More than 100 educators gathered on June 24-25 at Emerson Alumni Hall in Gainesville, Florida, for the New Worlds Reading Teacher Professional Learning session, an engaging experience designed to help deepen literacy knowledge for Florida teachers. Each participant left with an interactive notebook, pen, sticker, session agenda and a collection of 20 books to further inspire their classrooms with the love of reading.
This summer, the professional learning sessions took place across five regions in the state, with the focus on supporting VPK-5th grade Florida public school teachers. Each day-and-a-half session introduced evidence-based resources to improve student literacy outcomes. Educators who attended also received a $450 stipend for their participation.
One of the many highlights of the training were the interactive read-alouds, a resource that follows a fluent reading model that strategically engages students into enhancing vocabulary and problem-solving skills.
“The interactive read-alouds [was the most interesting topic] because we normally do interactive reading but we don’t truly get into depth like how [the New Worlds Reading instructors] were teaching us today,” Brandy Wright, first-grade teacher at Rymfire Elementary, said. “I want to implement the interactive readings. I would want to put that into place tomorrow, if I could, because that’s really fun for the kids.”
How it works
Educators were grouped by grade-level to provide a strong review that incorporated many new ideas. Topics explored during the session included:
- The Science of Reading
- Vocabulary
- Phonological awareness
- Decoding
- Fluency and comprehension
- Reading and writing connections
Priscilla Brown, an implementation specialist at the UF Lastinger Center and one of the session’s facilitators, explained the significance of these topics.
“The whole goal of reading is to enrich our lives with meaning and allow us to become a part of our surroundings. Decoding, fluency, phonological awareness all matter because when our kids have the ability to execute these skills, it frees up the cognitive load to make meaning of text more easily,” Brown said.
For educators like Wright who have been teaching for over 20 years, the session provided a better understanding of previously learned practices while still presenting a fresh perspective.
“This is an experience that I think all teachers should have an opportunity to go and just have a refresher or learn new things you haven’t seen before,” Wright said.
A growing partnership
Since the inception of the program in 2023, the New Worlds Reading Teacher Professional Learning sessions have served a total number of 1,976 educators across Florida. The free program was created in partnership with the Florida Department of Education and the UF Lastinger Center for Learning to provide an opportunity for education professionals to learn, grow and share in a committed experience.
Third-grade teacher Lourdes Olles of Sparr Elementary reflected on the importance of evolving instructional practices.
“Education is changing from when I started to now,” Olles said. “It’s the research, the information, the new techniques…I think this program is exactly what we need.”
To learn more about future New Worlds Reading Teacher Professional Learning sessions and other professional learning opportunities, please visit lastingerlearning.com.
