April 20, 2023

Science of Reading in a Thinking Classroom with Dr. Erin McNeill

15 minutes

Welcome Dr. Erin McNeill to the Keep Indiana Learning team and here how she has taken her experiences deepening her teaching practice in the science of reading with adolescent students into an expanding understanding of how the foundations of reading, writing, and literacy can stretch across grade levels, across content areas, and into the future of teaching and learning. She shares how the pivotal work by Peter Liljedahl, Building Thinking Classrooms, can be applied to language and literacy instruction!

Guest: Dr. Erin McNeill is a Professional Learning Specialist for Keep Indiana Learning, a department of Central Indiana Educational Service Center. Erin spent sixteen years in the classroom as an English Language Arts and English as a New language teacher and coordinator and two years as a member of the Literacy, Culture, and Language Education department at Indiana University, where she trained preservice teachers. Erin currently works with teachers, coaches, schools, and districts on:

Implementing the Science of Reading into new or existing curricula

Creating asset-based and culturally responsive literacy experiences and materials

Leveraging data-driven instruction to meet the needs of all students

Developing small or large conference style virtual and blended professional learning

Strengthening literacy and language skills and pedagogies

As an education researcher, Erin focuses on asset-based strategies for emergent bilinguals and prioritizes relationships with diverse students. These studies led to her current research which studies how practitioners can use the information they learn about their students in literacy projects to build a culturally relevant curriculum based on students’ experiences and interests.

Lena Darnay is the Director of Professional Learning for Keep Indiana Learning, a department of Central Indiana Educational Service Center. She supports Indiana educators by developing innovative and engaging professional learning opportunities in-person and as high-impact virtual experiences. She is dedicated to developing and establishing powerful structures and inclusive environments for learning that build engaging, learner-centered, and authentic learning experiences.

Lena currently works with teachers, coaches, schools, and districts on

Developing thoughtful processes for infusing innovation, inquiry, and technology into instruction

Creating marketing plans and website audits to ensure engaging and powerful user experience and engagement

Using adult learning theory for professional learning creation and implementation

Developing small or large conference style virtual and blended professional learning

Effective use of school librarians, instructional coaches, and/or technology integration specialists for cohesive collaboration for student learning

Lena has over 15 years of education experience as a school librarian & media specialist, career academy coordinator, district instructional technology specialist, and marketing coordinator. Lena has extensive experience co-planning, co-teaching, and coaching for a collaborative, inquiry-based, research driven instructional experience.

She has an extensive network of education and industry professionals spanning a wide breadth of knowledge and experiences.

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