”!

At the opening session of #NERA2016, Ralph Fletcher fired an early shot across the bow with this slide.  Think about these three questions as you read the content on his slide.

What was his intent?  

What is the message for teachers?  

What is the message for students?

As a reader, what was Ralph Fletcher’s message?

How important is choice?

Is choice just for students?

Is choice also for teachers?

And that connected to Paula’s tweet:

And during the panel for The Teacher You Want to Be, Vicki Vinton also said,

What does this mean in writing?

Paula also tweeted out this learning from Jeff Anderson (@writeguyjeff) about the role of grammar in writing.

Is the intent to have students do the work?  

Are students doing the thinking?

Dan Feigelsen is crystal clear in his intent.

Are you?

Pernille Ripp asks this question:

Her May blog post here addressed specific steps to create writing communities.

How do your students know the intent of your writing instruction?

Empowering students to do the work is the basis of Jan and Kim’s book. If you have not yet checked out this book, you need to do so!

According to the #NERA2016 program, Vicki Vinton’s session was

Vicki Vinton: Beyond Book Choice: What Student-Center Reading Instruction Can Look Like

According to the educator John Holt, “Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners.” And in this interactive session, Vicki Vinton will share ways of ensuring that the activity of students and their thinking—versus curriculum and standards—are at the center of your reading instruction, whether you’re working with a whole class, a small group or one-on-one conference. You’ll see how to become a creator of learning opportunities, rather than a teacher of strategies and skills, which in turn will help students become powerful and insightful meaning makers, thinkers and readers.

The intent of “student-centered reading instruction” is for learning to be at the center of student work. How do you work towards this every day?

What do you notice as a reader?

What do you DO with / or make of what you noticed?

Because the intent is reading deeply, thoughtfully, and authentically!

What are your beliefs?

What is your intent?

Check out other thoughts about “intent” on #DigiLit Sunday with Margaret Simon here.

And special thanks to all who tweeted from #NERA2016 and especially to their Twitter Ambassadors:  @LitCoachLady, @literacydocent and @guerrette79.