The Maine Council for English Language Arts is committed to providing ways for teachers to stay connected and adapt to the challenges of this school year. Towards that end, we are in the process of planning a number of virtual events. Our first event is a virtual book group centered around The Distance Learning Playbook by Fisher, Frye, and Hattie. If you would like to receive a copy of the text, your cost to participate will be $30. This is a 30% discount from the list price offered by Corwin of $29.95 + $5.95 shipping and handling. If you already have the text, wish to purchase the e-text, or just want to join us to chat about these topics, the cost is $5. This will help cover our registration costs through Eventbrite.
Our virtual book group will take place via Zoom over three evenings from 4:00 - 5:00 P.M. Our topics will be as follows:
Day 1: Tuesday, October 27
Module 1: Taking Care of Yourself and Module 3: Teacher-Student Relationships from a Distance
Day 2: Tuesday, November 3
Module 5: Teacher Clarity at a Distance and Module 7: Planning Instructional Units for Distance Learning
Day 3: Tuesday, November 10
Module 6: Engaging Tasks and Module 8: Feedback, Assessment, and Grading
We will be offering two hours of contact time for each of the evenings you attend. The first meeting will be facilitated by two of our Executive Board members: Patti Forster, NBCT, a teacher at Camden Hills High School, and the author of “Teacher Clarity: It's about Purpose, Focus, and Letting Go” (The English Journal, July 2019) and Dan Murphy, NBCT, English Department Chair at Bonny Eagle High School. However, this will be an interactive group and we are hoping that others will help facilitate later meetings.
Events this year present unique challenges. Come join your colleagues, and let’s figure out some of the solutions together.