I am grateful to join Jan Burkins and Kari Yates at TheSixShifts.com to offer our Shifting the Balance 3-5 Online Class scheduled to be up and running this fall! Stay tuned!
I also work with schools and communities to create meaningful and memorable experiences where bridging the science of reading with the joy of learning is the goal. Below find some of the structures and topics I most often support in schools and educational communities. Have an idea for something different? Contact me to find out more or to schedule a conversation.
In school-based coaching, we start with goal setting and a discovery phase to assess the strengths and challenges your school community faces. School-based coaching can be for one day or multiple days across the year.
Designed to be interactive, engaging, and FUN, my workshops are memorable and enjoyable for teachers. Workshops can include half or full days on a range of topics. Drawing from my experience as a classroom teacher and instructional coach, I weave stories, research-based instructional strategies, and opportunities for teachers to TRY something new.
Sometimes scheduling makes school-based learning a challenge for schools. Virtual learning is a highly effective option especially for whole-school introduction to a topic or working with small groups of teachers, such as a grade level or administrative team. My workshops can be shared via Zoom, Google Hangout, or other digital platforms.
Curriculum review can be a daunting process for teachers and school leaders as you build a program for deeper student learning. Whether you are creating, adopting, or adapting curriculum, bringing joy to the process is essential. Curriculum support can be designed to fit your school’s needs and calendar through a combination of school-based workshops and virtual learning.
Keynote presentations offer audiences inspiration to take action. My presentations are a powerful way to ignite change in a school community particularly on topics like bringing the science of reading into the upper elementary literacy classroom and joyful routines that build independence.
Thanks to brain imaging and cognitive science, we now have a model for how the brain processes text to read and make meaning. Now is the moment to integrate the science of reading into literacy instruction. But, knowing which method to use, when, for what purpose, and with what frequency can be challenging to enact. Workshops can focus on an overview of the science of reading and bringing it into the literacy classroom or can hone in on specific methods including: phonological and phonemic awareness routines; read-alouds to support oral language, knowledge, and comprehension; small group instruction; independent reading and conferring; modeled and interactive writing for sentence development; independent writing and conferring.
Many schools are reconsidering literacy curriculum in order to provide students with learning experiences that are science-aligned and culturally responsive. If your school is looking to consider a change in curriculum, I can help guide that decision-making process by sharing insights into the pros and cons of various programs as well as how schools can support teacher buy-in to the process of change.
As the parent of a child with dyslexia, I am passionate about supporting all teachers and educational leaders to understand the multiple dimensions of dyslexia and best practices for supporting the academic, social, and emotional growth of children. As an Associate Professor at Sacred Heart University, I have designed and taught courses on dyslexia and work with schools to help dismantle common myths and misunderstandings about dyslexia that many teachers hold. In this interactive workshop, teachers and leaders are supported to design instruction and learning environments that foster the academic growth and well-being of children with dyslexia.
Much of my work with schools is in support of developing sustainable teacher leadership. Two primary ways I support schools in this way is through consulting and coaching in the development of S.M.A.R.T.E. goals and peer coaching protocols where teachers are able to reflect on their practices and outgrow themselves in targeted, research-backed ways in a trusted community of fellow learners.
In education, we have been designing instruction for understanding for decades, isn’t it time we started designing for happiness as well? Using the seven pillars from my book Start with Joy, teachers (and/or families), will learn research-based methods for how to design for students’ happiness as a part of the learning process. This professional development can focus on literacy learning or general classroom practice. Applications for parents and families to apply the seven pillars can also be shared for designing for happiness at home.
How do we support all students to feel at home in a world of books? In this workshop, teachers are supported to learn about new titles and teaching ideas for how to use books to support all students as readers, writers, communicators, and creators. Picture books, early readers, graphic novels, and middle grade literature are featured to help teachers grow classroom collections, build text sets, select read-alouds, and make independent reading suggestions with an emphasis on children’s and young adult literature that represent our diverse world.
Katie hit it out of the park to bring more joy into our profession.
I absolutely LOVED Katie’s gentle reminders and strategies about being intentional to bring joyful learning to our balanced literacy program.
Katie’s big picture ideas were balanced with practical “small” things that add up to make a big difference to our students and teachers.
© 2019 Katie Egan Cunningham