FRA Conference 2010
Posted by Barb on September 16, 2010
We just returned from presenting at the Florida Reading Association (FRA) Conference in Orlando, FL. It was great to see educators from all over the state come together to share ideas, concerns, and beliefs. I came away reenergized and motivated as well as hopeful about the future of education in our state.
Our presentation, If You Follow, They Will Tweet, showed teachers how they can use Twitter in their classroom. This was an eye-opener for many who attended. While they came because they saw the need to embrace social networking, they left understanding how to turn it into social learning opportunities for their students. I am proud of these teachers of various ages, grade levels, and social learning experience who are willing to take a new approach engaging students.
There were several experts who presented, shedding new light on daily instruction – everything from different methods to learning vocabulary and the alphabet, to selecting children’s literature to use across curriculum K-12. The presenters clearly understood that even though teachers have set curriculum that they must follow, there are ways educators can teach the material in a meaningful way using activities that their students will enjoy. Two particularly spectacular presenters were Katie Garner and Rick DuVall. Katie Garner, a Harvard University Brain Researcher, explained that because letters and sounds have not concrete meaning, they are hard to teach and hard to learn, especially for primary students and struggling readers. She shared her “Secret Stories” which are brain based and multi-modal reading and writing tricks. Rick DuVall presented teacher-tested activities that help students learn and understand new vocabulary. Both of these educational experts were dynamic speakers, who made a lot of practical and applicable sense. I don’t think there was anyone who left those sessions who didn’t learn one new thing.
Conferences are also a great place to pick up books & materials. We picked up two books to use for our own ongoing professional development. Also, walking around the exhibit hall we got the chance to review educational products. I will say I found some of the materials interesting, and some of the sales representatives were informative or at least interesting to talk to. My conversations all lead me to believe that the products are only as affective as the teachers who use them.
When given the opportunity, I hope that all teachers attend an educational conference. They are a terrific way to stay in touch with the latest research-based approaches and new products, connect with other educators and experts, as well as reassuring your commitment to teaching.
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