Spring 2017 Online Course-Updating and Aligning to Early Literacy Research: A Professional Development Series for Urban Literacy Leaders

INSTRUCTOR: Nell Duke

This series is designed for literacy leaders in urban school districts, including central office personnel, district-level literacy coaches, and school-based literacy coaches. The series will include:

Weekly videoconferences led by Nell and with participants from other large, urban districts, with tentative dates and topics as follows (please contact Nell ASAP if your site has a standing conflict with these dates and times):

Thursdays, May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (11:00 – 12:30 Pacific)
Thursdays, June 8, 15, 22, 29, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (11:00 – 12:30 Pacific)

An ongoing discussion board, facilitated by Nell, in which all districts participate (district teams are encouraged to communicate with one another internally by whatever means they normally use).

“Homework”: Up to three hours of tasks, designed by Nell, to be completed between meetings, some of which can be completed by just one member of the team on behalf of the team, others of which will need to be completed by each member of the team. Tasks might include:

• observing in classrooms with a given observational focus
• administering an assessment Nell provides to a small number of children to help identify possible curricular strengths and gaps
• viewing a video presentation on a particular topic or set of practices
• examining curriculum materials for specific elements
• short readings

Learnings from tasks will be drawn upon during weekly videoconferences.

Topics:

• Updating and aligning foundational skills assessment and instruction (2 sessions)
• Updating and aligning world and word knowledge development (1 session)
• Updating and aligning comprehension assessment and instruction (2 sessions)
• Updating and aligning writing assessment and instruction (2 sessions)
• Updating and aligning to culturally responsive pedagogy (1 session)

(Future series could go deeper with any of these topics and/or address other requested topics, such as effective literacy coaching practices and building-level literacy leadership.)

EDUCATIONAL STUDIES ONLINE
All materials will be accessed from a single web platform (“Canvas”) provided by the University of Michigan, to which participates will be given access. All videoconferences will be hosted by the University of Michigan and accessible to participants through a single link click. The cost of registration is $3,500 per district (which is the approximate cost, with expenses, of bringing Nell to your district for a single day, yet provides considerably more total access). If this cost would prevent participation of your district, please contact us.