Preconference Institutes are a popular ramp-up to the ILA 2016 Conference. This year, we’ll spotlight each of the 15 all-day presentations designed to take a close look into the hottest topics in literacy (other installments will be linked at the bottom of this post). This week, we look at Boosting Secondary-Level Engagement & Comprehension.
Institute 03: Who’s Doing the Work? Teaching for Transfer Across Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, Guided Reading, and Independent Reading
This Preconference Institute will explore the connections between read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading, as well as “next generation” lessons for each context. Additionally, research will investigate mind-set, student engagement, text level, and teacher language to evaluate when they do (and do not) help students develop efficient processes and enthusiasm for reading.
Attendees will make the most of hands-on formats, with just two brief, formal presentations before jumping into a series of breakout sessions to collaborate with colleagues in small groups to process and apply content. Short video demonstrations will bridge the gap between learning the reading strategies and preparing to take those lessons back to the classroom.
Institute 06: Supporting Adolescents to Meet the Literacy Challenges of the 21st Century
Gain a better understanding of the current demands of 21st-century literacy and practical, research-based strategies to prepare adolescent learners to meet them in this Preconference Institute. Interactive keynote presentations and breakout sessions facilitated by experienced researchers and practitioners will provide opportunities to collaborate, explore the latest research, and connect the research to effective practice.
The coupling of the theory and research will be followed by opportunities to learn about and design classroom applications in smaller groups. Participants will leave with solid understandings of three topics: Meeting the Literacy Demands of the 21st-Century, Supporting Struggling Adolescent Readers, and Engaging Adolescents with Reading and Writing. Participants can follow a single topic all day or choose breakout sessions across strands.
This Preconference Institute is a joint effort of the Adolescent Literacy Committee of ILA and the Secondary Reading Interest Group, each of which will bring diverse and valuable experience to codesign and present this topic.
Institute 13: Using Informational Text to Enhance Literacy and Collaboration Across Disciplines
The CCSS makes literacy everyone’s responsibility, which is both a daunting challenge and a valuable opportunity. This Preconference Institute shows participants how to use resources like CommonLit to find engaging informational texts, offers two practical models for using informational text to enhance literacy and engagement (participants will use one model to begin developing a unit), and suggests strategies for collaboration with colleagues across disciplines.
Models and resources will be presented through multimedia presentations and hands-on activities.
Breakout sessions with individual and small-group coaching from the presenters will address a number of classroom issues including identifying challenges, opportunities, and strategies for collaborating with colleagues in other disciplines; using online resources to find high-quality, engaging informational texts that are deeply and meaningfully connected to their existing literary or content-area curriculum; and drafting meaningful essential questions that invite students to think about what they read and to make connections with other texts and relevant content-area knowledge.
Preconference Institutes are an additional cost to conference registration and run simultaneously Friday, July 8. Find out more about the sessions here before they’re sold out.
The ILA 2016 Conference & Exhibits will be July 9–11 in Boston, MA, with more than 6,000 attendees eager to cultivate new teaching practices. With over 300 sessions, including several new additions to the schedule, and the popular Preconference Institutes, the weekend is sure to be a memorable one. Register today for the conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.