This morning held a literary breakfast with Central Victoria author Glenda Millard.You can check my summary (and more photos) on my personal blog, Literary Life.
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Literary Breakfast with Glenda Millard
This morning held a literary breakfast with Central Victoria author Glenda Millard.You can check my summary (and more photos) on my personal blog, Literary Life.
Literary Dinners No. 1: Meredith Costain and David Miller
Last night, various literary dinners happened around Federation Square in Melbourne City for the delegates to dine with local authors.I went off to one myself and the delegates were ecstatic when authors David Miller and Meredith Costain turned up!
Well-known for various books including multiple Aussie Bites, Meredith's warm demeanor engaged us over our meal.
David's interesting style of illustration was fascinating to hear about as he explained how he makes his paper illustrations - which can take up to six weeks!
Friday, 8 July 2011
Curriculum
"Some tough questions for David Howes from VCAA about the validly of NAPLAN and it's assessment as it isn't based on any curriculum that's in Australia," ALEA Conference Committee rep Georgie says. "He agrees with the structure and value of NAPLAN but admits the assessment is imperfect.""David Hornbsy is passionate, honest, blunt and fights for the rights of children," Georgie continues on to say.
But how do you improve NAPLAN scores? All the experts agree that Arts programs are vital to engage and motivate students, which then develops their language: then can be used to improve literacy skills.
In relation to the new curriculum, a participant of the curriculum panel said, "I think its fairly structured which could be a good or bad thing, but we'll all be on the same page which will be excellent."
Debbie Miller: Institute 1B
ALEA conference committee member Cheryle Bannon writes her thoughts about two sessions with Debbie Miller:
Debbie Miller: Institute 1B
Educator, author and international guest speaker.
Teaching with intention: Creating Cultures of Thinking, Understanding and Independence.
Debbie arrived at the green room and I automatically warmed to her as she asked if we called this a scarf or a pashmina. She is warm and energetic on first meeting.
Current work in classroom-new thinking around comprehension
What efficient readers do/what less efficient readers do/What we can do-guided practice.
Cheryle has pages of detailed notes on the session, no doubt picking up lots of useful and practical tips.
Some of her notes on The Magic Fish:
The Magic fish-end of school year - Thinking strips
Making connections/asking questions/ synthesising information
Thinking bigger-creating mental images-what images do they already have-shared imagery
Building background imagery- shared understanding.
How to scaffold for success-pretty house-castle-etc…how do we envision it
Familiarise/ share/build understanding together.
Importance of first day-rehearsal first, talk and shared understanding
Take a look of your pictures together and talk about it-retelling-thinking strips (see photo)
What is the big idea of the magic fish-looking at purpose
Shared imagery-rehearsal-strip imagery- retelling –a big idea-Thinking strips
Debbie Miller: Institute 1B
Educator, author and international guest speaker.
Teaching with intention: Creating Cultures of Thinking, Understanding and Independence.
Debbie arrived at the green room and I automatically warmed to her as she asked if we called this a scarf or a pashmina. She is warm and energetic on first meeting.
Current work in classroom-new thinking around comprehension
What efficient readers do/what less efficient readers do/What we can do-guided practice.
Cheryle has pages of detailed notes on the session, no doubt picking up lots of useful and practical tips.
Some of her notes on The Magic Fish:
The Magic fish-end of school year - Thinking strips
Making connections/asking questions/ synthesising information
Thinking bigger-creating mental images-what images do they already have-shared imagery
Building background imagery- shared understanding.
How to scaffold for success-pretty house-castle-etc…how do we envision it
Familiarise/ share/build understanding together.
Importance of first day-rehearsal first, talk and shared understanding
Take a look of your pictures together and talk about it-retelling-thinking strips (see photo)
What is the big idea of the magic fish-looking at purpose
Shared imagery-rehearsal-strip imagery- retelling –a big idea-Thinking strips
Gay Su Pinnell
Institute 1A this morning was presented by Gay Su Pinnell, as explored here earlier this week.
Margaret and Ros from ALEA introduce Gay.
Her focus was on reading.
She said that students are reading too fast and not understanding what they’re reading, often due to the emphasis put on fast reading.
Gay also said that reading for someone else and not themselves was an issue.
In retelling and summarizing, ‘They get lost in the details they miss the big ideas.’
Gay also said that, ‘You must read with accuracy.’
She read the book Grandma’s Purple Flowers out loud and as a group we delved deeper into it.
She talked about what you do in your mind as you read: process, think of similar titles, link to own life, accommodate new knowledge, predict what will happen next, think about the writer’s style and craft.
Gay said that you never stop learning to read – reading graphic novels for instance you have to process new symbols, ways of reading and the author’s writing style.
She showed a couple of videos of teachers reading Grandma’s Purple Flowers and other books to students and we were guided through an analysis of the books in Gay’s handout.
She spoke about selecting texts appropriate for the age group of the class.
Gay said that the overall goal was to get kids to be readers and writers as everyone else in the world is. Think about your reading habits: you should want that for your kids (Perhaps a little wider genre choice than you as an adult, Gay jokingly added).
Gay went through various ‘minilessons’ about reading and comprehension.
She said that, ‘We need to ramp up mileage as readers.’ Gay mentioned a study and compared the top and bottom ten per cent of a large sample of student readers and the amount of words they read over a long period of time was vastly different.
The session – of the two thirds I saw of it – was very interactive with Gay asking opinions of everyone in the room. There were individual table discussions and opportunities to ask questions and I think the inclusive nature of the session really worked.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
A standing ovation for a fantastic show by the kids!
Performance at the Opening
What a fantastic performance. Children from a local primary school put on a skit covering a multicultural school environment and what makes a community.Builders, coffee makers, homemakers, farmers... Everyone in a community.
What a truly talented group of kids.
Wish you were here!!
Conference Opening
ALEA Victorian State Director Lynne Bury and Conference co-organiser Debra Edwards open the conference talking about the theme:The Multiliterate, Multicultural, Multifaceted…. Melbourne conference will support educators to meet the literacy challenges and opportunities of a networked, multilingual and culturally diverse literacy landscape
Presenters: Debbie Miller
Debbie Miller... educator, author and international presenter will lead a full day Institute, and will also present a Keynote.
Debbie Miller was awesome!! The teachers loved her. The best PD they had ever been to!! Because she has spent 30 years in the classroom and the last few years working with researchers while she has been teaching, her pedagogical knowledge is second to none. Topped with a warm personality she was fabulous. Debbie would talk about a strategy and include what she would say to the children. Her topic was intentional teaching. She brought great texts, and using a document reader she projected the book onto the wall so we could read along with her. She then showed examples of what she had asked the students to do. She showed DVDs of classroom practice but Debbie was the teacher!! How credible is that!! Just what a classroom teacher needs to hear.
Christine Topfer, English/Literacy Facilitator, Tasmania (Primary)
At the end of last year I brought home a book highly recommended by a colleague in my school. ... I then made the ‘light-bulb moment’ connection and realised that the author, Debbie Miller, is one of the plenary speakers at the National conference. That is one session I will NOT be missing.
Robyn English, Assistant Principal, Boroondara Park
Debbie’s books include: Reading with Meaning focuses on how best to teach children strategies for comprehending text. Debbie works through the course of a year to see how her students learn to become thoughtful, independent and strategic readers. She provides a model for creating a climate and culture of thinking and learning. View more here.
In Teaching with Intention, Debbie shares her process for defining beliefs, aligning practice, and taking action to ensure that children are the true beneficiaries of her teaching. From setting up the classroom environment to the intentional use of language, from comprehension instruction to lesson design, Debbie is explicit about what she does and why. At the same time, she encourages teachers to develop their own belief statements concerning teaching and learning. View more here.
Debbie Miller was awesome!! The teachers loved her. The best PD they had ever been to!! Because she has spent 30 years in the classroom and the last few years working with researchers while she has been teaching, her pedagogical knowledge is second to none. Topped with a warm personality she was fabulous. Debbie would talk about a strategy and include what she would say to the children. Her topic was intentional teaching. She brought great texts, and using a document reader she projected the book onto the wall so we could read along with her. She then showed examples of what she had asked the students to do. She showed DVDs of classroom practice but Debbie was the teacher!! How credible is that!! Just what a classroom teacher needs to hear.
Christine Topfer, English/Literacy Facilitator, Tasmania (Primary)
At the end of last year I brought home a book highly recommended by a colleague in my school. ... I then made the ‘light-bulb moment’ connection and realised that the author, Debbie Miller, is one of the plenary speakers at the National conference. That is one session I will NOT be missing.
Robyn English, Assistant Principal, Boroondara Park
Debbie’s books include: Reading with Meaning focuses on how best to teach children strategies for comprehending text. Debbie works through the course of a year to see how her students learn to become thoughtful, independent and strategic readers. She provides a model for creating a climate and culture of thinking and learning. View more here.
In Teaching with Intention, Debbie shares her process for defining beliefs, aligning practice, and taking action to ensure that children are the true beneficiaries of her teaching. From setting up the classroom environment to the intentional use of language, from comprehension instruction to lesson design, Debbie is explicit about what she does and why. At the same time, she encourages teachers to develop their own belief statements concerning teaching and learning. View more here.
Bag Packing: Almost Time!
Not long to go now before the conference officially opens!
We've been busy packing bags this morning for everyone: some really great freebies, including chocolate, literary journal Voiceworks, a children's book calendar and lots of literacy goodness!
Are you going to the opening tonight?
Presenters: Gay Su Pinnell
Gay Su Pinnell Ph.D.Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University
Gay has extensive experience in classroom teaching and field-based research, and in developing comprehensive approaches to literacy education. She has received the International Reading Association’s Albert J. Harris Award for research and the Charles A. Dana Foundation Award for her contributions to the field of education.
She is also a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Gay Su has been credited with being the creator of Guided Reading. She also has extensive experience in classroom teaching and field-based research and has developed a wide range of comprehensive approaches to literacy education.
INSTITUTE PRESENTATION This Conference Institute focuses on the development and deepening of ways of thinking about texts.
Gay Su will describe twelve systems of strategic actions that readers use to effectively process written texts and will also discuss the relationship between comprehension and knowledge of genre. Video will be used to illustrate several instructional contexts, including interactive read aloud, reading workshop, guided reading, and writing workshop. The session will be interactive, with participants having opportunities to discuss lessons with colleagues and to share perspectives. A longer discussion session will be offered in the afternoon session with a wrap-up question and answer session.
PLENARY SESSION Supporting Deep Understanding of Written Texts through Talk and Writing.
In this presentation Gay Su will discuss how teachers can support deeper understanding of texts through assessing students’ strengths and needs and by providing opportunities to engage with texts, talk about texts, and write about reading. A focus of the presentation will be building awareness of the characteristics of genres as a tool for deeper comprehension. This presentation will be illustrated by short video examples.
Check out this video of Gay on Phonics and Word Study Lessons!
Gay has extensive experience in classroom teaching and field-based research, and in developing comprehensive approaches to literacy education. She has received the International Reading Association’s Albert J. Harris Award for research and the Charles A. Dana Foundation Award for her contributions to the field of education.
She is also a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Gay Su has been credited with being the creator of Guided Reading. She also has extensive experience in classroom teaching and field-based research and has developed a wide range of comprehensive approaches to literacy education.
INSTITUTE PRESENTATION This Conference Institute focuses on the development and deepening of ways of thinking about texts.
Gay Su will describe twelve systems of strategic actions that readers use to effectively process written texts and will also discuss the relationship between comprehension and knowledge of genre. Video will be used to illustrate several instructional contexts, including interactive read aloud, reading workshop, guided reading, and writing workshop. The session will be interactive, with participants having opportunities to discuss lessons with colleagues and to share perspectives. A longer discussion session will be offered in the afternoon session with a wrap-up question and answer session.
PLENARY SESSION Supporting Deep Understanding of Written Texts through Talk and Writing.
In this presentation Gay Su will discuss how teachers can support deeper understanding of texts through assessing students’ strengths and needs and by providing opportunities to engage with texts, talk about texts, and write about reading. A focus of the presentation will be building awareness of the characteristics of genres as a tool for deeper comprehension. This presentation will be illustrated by short video examples.
Check out this video of Gay on Phonics and Word Study Lessons!
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Institute 3 - A Focus on Language and Literature: Possibilities, possibilities and potential problems in the Australian Curriculum
ALEA’s 2011 National conference Multiliterate, Multicultural, Multifaceted… Melbourne
features exciting, high calibre, informed speakers!
Hilton on the Park, East Melbourne
Thursday 7 July to Sunday 10 July 2011
Don’t miss these Institutes with a Difference!
Institute 3 - A Focus on Language and Literature: Possibilities, possibilities and potential problems in the Australian Curriculum
David Hornsby, Denise Ryan, Margaret Zeegers & David Howes
This institute will provide practical and inspirational ideas for working within the English language, literature and literacy strands of the Australian Curriculum.
David Hornsby will examine the possibilities and the potential problems of the Australian Curriculum: English. He will describe a model of curriculum which is 'hidden' behind the new Australian Curriculum; a model which should be clear and 'up front' if teachers are to understand and implement the new curriculum.
David will explore how teachers may develop important conditions for learning that will engage students and help them learn skills in context. In particular, he will focus on using literature as a springboard for teaching two of the 'hot topics' getting media and political attention: phonics and grammar.
Denise Ryan’s session will introduce you to a wide range of children’s books, some new, some old that can be listened to, read explored and discussed in the classroom.
Margaret Zeeger’s session will work with teachers existing grammar knowledge to facilitate their teaching of grammar in their classrooms.
David Howes will discuss the Australian Curriculum from a state/territory perspective.
This session will conclude with a Panel Session to answer your questions, chaired by Professor Heather Fehring and featuring - David Hornsby, Denise Ryan, Margaret Zeegers and David Howes.
Institute 2 - A Focus on Literacy in a Digital Age: Literacy across different modes, platforms, tools & media
ALEA’s 2011 National conference Multiliterate, Multicultural, Multifaceted… Melbourne
features exciting, high calibre, informed speakers!
Hilton on the Park, East Melbourne
Thursday 7 July to Sunday 10 July 2011
Don’t miss these Institutes with a Difference!
Institute 2 - A Focus on Literacy in a Digital Age: Literacy across different modes, platforms, tools & media
Brett McLennan, Vincent Trundle, Elise Hurst and Greg Haddrick (producer, Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet)
Key ACMI presenters including Brett McLennan, Vincent Trundle and Sara Cousins will lead you on a journey that will explore literacy in its broadest sense from its foundational underpinnings to today’s interconnected global world.
Be inspired by Elise Hurst, artist, illustrator and children’s author of among many other wonderful titles, The Night Garden, (ABC Books, 2007).
During this institute participants will be invited to consider the place of and connections between games, user generated content, poetry, drama, music videos and film.
Venue: ACMI
Institute 1B - Teaching with Intention: Creating Cultures of Thinking, Understanding, and Independence
ALEA’s 2011 National conference Multiliterate, Multicultural, Multifaceted… Melbourne
features exciting, high calibre, informed speakers!
features exciting, high calibre, informed speakers!
Hilton on the Park, East Melbourne
Thursday 7 July to Sunday 10 July 2011
Don’t miss these Institutes with a Difference!
Institute 1B - Teaching with Intention: Creating Cultures of Thinking, Understanding, and Independence
Debbie Miller, Author and Literacy Consultant (USA)
This Institute will focus on key principles and and practices that support active teaching and learning.
Key ideas will include Debbie's new thinking about comprehension strategy instruction, how to go about instilling the spark of agency within children and ourselves, and defining and aligning our beliefs about teaching and learning.
Debbie will share a range of lessons, children's work samples and a short video clip or two.
Breakout discussion groups and time for Q and A.
Institute 1A - A Focus on Reading and Connection with other Literacies
ALEA’s 2011 National Conference Multiliterate, Multicultural, Multifaceted… Melbourne
features exciting, high calibre, informed speakers!
Hilton on the Park, East Melbourne
Thursday 7 July to Sunday 10 July 2011
Don’t miss these Institutes with a Difference!
Institute 1A - A Focus on Reading and Connection with other Literacies
Prof. Gay Su Pinnell, Ohio State University
This institute focuses on the development and deepening of ways of thinking about texts.
The presenter will describe twelve systems of strategic actions that readers use to effectively process written texts and will also discuss the relationship between comprehension and knowledge of genre.
Video will be used to illustrate several instructional contexts, including interactive read aloud, reading workshop, guided reading, and writing workshop.
The session will be interactive, with participants having opportunity to discuss lessons with colleagues and to share perspectives.
A longer discussion session will be offered in the afternoon and will wrap-up with Q and A.
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Conference Opening and Reception
Please join us at the opening of the ALEA 2011 National Conference. Welcome to Country & Conference Opening and Reception
Thursday 7 July, 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
The Hilton on the Park, Grand Ballroom
Thursday 7 July, 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
The Hilton on the Park, Grand Ballroom
The Story of Multicultural, Multiliterate Multifaceted Melbourne!
An energetic musical drama, incorporating authentic student experiences into modern multicultural, multimodal, multiliterate classroom settings, is presented by 45 local Melbourne Catholic Education primary school students.
This exciting production will focus on the history of Melbourne and the many stories embedded in its city landmarks. Don’t miss this bright, beautiful, original musical!
Created and directed by Michael Travers, award winning teacher and composer, for this conference.
Monday, 4 July 2011
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