New Literacies Institute Takes on Massachusetts
Preparing teachers for online literacy skills required for 21st century teaching is an ambitious goal for a week-long training session. However, that is exactly what education experts from the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation (FI) did last week at the Massachusetts New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute.
This collaborative Institute was created by professors from North Carolina State University and three other universities; the professors worked with leaders at the MA Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to customize the learning experience for MA teachers. Institute leaders included Dr. Hiller Spires, John Lee, and Carl Young from NC State; Dr. Don Leu from University of Connecticut; Dr. Julie Coiro from University of Rhode Island and Dr. Jill Castek from UC-Berkely.
“We provided a technology-rich environment for teachers to design and create project-based inquiry lessons using many of the tools that students use outside of school,” said Dr. Hiller Spires, senior research fellow at the FI and professor in the College of Education at NC State University. “We created and modeled a new learning ecology for teachers during the Institute— the type of dynamic learning environment we want teachers to orchestrate for their students.”
The Institute hosted over one hundred Massachusetts teachers and was held at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, MA. Leaders in the field prepared these educators for teaching with 21st Century digital tools. Activities included inquiry projects, design studios, panel discussions, computer tool sessions, featured speakers and just-in-time learning.
“Today’s classroom is all about creating learning spaces for students that are engaging and personalized, where students can search for information, critically analyze information, collaborate with others, create new ideas and problem solve,” says Dr. John Lee, NC State associate professor of social studies and middle grades education.
Another challenge addressed during this week was how teachers can let students be co-teachers in the classroom. Since students are often fearless when it comes to technology, teachers need to become comfortable letting go of the reins and inviting their students to co-design lessons with them. “Teachers need to make a shift to become coaches, mentors and even improvisational artists in order for students to be engaged learners,” says Dr. Carl Young, NC State associate professor of English, language arts and middle grades education.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Don Leu, professor at the University of Connecticut and a leader in the field of new literacies of online comprehension; Dr. Sara Kajder, assistant professor of English education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Dr. Yong Zhao, university distinguished professor in the College of Education at Michigan State University; and Dr. Bridget Dalton, assistant professor of learning, literacy, and culture at Vanderbilt University. Special guest appearances were made by Mitchell D. Chester, MA Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and Connie Louie, MA Instructional Technology Director of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Speakers covered topics including online reading comprehension, multi-modal learning, global competencies as a new literacy, and inventive strategies for challenged readers and writers. Teachers will continue learning by participating in follow-up sessions led by MA Teacher Leaders during the upcoming year and by exchanging ideas on the New Literacies Collaborative social networking site found at newlit.org.
The first New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute was held at the FI in 2009. This institute focused on how new digital tools can create challenging and engaging learning opportunities for students and teachers. Forty-eight teachers from across the country came together to share ideas, learn from leaders in the field of new literacies and engage in project-based inquiry.