The International Reading Association has strong and growing affiliates in the Caribbean region, including three hosting conferences this fall.
The Bermuda Reading Association will host its annual conference on Sunday, September 7 at the Fairmont Southhampton Hotel in Southhampton. Featured speakers include International Reading Association (IRA) Board Member Rona Flippo presenting “Opportunities for Professional Membership: A Path to Professional Growth” and “Assessing Readers: Formative, Qualitative, and Meaningful Assessments for Classroom Teachers.” Flippo has taught public schools and is now a professor of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Michele Dufresne, author of Word Solvers: Making Sense of Letters and Sounds and other texts, will present “Making It Easy to Learn” and “Maximizing Learning Opportunities” at the conference. Now a literacy staff developer for Pioneer Valley Books, Dufresne has been a classroom teacher, language arts specialist, and a consultant in school districts.
Literacy Consultant Pat Johnson will present “Catching Readers Before They Fall: Shifting Our Thinking to Better Support Readers Who Struggle” and “Supporting Classroom Teachers With Ongoing Assessment” in Bermuda. After a career spent in schools with diverse populations, Johnson provides staff development for school districts nationwide. She also is the author of One Child at a Time: Making the Most of Your Time With Struggling Readers, K-6.
The Bermuda Reading Association Conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the $50 registration tickets can be purchased from www.bdatix.com. The conference is eligible for Bermuda Educator’s Council (BEC) endorsed professional development hours. Click here to view the flyer.
In addition, the Caribbean community of literacy educators is planning a conference in Jamaica on November 7 and 8, and the Dominica Reading Association will hold their conference on December 11 to 13.
View more conference opportunities on IRA’s online calendar, or contact the IRA Global Operations Unit to ask about literacy projects around the globe.