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2019 – Another Busy Year

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I am currently working across the country in 20 decile 1-9 schools on in-depth writing projects with Year 1-10 students:

  • 10 schools are in in Auckland;
  • 4 in Christchurch;
  • 2 in New Plymouth;
  • 2 in Wellington;
  • 1 in Hamilton;
  • 1 in Hawke’s Bay.

Almost all projects are focussed on ‘enhancing teacher knowledge and practices in order to generate higher engagement, progress and achievement by students in writing’ and have involved workshops for teachers, large and small group modelling for teachers, data analysis and goal setting, and observations and practice analysis conversations with teachers.

This work has included:

  • Working with a Year 7-10 school (for the first time) on writing across the curriculum (Rototuna Junior High School, Hamilton).
  • Acting as an external expert on a TLIF (Teacher-Led Innovation Fund) project on writing for Good Shepherd School, Auckland.

Other professional highlights during the year have included:

  • Working with teachers of students with disabilities in Stockholm, Sweden for the University of Stockholm (April-May).
  • Working with teachers at international school in Singapore on writing across the curriculum (late January).
  • Working with the National Education Monitoring Team in Dunedin on literacy issues (mid January).
  • Leading full day writing workshops for teachers in Invercargill (March), Gore (March), Auckland (July), Wellington (July), Christchurch (July).

 

Upcoming Events

I have been selected to deliver the Dame Marie Clay Memorial Address at the 2019 New Zealand Literacy Conference to be held in Christchurch 29 September – 2 October 2019. My keynote address will be entitled: ‘On Being an Effective Teacher of Writing’. I’m looking forward to the conference and am very excited by the line up of speakers and workshop presenters that has been brought together.

I note that the lovely Sheena Cameron and the equally lovely Louise Dempsey are launching their new resource at the conference: The Reading Book. I’ve been able to have a sneak look at this already and I can report that it is very very good. With its mixture of theory and practical ideas, many teachers will find it very useful.

In the second week of the coming break I’m also presenting a writing day for Learning Network (Thursday 10 October 9.30am-3.00pm at Learning Network in Henderson, Auckland). We have decided to focus particularly on teachers new to New Zealand who wish to explore what teaching writing might look like in the New Zealand context.

At the moment, I am also planning my work schedule for 2020. This currently involves working with 17 schools in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Southland throughout the year on reading and writing issues. I am also planning my fifth working visit to Stockholm for April-May, followed by a two week holiday (no work!!) in Rome and Vienna.

 

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