Reading Apprenticeship

I attended the Reading Apprenticeship Winter Conference and was asked to be a part of the panel discussion at the conclusion of the conference. Here's a preview of the key points of my presentation:

  • Reading Apprenticeship (RA) is much more than content area literacy.
  • If you are "doing" RA you are addressing Inclusion, 21st Century Skills, Principles of Effective Instruction, Higher Order Thinking Skills, Secondary Response-to-Intervention, Questioning, High School Reform, Differentiated Instruction, Adolescent Literacy and more.
  • To ensure RA gets the time and resources it needs, it is wise to have RA permeate as many school planning documents as possible e.g strategic plan, school improvement, Special Education Plan, LRE Plan, Professional Education Plan, Induction Plan, etc.....

Comments

kemeigh said…
I just spoke with one of our district's special ed directors. She has such a passion for kids andn literacy. She also commented that she feels that if teachers were speaking the same language, then the identified students would not struggle so much with so many different teachers and demands. Reading Apprenticeship shines through again. If all teachers were speaking the same language, then all kids would have a better chance at comprehension and thus success. Other schools have shown that to be true!
March 2, 2009 at 6:24 PM
deburkins said…
The question of who gets to determine which language (or framework) we use to discuss a topic is often a question of struggling for power and control of resources. If we all are to talk "RA", then the RA guru's will get the funds and lead the meetings. If we're to be driven by RtI, then the RtI-er's set the agenda and get the funds, etc., etc., etc. How can we create the conversation in which Kelly's point (that RA addresses all of those other 'hot topics') can be generalized - that so many of these 'topics' are overlapping, that we (a school) can come into the conversation from any number of angles - each legitimate and effective, that they are inextricably linked - changes in one set up and kick off changes in another...rippling towards 'standards-aligned systems.'? Go, Kelly! Great points, as always!
March 3, 2009 at 6:01 AM
dbittner said…
As a member of a Reading Apprenticeship cohort, I had the opportunity to overhear many comments from other participants. One of the main comments I've heard over the course of our study has been the awareness that there is a lot to learn to do it "right." This goes along with Kathy's comment about teachers speaking a common language so that all our students have a better chance at comprehension and further success. With practice, I am sure will come the confidence and skill that teachers will need to implement Reading Apprenticeship successfully.
March 9, 2009 at 12:48 PM
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