Conference Reflections 2024: NYSRA & NCTE

Announcements

Dec 2

It was such a JOY and privilege to present at both The New York State Reading Association (NYSRA) and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conferences this month. We are also deeply grateful to have received the Literature Mini-Grant from NYSRA. In keeping with the collaborative spirit of these conferences, we’d like to share some important take-aways:

2024 NYSRA Conference

Kelly Cartwright:

There are students who can decode, are fluent, and have background knowledge and vocabulary, but their comprehension is below benchmark.
When we look at data, we need to look at reading rate + word decoding + comprehension
Siloing phonics instruction and reading instruction leads to kids not being flexible
Active View of Reading

Donna Scanlon:

There is so much focus on phonics right now that comprehension and knowledge are declining.
Build the Set for Variability, especially around vowels. Flex the pronunciation of words (wasp, pint, move)

Zoi Phillipakos:

Writing supports reading comprehension.
Teach the power of note-taking: extract, organize, and synthesize information.
“Improvement doesn’t happen because you graded it.”
Teacher modeling with think alouds and problem solving is critical - not presenting; not showing perfection.

JOYcabulary is awarded the NYSRA 2024 Literature Mini-Grant.
*(L-R): Jennifer Van Allen (NYSRA President Elect), Amanda Kovac, Linda Szakmary*

Peter Afflerbach:

Concern with Scarborough’s Rope: Has almost become a priority list with comprehension at the bottom
Strategy + Motivation = Engagement
Extrinsic motivation (pizza; dunk the principal) does not work! Social belonging, self-perception as a reader, providing a rationale for reading and engagement does.
Time reading matters. Kids need choice and access to interesting, diverse texts.

Peter Johnston:

Executive Function improves when kids are doing something they care about: They are goal-directed. Have no anxiety, They are open to different perspectives.
We can’t get equity unless all students are engaged. When students are engaged, they act strategically.
Classrooms should have 150-200 books, with no more than 3 copies of any title.
Don’t ask comprehension questions - only open-ended ones: What are you thinking? What are you thinking now? Who can work that idea a different way? Expect change through dialogic conversations.
Build a sense of competence and growth mindset: What problems did you solve today? How did you solve them?

JOYcabulary (Linda Szakmary and Amanda Kovac) at NCTE Conference 2024

2024 NCTE Conference

Maria Walther, author of “Ramped Up Read Alouds,” “More Ramped Up Read Alouds,” and “A Year for the Books”

Read alouds provide language expanding conversations: harvest these words
It is important to show photos of authors

Katy Wishow, Desiree Waters & Shana Franzin:

Engagement is driven by choice: choices of whether and how
It is not the sophistication of the book, it is the sophistication of the reader.
Data from Shana’s Scarsdale, NY MS library: Why is this happening?
- 6th Grade: read 16,000 books - 40 books per student per year
- 7th Grade: read 4,000 books - 13 books per student per year
- 8th Grade: read 1,000 books - 3 books per student per year
Phones are sometimes an escape because they can’t read or write

Rhonda Perry, Marcel Pezet, Ling Teo, Katy Wishow, Salk School of Science, NYC Middle School:

The more analog, the better: Show the messiness of revision. Print draft from computer to revise on paper.
Start with lots of models: published and student writing
Teach into annotation
Create a culture of collaboration and of repeated revision
Write and talk in different text structures: Take a body of knowledge and write it in different ways.
Display writing across the school in all content areas (even PE). Students do a gallery walk to leave feedback on post its.