Glenville State College Well Represented at WVRA Glenville State College students and faculty took part in the West Virginia Reading Association’s (WVRA) 59th Annual State Conference at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs in late November. The conference theme, ‘Reading with the Arts: Off the Charts,‘ honored the arts and their connection to literacy. GSC’s group was among nearly 650 attendees from every county in the state. Teachers from grades Pre-K through twelfth and higher education faculty and students alike attended the conference. Dr. Shara Curry, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, and four of her GSC students presented a workshop titled, ‘All Teachers Are Teachers of Reading.‘ Their workshop was designed to address teachers of grades 5-12. Those teachers often have students who can read, but don’t do well in their content classes. The group discussed why this occurs and offered instructional strategies that help students and teachers experience success. The Common Core requires that reading of nonfiction be included at all grade levels. To facilitate this, GSC students Cody Carnefix, Nic Yale, Stefanie Gladders, and Clair Gilbert developed a list of appropriate books to share with the teachers that will help foster a lifelong love for reading among their students. GSC’s Language and Literature Department also was represented by Dr. Marjorie Stewart and Dr. Melody Wise, both Assistant Professors of English, who presented two panels at the WVRA. One was on Project Based Learning modules based on informational texts; the other was about using technology in the classroom. An earlier workshop at GSC, funded by a grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, laid the foundation for the WVRA panels. In that session, high school teachers from around the state discussed ways they could meet Next Gen Standards, incorporating both fiction and nonfiction books by West Virginia authors. To enhance discussion three Mountain State authors spoke, including Marie Manilla, Rick Steelhammer, and Edwin Daryl Michael. Teachers who completed the week-long workshop at GSC, attended a follow-up day, and participated in the WVRA conference were eligible for graduate credit from Marshall University. In keeping with the arts theme of the conference, Busker Alley was available for the attendees as they passed through the halls of The Greenbrier. Busking is the practice of performing in public places, usually for gratuities. It dates back to the 1860’s in Great Britain and became prevalent during times of war when performances were designed to encourage and uplift soldiers. Throughout the conference multiple ‘street performances’ took place, among them was the GSC Brass Ensemble. Students in the Brass Ensemble played two different sets of holiday music for conference attendees. “A standout part of the event was when a group of elementary students stopped by to listen. Their teacher told us that the students had been learning about brass instruments so each of the ensemble members gave a small tutorial and played short solos to illustrate what the instruments sounded like. It was great fun for everyone. I also appreciated our students giving up time from their Thanksgiving break to attend the conference and perform,“ said Assistant Professor of Music Teresa Dody who was filling in for the ensemble’s usual director, Lloyd Bone. The WVRA is a state affiliate of the International Reading Association. Their mission is to improve achievement in reading for lifelong learning. Teachers who attended the workshop at GSC through the Improving Teacher Quality grant with West Virginia authors (seated, L-R) Rick Steelhammer, Marie Manilla, and Edwin Daryl Michael (L-R) Cody Carnefix, Nic Yale, Dr. Shara Curry, Stefanie Gladders, and Clair Gilbert at the WVRA Conference GSC student Brass Ensemble members at the WVRA conference
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 09:29:44 +0000
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