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Teacher Workshops - Literacy Strategies Consulting

Engaging In-Person Professional Learning With Research-Based Ideas You Can Apply to Your Classroom Immediately

Workshops for Teachers that Translate Technique and Research into Actionable Teaching Strategies for Student Growth

Group workshops are one of Literacy Strategies Consulting's professional development options for teachers, coaches, and administrators. Highly effective and engaging, our workshops are known for being practical and immediately applicable to your classroom, positively impacting your students' growth. Jennifer Serravallo and her team of literacy specialists offer a limited number of open-enrollment workshops and customized workshops presented within schools or districts for in-service days or for larger organizations such as RESAs, CESAs, and BOCES. 

Each workshop is based on one or more of Jennifer Serravallo's award-winning and bestselling books, such as The Reading Strategies Book 2.0, Teaching Reading Across the Day, and The Writing Strategies Book, and can be customized to meet your district or organization's unique needs. What you learn in the workshop room won't stay there - you'll learn how to translate research into actionable steps, respond to data and individual student needs, and apply proven teaching methods effectively. 

Learn and Apply Award-Winning Literacy Practices


Each full-day workshop is facilitated by Jennifer Serravallo and/or one of her literacy specialists. In a combination of whole-group sessions and breakout groups, you'll explore research and practical strategies while reflecting with and learning from colleagues who teach the same grade, subject area, and/or demographically similar students. 


Workshops offer you a chance to focus deeply and engage with colleagues over a full day as you explore the research and practices described in Jennifer Serravallo's award-winning and bestselling texts. When you attend open enrollment workshops, you'll have the opportunity to meet educators from other districts and collaborate to solve problems of practice together. When you choose to host a customized workshop within your district, you can have objectives tailor-made to your unique needs and collaborate with the colleagues you teach alongside daily. 

Beyond Passive Sit-and-Get Teaching Workshops


Workshops are most effective when participants are actively engaged in their learning and are learning about topics that are relevant and immediately applicable to your classroom practice. We avoid passive sit-and-get lecture-style workshops. Instead, we utilize a variety of methods to ensure that you are actively involved in the learning process and leave ready to apply what you've learned with your students in your schools and classrooms.



For example, our literacy specialist facilitators may guide participants in analyzing videos to provide models, invite you to view these models through different critical lenses and offer opportunities for reflection as you compare the content to your classroom practices. At other times, we may ask you to mirror explicit teaching practices by role-playing with fellow participants. Another method we use is jigsaw to break a complex instructional strategy or method that involves multiple steps into parts.


We embed explicit explanations, teaching tips, strategic questions, and opportunities for reflection throughout the workshop. We dedicate time throughout the day to ensuring participants are prepared to translate your learning to your practices and classroom and continue your learning beyond the workshop. For example, you may plan lessons in grade-level groups, unpack standards, and/or explore a resource to identify strategies aligned with student assessment data and more. 

While you work in groups to apply their learning, the literacy specialist will move around the room, coaching, providing feedback, and answering questions to help solidify the learning and avoid misconceptions.

Sample Workshop Schedule

START END EVENT
9:00 AM 9:30 AM Registration
9:30 AM 10:45 AM Whole Group Learning
10:45 AM 11:00 AM Break - Snacks, Coffee, Tea, Water
11:00 AM 11:45 AM Breakout Sessions
11:45 PM 1:00 PM Whole Group Learning
1:00 PM 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM 2:45 PM Breakout Sessions
2:45 PM 3:30 PM Whole Group - Wrap-up, Final Questions, Explicit Discussion of Bringing New Learning to the Classroom

Tailored Educator Workshops for Your School, District, and/or Organizations Unique Needs

 

Our customized workshops are perfect for in-service days or as a kick-off for more in-depth study during the school year, whether you lead the ongoing professional learning in-district or with someone from our team. With customized workshops, you will be matched with a literacy specialist who will listen to your school's needs and plan a full day that will be hands-on, engaging, and immediately relevant to your school context. 


Customized workshops are often more cost-effective than purchasing tickets for your staff to attend scheduled workshops, and they offer the additional benefit of tailoring the agenda based on your district's unique needs.

Click to download a PDF with a list of some of the topics we can support you with, including, but not limited to, explicit instruction, content area literacy, effective reading instruction, assessment, instructional coaching methodology, analyzing assessments to inform instruction, foundational skills, the science of reading, and more. Read an expanded description below.

Download Webinar Descriptions PDF

Sample Professional Development Workshop Description


Title - Finding the Joy of Teaching by Weaving Together Art and Science: High-impact structures that rest on teachers' knowledge of literacy and their students (GRADES 3-8).


Presenter - One of Jennifer Serravallo's Approved literacy specialists.


Description (including learning outcomes and professional text(s) from which the workshop will be drawn) - This workshop is based on Jennifer Serravallo's newest bestselling book, Teaching Reading Across the Day, K-8. Participants will learn about the wide range of compelling research on how to best teach literacy to every student throughout a literacy block and across content studies. In addition to the science, you will learn about the importance of tapping into the art of teaching - developing teacher creativity, decision-making, and responsiveness to individual student needs, ensuring engagement. Participants will learn to embrace their teaching experiences and hone their expertise to make quick, effective classroom decisions that take student learning to the next level.


Date: TBD

Time: TBD

Location: TBD

Audience (grade levels, etc.) - Grades 3-8, Administrators, Coaches, Teachers, Interventionists, and Specialists.

Sample Professional Development Workshop Description


Title - Teaching Reading Across the Day: Explore the Science Of Reading and Art of Teaching with Jennifer Serravallo (GRADES 3-8)


Presenter - One of Jennifer Serravallo's Approved literacy specialists


Description: This full-day, interactive, online workshop is based on Jennifer Serravallo's newest release with Corwin Books: Teaching Reading Across the Day. In this workshop, you'll learn about nine effective, predictable, research-based lesson structures teachers can use, whether teaching English language arts, science, or social studies in grades K-8. Through explanation, activities, and videos, attendees will learn the pacing and structures of each lesson type, as well as high leverage, research-based practices that are important across all lesson types, such as building vocabulary and knowledge, incorporating responsiveness, making appropriate text choices, and keeping students highly engaged. Throughout, your presenter will connect to the science of teaching reading - sharing key research studies and replicated findings - and also speak to the art of teaching - honoring teachers' craft and decision-making.


Expected Outcomes - During this workshop, you will learn how to bring effective literacy practices into all content areas, how to build knowledge and content across the day, and how to use high-leverage lesson structures to maximize effectiveness and engagement. 


Success Criteria


Participants will:


  • Identify purposes for nine lesson structures (read aloud, phonics and spelling, vocabulary, focus, shared reading, close reading, guided inquiry, reader's theater, and conversation)


  • Visualize how various lesson structures will work with the specific grade level and subject area(s) taught and plan an engaging lesson using a provided lesson template


  • Apply strategies to keep students engaged during lessons


  • Demonstrate an understanding of how to incorporate vocabulary instruction and intentional knowledge building within each lesson type


  • Implement informed choices about which texts to use for which lesson structures and purposes


  • Engage when planning, to anticipate ways to respond to students during lessons, and learn how to make in-the-moment decisions to respond to students aligned to lesson objectives


  • Cite key research findings that undergird the recommendations in the workshop


  • Date: TBD
  • Time: TBD
  • Location: TBD
  • Audience (grade levels, etc.) - Grades 3-8, Administrators, Coaches, Teachers, Interventionists, and Specialists
Contact Lea Leibowitz, Your Teacher Workshops Client Project Coordinator

Contact Lea Leibowitz, Your Workshop Client Project Coordinator, for a Free Consultation


To bring a literacy specialist to your school, district, or organization for a workshop or to learn more about our scheduled workshops, simply contact Lea Leibowitz for a consultation by calling or filling out the contact form. She'll begin by listening to your needs and can advise on the best topics, agendas, and plans. She will then find a literacy specialist who is highly skilled and available on a date of your choice.


Contact Lea today.


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