In an earlier blog post, we reported on a different approach the Legislative Council is taking to its traditional interim period activities. Scrapped, for this year only, is the traditional study committee approach. In its place will be a series of virtual symposium sessions on selected topics.
The first of these will be a virtual Early Literacy Symposia Series that will take place over the course of several Wednesdays in the month of August and the first week in September. All of the virtual presentations will begin at 2 pm, starting this Wednesday (8/5).
Scheduled sessions include the following:
- Week 1 (8/5): An Overview of Research Surrounding Early Literacy, presented by Professor Nell Duke
- Week 2 (8/12): The Neuroscience Behind How the Brain Learns to Read, presented by Professor Mark Seidenberg
- Week 3 (8/19): Teacher Preparation, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, and Early Literacy, presented by Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings
- Week 4 (8/26): Early Literacy: Birth to Age 3, presented by Dr. Dipesh Navsaria
- Week 5 (9/2): Survey of Early Literacy Policy Initiatives in Other States, presented by the Education Commission of the States (ECS)
According to scope statement on the Legislative Council website, this symposia series will present information on how children learn to read, focusing on the research done by cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists, teacher preparation professionals, and early childhood developmental researchers. The symposia will provide background on both the neuroscience underlying how the brain learns to read and classroom research indicating the best practices for teaching children to read. The symposia will also examine the importance of teacher preparation, culturally relevant pedagogy, and the earliest stages of literacy from birth to age 3. Finally, the symposia will review early literacy policy initiatives and trends in early literacy legislation throughout the country.
More information can be found on the Early Literacy Symposia Series website.
