Christensen Conference

We were so blessed to have the opportunity to attend the Christensen conference.  It really helps to cement the information that we have already taken from her book and see how she actually implemented her lessons and heard her stories. It was nice to be able to meet Linda Christensen and see her as a real person, not just an author or teacher in a school far away.  I find it easier to understand her lessons and interpret how I can use them in my own classroom now that I have participated in her lectures. 

When first introduce to the “Tea Party” exercise, I wasn’t entirely thrilled with it.  Actually participating in a truncated version during her morning lecture gave me a new perspective.  It really allows a person to learn a lot of information about a single character or person and in turn be able to share that information with others.  Likewise, participants are more likely to listen to and actually hear the stories of other characters at the tea party since they are also being asked to share their story.  I didn’t participate in the workshop in which they held another “Tea Party” but I feel as if I have a better grasp on how it is run.  I think planning the “Tea Party” would be almost as much fun as participating in it.

The two workshops I attended were very beneficial.  The first, on using questioning to enhance reading strategies, really helped me understand how I would be more effective in teaching literature.  We learned a strategy that was almost like SQR (if that is even used anymore) that introduced the text as well as engaged the students right away.  Having students come up with their own questions to be answered as we read urges them to keep information fresh in their brains and allow them to recall what they read in order to answer them or ask new question.  The attendees were very engaged with the book and we had only read one piece of the introduction.  We discussed a few suggestions as to the types of books to include in a classroom with unsure readers and a variety of reading levels.  I felt an energy pulling me to Borders to pick up some of the books!

The workshop on grammar and language focused on how and when people used certain languages.  We were asked to come up with one word that describes us as a writer, or our language.  I chose “Perfectionist” because I like to use precise language and am a fan of Standard English.  We discussed what language meant to us; having ownership/membership of a group, cultural or historical roots, etc.  We watched a movie clip with Dave Chapelle from Inside the Actors Studio where he discussed that everyone has a few different languages they use, depending on the situation; from casual slang, home language, and profession language (i.e. Job interview).  This clip got me thinking about how different language is used in the classroom, which inspired me to write my linguistics paper on teaching home language to teach Standard English.

Overall, the conference helped solidify information I already knew as well as inspire me to tackle elements I was still unsure of.  It was nice collaborating with my peers as well as highly accomplished presenters.  There is so much I will be taking away from this conference that will help me as a classroom teacher as well as in my own scholarly work.