UTC will host 5th Suzanne W. Cole Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Institute virtually
The 5th annual Suzanne W. Cole Reading Recovery® and Early Literacy Institute, hosted by the University Training Center for Reading Recovery and Maine Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy, will be held Thursday, May 20 via Zoom.
In previous years, the event has attracted more than 100 Reading Recovery teachers, literacy coaches and other professionals from across Maine.
This year’s conference, which runs 9 a.m.–3 p.m., will feature a keynote address by former University Training Center Reading Recovery trainer, Dr. Lori Taylor. Now trainer emeritus, Taylor’s talk is titled, “Forever Changed: Lessons From Reading Recovery.”
“Teachers who have completed training in Reading Recovery often say it was the most rigorous and life-changing learning year of their career,” says Taylor. “Together, we will examine research findings and personal experiences that describe the influence of Reading Recovery on us as teachers and learners.”
Taylor’s professional areas of interest include emergent literacy curriculum, teacher professional development and nonverbal communication in teaching and learning. In addition to her work as a trainer with the University Training Center, she has worked as a special education teacher, classroom teacher, literacy specialist and literacy coach during her 35 years as an educator. She recently returned to the classroom at Camden-Rockport Elementary School.
The University Training Center provides professional development to teacher leaders, who train Reading Recovery teachers in nearly 60 school districts statewide. The program helps students in first grade who struggle with reading and writing, by offering 12 to 20 weeks of individualized instruction. Over more than two decades, Reading Recovery has served more than 100,000 Maine children, helping them improve their literacy skills.
The Suzanne W. Cole Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Institute is named for Suzanne Cole, matriarch of the Cole family of Bangor. For more than 20 years, the Galen Cole Family Foundation has provided financial support to school districts in Maine that offer Reading Recovery, and the conference is held in recognition of their extraordinary contribution to teacher education and the literacy success of young children in Maine.
In addition to the keynote, the conference will include several morning and afternoon sessions.
For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Kathie Wing, katherine.wing@maine.edu. Download the conference flyer and registration form below.