Kathryn Mitchell Pierce has a decade of teaching experience at the university, elementary and middle levels. She is currently with the Clayton School District in Missouri. Since 1980 Kathryn has been involved in sharing her classroom learning experiences and current professional insights with others through conference presentations, workshops, and publications. Her publications include the book Talking About Books as well as articles and chapters about classroom talk, the roles of literature in the curriculum, and teacher research projects.
View Kathryn's Resume/Vita, Publications and Workshops.
To request NCTE Professional Development Services, complete the Online Request Form, call 800-369-6283 or email us today!
Level: K-8
- Literature Study
- Literature Discussion Groups
- Program Organization/Management
- Reading Instruction
- Writing
- Classroom Talk
- Adolescent Literacy
- Curriculum Development
- Adventuring With Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6, NCTE, 2000.
- Cycles of Meaning: Exploring the Potential of Talk in Learning Communities, Heinemann, 1993.
- Talking About Books : Literature Discussion Groups in K-8 Classrooms, Heinemann, 1998.
- Talking About Books: Creating Literate Communities, Heinemann, 1991.
Exploring Read-Aloud as a Strategy for Promoting Active Reading
1 to 3 hour workshop
Audience: PreK-3 or 3rd-6th grade classroom teachers, reading specialists and parent volunteers
Reading aloud to students from picture books as well as from a variety of other print sources helps students develop a sense of how authors use language for different purposes. In addition, read-alouds offer rich opportunities to highlight strategies for comprehending. This workshop focuses on selecting materials for read-aloud, planning the read-aloud experience (and staying flexible enough to follow students’ questions and ideas), and connecting read-aloud experiences to other parts of the school day.
(Sample planning form for Read-Aloud included.)
Building Curriculum Together: Connecting Reading, Literature Study and Writing
Half-day to two-day workshop
Audience: 3rd-5th or 6th-8th grade classroom teachers, reading specialists and curriculum leaders
When teachers share their most successful classroom literacy experiences with one another, they have opportunities to clarify what they value in these experiences and how these experiences support students in becoming more sophisticated language users. Thinking curricularly helps teachers move beyond individual lessons and activities to viewing each classroom engagement as part of the overall learning experience offered to their students. In this interactive workshop, teachers work together to build curriculum units around essential questions and shared experiences, particularly the use of children’s and young adult literature selections. Planning includes consideration of reading strategies, literature discussions and writing extensions related to essential questions posed by the teacher and/or the students.
(Sample planning form for Literature Units included.)
Reflecting on Our Work: Protocols to Support Professional Conversations
Half-day to weeklong workshop
Audience: classroom teachers, teacher leaders, curriculum coordinators and building/district administrators
Many schools recognize the value of providing time for teachers to work together -- to talk about student work and to use evidence of student learning to shape curriculum and instruction. These professional conversations support teacher professional development that leads to deeper student learning. Building teacher leadership capacity helps to ensure that these conversations are generative, rewarding, and effective. This workshop focuses on the use of semi-structured protocols for professional conversations about student work and teacher work along with strategies for building teacher leadership. Workshop content integrates what we’ve learned from teacher study groups, action research, Critical Friends Groups, Professional Learning Communities, and various models for mentoring and coaching.
Selected Conference Presentations
- "Language, Power and Voice: Using Photo Voice to Help Students Speak Up About their World," NCTE Annual Convention, Orlando, FL, November 2010.
- "The Essay: Finding the Voice and Structure," 30th Annual TAWL Renewal Conference, Columbia, MO, October 2010.
- "Reflecting on Our Practice: Pathways and Possibilities," Keynote, WLU Summer Institute, Indianapolis, IN, July 2010.
- "Close Reading/Close Looking: Using Technology to Support Reading and Writing in Middle School," The Watson Conference, University of Missouri-Columbia, March 2010.
- "PhotoVoice: Visual Literacy in Action," NCTE Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA November 2009.
- "Critical Conversations about Diversity," Keynote, Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World 2nd Annual Inquiry Conference, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, April 2008.
- "Making Room for Literature Study," NCTE Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX, November 2008.
- "Exploring the Nature and Functions of Classroom Talk," Cambridge University, England, October 2008.
- "Using Visual Images to Promote Critical Conversations," Mid-Missouri TAWL Conference, Columbia, MO, October 2008.