The real WHY for Literacy is about creating a more just and equitable society for all.
Narissa Leung reflects upon the power of books to build empathy and diverse experiences.
Tag: Narissa Leung
Weāve been open for business for over two weeks now and we LOVE watching people stop in front of the house and browse the selection. We check in on the stock levels at LEAST once a day and celebrate the appearance of new books and the removal of others.
This thing is actually working!
Our current selection includes books for both children and adults and we even have a bottle of nice smelling hand sanitiser to use when browsing.
Our street library is officially registered with Street Library Australia. You can visit their website toĀ find libraries near you.
Writerās notebook can be powerful tools for improving student writing, but they must be used in a way that promotes time for writing, increases volume of writing and allows student choice in writing.
Narissa Leung unpacks five myths about writer’s notebooks:
- Having a writerās notebook automatically improves student writing.
- Thereās one correct way to use a writerās notebook.
- Students can have complete freedom when using a writerās notebook.
- The writerās notebook is only useful for ācollecting seeds.ā
- Itās either notebooks or genre instruction- you canāt do both.
This is a useful provocation for thinking about the purpose behind strategies such as writer’s notebook.
Leung also shares a collection of prompts.
It is interesting to consider this alongside blogging and something like Stephen Downes’ post on where his blogging ideas come from.
Teachers in Victoria are preparing for their first week of remote learning this week. Here are 6 last minute tips for launching into remote learning:
- Be OK With Working In Draft Form
- Learn From Week 1, Term 1
- Establish Classroom Rules And Expectations
- Develop Whole School Expectations
- Underwhelm Is Better Than Overwhelm
- Stay Connected With Colleagues
Narissa Leung provides some tips for thinking about the transition to online learning. One of the things that I liked about the piece is to transition slowly. I think this comes back to the need to show care and compassion to ourselves and students. These unprecedented times call for a re-establishment of some sort of normality, including protocols for video conferencing. Also, The discussion of a consistency across the school reminds me of Bianca Hewes’ recipes.
Just adding to your conversations about drawing Riss. You might be interested in Austin Kleon’s recent post discussing drawing with kids.
I know lots of parents are stuck at home with kiddos right now, so I thought Iād put together a big list of my favorite resources for drawing with kids.
Along with Mo Willems’ videos, he provides a number of resources and recommendations. It is a reminder that technology is more than just a computer.
Narissa Leung discusses the need for reasonable, purposeful and sustainable learning for at home while schools are closed. She suggests planning one week work and reassessing from there. At the end of the first week to decide what to plan for the any subsequent weeks.
Teachers should assess the amount and quality of work completed by their students and use this knowledge to plan for subsequent weeks. You could make contact with students and parents to check in with the learning during the week and at the completion of the week as you see fit. Differentiation is going to be key in these uncertain times. Some students will want and need more academic focus, structure and work from us, others will want and need more emotional focus and support from us- in any way we can give it. (I despair for those kids who look forward to our hugs every day!) This will be the time to get creative and think right outside the well sanitized box!
Associated with this, Leung provides a number of things to consider, such as how you will deliver new content, expectations about your working hours and the need to be mindful that sometimes technology does not work.
Narissa Leung shares a new project which involves sharing possible mentor texts. The concern is that although educators like Pernille Ripp share various suggestions, using them can overlook the local context. Some other useful sites to support searching for books include Kim Yeomans’ Wild About Books and Bianca Hewes’ Jimmy Reads Books. My only disappointment is that Leung is not collecting these in a central spot on the open web.