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Audio
Ralph Nichols said, "The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them." Here is where you will find interviews with experts on different aspect of literacy teaching. These audio files are in an MP3 format for ease of downloading into most computer and playback systems. It is likely you will need high-speed Internet access to play the majority of these files.
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A Different Take on Reading Centers: An Interview with Kathy Collins (AUDIO)
Kathy Collins
I caught up with Kathy on a bitterly cold winter day, phoning thousands of miles to reach her in the wee hours of the morning at her home in Alaska from my home in Maine. Within minutes, we were deep into a conversation about reading centers and the challenge of making reading more relevant for kids in schools. Kathy splits her time between her family, consulting across the country, and regular treks to local schools to observe, learn from, and chat with kids and teachers.
Most of the conversation was about her new book on reading centers. I think it is going to be just as influential as Growing Readers, her bestselling book on reading units of study. It will certainly change the way many of us think about how to structure and support independent work in reading centers. . . . more
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Linda Christensen on Coaching (AUDIO)
In this interview, Linda Christensen talks about her goals and beliefs as a literacy coach working with high school teachers. A transcript follows the interview. . . . more
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Ways in with African-American Students: An Interview with Linda Christensen (AUDIO)
Linda Christensen is one of my literacy heroes - a wonderful writer and thinker who has spent her entire teaching career working in inner-city high schools, writing about her experiences with honesty, humor, and grit. She is unflinching in presenting the realities of public schools, and the gaps between policies and needs. Her work with the Rethinking Schools organization has given voice to teachers, students, and policy-makers who are positive activists for better schools. . . . more
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The CAFE Assessment System: Helping Young Children Set Literacy Goals (AUDIO)
The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser)
"CAFE" is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary. Students work with their teacher during one-on-one conferences to set goals according to their individual strengths and needs, charting these goals with the whole class on a master chart. Teachers then refer to the goals in subsequent conferences, also using them to target small-group instruction and design whole class lessons. . . . more
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"Brainy" Classroom Design: An Interview with Joan Moser of "The Sisters" (AUDIO)
Joan Moser
Wouldn't it be a better world if we had interior designers with specialized knowledge of kids, literacy, and learning on call in our classrooms? Those who live in the Pacific Northwest have the next best thing with The Sisters, Joan Moser and Gail Boushey. Their "Trading Spaces" courses are a special combination of learning research and artistic flair. . . . . . more
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Planning for Author Studies (AUDIO)
Gayle Brand
In this interview, Gayle Brand talks about how she works with her first- and second-grade colleagues to plan author studies. She explains the criteria for selecting the authors, how she plans author studies across the entire year, and which authors work well at different times in the school year. . . . more
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More Than Mosaic: An Interview with Ellin Keene (AUDIO)
On a sultry July morning, Ellin chatted with me about her current writing projects - a new edition of Mosaic of Thought with Susan Zimmermann, and her long-awaited new text, To Understand. But because it's a conversation with Ellin, the chat can't help but range between an eclectic mix of topics - everything from short text to Socrates. . . . more
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Advice from Debbie Miller on Working with Transitional Readers and Writers (AUDIO)
Debbie Miller
Debbie Miller has moved from her previous role as a primary grades teacher, to a mentor of teachers throughout the country. In this new role, she is often called upon to support teachers in intermediate grades. Debbie describes what she is learning in this three-minute interview segment from her recent work with fifth graders. . . . more
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