Professional Development
This page summarizes professional development we have provided for all our staff at Soto Street Elementary School and conferences the lead teachers have attended in order to help reach our goal of becoming experts at Reading Workshop.
Soto Street Elementary Professional Development
Prior to receiving the grant, we as Team Read (14 out of 18 teachers at Soto Street Elementary) had already put in place our goals for studying Reading Workshop. We used one 2-hour PD a month from the beginning of the 2009 school year to meet and collaborate. Listed below are meetings we as a lead team were able to present:
- September 16, 2010 Launching the Reading Workshop
- January 6, 2011 Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
The lead team shared on how to maximize Independent Work Time to meet the needs of diverse learners and deepened teachers' understanding of Independent Reading as a vehicle for differentiation.
Teachers College Reading Project at Columbia University
Columbia University Teachers College Reading Project
August 16-20, 2010
We participated in the 17th Annual Institute on the Teaching of Reading for Beginners in August 2010 at Columbia University in New York. Before the training, we had varying degrees of knowledge and skills in using the Reading Workshop in helping our students. The institute’s hands-on afternoon sessions clarified our understanding of its structures and also provided a depth of resources which included reading texts, articles, and teachers’ experiences. It further highlighted the importance of empowering students when they know they can make their own reading choices and also know how to do it.
Advanced Institute
July 5-9, 2011
We teachers never stop learning so we went back to New York for the Advanced Institute in July 2011. This time, we deepened our understanding of the methodology, and we realized how comprehensive and adaptable it is in differentiating instruction and teaching to students’ needs. We were energized by the workshop’s gurus Lucy Calkins, Kathleen Tolan, Jen Serravallo and Audra Robb, who were our mentors for the different sessions.
International Society for Technology in Education (ITSE)
June 25-27, 2012
At the ISTE conference, we had the opportunity to take a look at how educators from around the world are using innovative technologies to help students expand their horizons. It was three days of professional learning, collaborating, and hands-on demonstration of the best new technologies for the classroom, school, or district.
MORE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO COME:
August 6-9, 2012: Growing Educators:
This institute will provide an opportunity to learn how to improve reading instruction through a process-based workshop approach. Jessica Martin and Renee Houser, co-directors and founders of Growing Educators, will facilitate large group sessions. Small group sessions will be led by their colleagues and local expert teacher leaders to provide both beginning and advanced participants with the essential elements of effective, research-based writing instruction.