Kathy Ganske

Chair: Kathy Ganske, Vanderbilt University

What are the professional urgencies and issues that your Institute is designed to address?

Because writing is essential for literacy, the Common Core State Standards (2010), and life, we cannot fail to develop teachers' expertise in teaching writing. Concerns about children's writing achievement and the impact of low writing achievement on their lives and ultimately society as a whole have been strongly expressed (e.g., National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2007; National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges, 2003; and the report on Writing in the 21st Century, 2009).

In its 2003 report, the National Commission on Writing asserts that "the importance of writing-for critical thinking and communication skills, for success in school and the workplace, for self-realization, and for its central place in school reform-cannot be overemphasized" (p. 29). Yet, students write very little time in schools. According to Applebee and Langer (2013), for the typical secondary student this amounts to 1.6 pages of writing per week in English and 2.1 pages for all other subjects combined. Is lack of teacher knowledge part of the problem?

The Commission's 2003 report lays bare some of the issues contributing to writing achievement concerns, such as the fact that practicing and pre-service teachers typically get very little instruction in how to teach writing. This Institute will provide multiple opportunities for literacy professionals and classroom teachers to develop their expertise in teaching writing, especially nonfiction- and informational-text writing across the disciplines.

What types of literacy professionals is your Institute designed for?

• Beginning Teachers
• Classroom Teachers
• Librarians/Media Specialists
• Reading Teachers/Specialists/Coaches
• School or District Administrators
• Special Education Teachers
• Teacher Educators
• Title I Teachers (US Only)
• Undergraduate or graduate students

How will your Institute benefit those professionals, and what will their takeaways be?

Teachers and educational leaders who attend this Institute will learn effective responses to the following challenges:

• What is disciplinary literacy and how does it differ from content-area literacy?
• What research-based strategies and techniques are most effective for developing learners' abilities to write engaging nonfiction texts of various genres and to respond to texts in critical, evaluative, and reflective ways?
• What types of environments and materials (digital and print) further students' confidence, engagement and proficiency in using writing as a tool to express and learn?
  

Are any post-conference follow up activities planned for attendees of your Institute?

Contact information will be provided so that attendees may submit follow up questions or contact presenters for additional PD.

How will your Institute be presented, what is the sequence of topics and speakers?

This institute has a stellar line-up of four keynote addresses focusing on:

• disciplinary literacy: what it is and why it matters
• practical research-based suggestions for tapping teachable writing moments in the disciplines
• writing nonfiction poetry
• the sharing of personal nonfiction writing techniques by a notable author

Three breakout sessions are also planned, each offering options across the K-12 band, so participants can choose sessions that match their interests and needs. Sessions afford in-depth exploration of genres, mentor texts, techniques, and technology and attend to the needs of diverse learners.

What modes of presentation will be used?

PowerPoint presentations will be used to show connections to research, highlight examples and artifacts, and describe strategies and techniques. Classroom and student artifacts and examples will be reviewed. Teaching strategies will be demonstrated and modeled. Video- and internet-clip examples will be incorporated, and there will be simulation with active participant involvement.  Case study will also be utilized.

What types of audience interaction are planned?

There will be Q & A and turn-and-talk time during the breakouts.

What handouts will be provided and in what form?

Participants will receive a program booklet that includes the day’s schedule, blurbs on each session and keynote, and presenter bios. In addition, breakout sessions will provide handouts in hard copy or make them available or digital transmission.

Does your Institute lend itself to team attendance by teachers and administrators from the same school or district? If so, what how will the various attendee perspectives be addressed?

Teams across the K–12 grade range will find that the structure of the breakouts will allow a team of three to gain access to all aspects of the Institute.

Registration Information: This preconference Institute will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2014, before the International Reading Association 59th Annual Conference begins on Saturday, May 10, 2014 (and runs through Monday, May 12, 2014). Register online at www.iraconference.org for this or another Institute and/or to register for the annual conference. Call 888-294-9167 or 415-979-2278 to find out how to register by phone, fax, or mail. To learn more about conference events in New Orleans, visit the annual conference website and the online itinerary planner (iPlanner).