Events
- Annual Convention
- Great Teaching Round-up
- Leading from the middle
- fall conference for faculty leaders
- Webinars
"I think there is something more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision."
Events: 2010 Developmental Reading Schedule
Developmental Reading Summary
Friday, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
"Brain-based Learning Techniques: Maximizing Students' Learning"
Speaker: LeeAnn Morris, Professor of Language Skills, San Jacinto College
Friday, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
"Reading Apprenticeship"
Reading Apprenticeship Trainers of QEP Faculty from San Jacinto College: Karren Hattaway, Professor of English; Susan Lustic, Professor of Biology; Sandra McCurdy, Professor of Math; and Marylou Robbins, Professor of Psychology
Saturday, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
"Calling Students to Action: Inspiring Self-assessments"
Speaker: D.J. Henry, Author
Friday, March 5th, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Friday, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
"Brain-based Learning Techniques: Maximizing Students' Learning"
Speaker: LeeAnn Morris, Professor of Language Skills, San Jacinto College
Did you know that a drink of water during class can help your students learn more effectively? Water can lower stress levels and enable better functioning of the neurons in the brain.
The large body of research in neuroscience has much to offer the teaching field, but its technical nature sometimes tests the patience of practitioners who need new ideas for next week’s lesson plans. In this session, learn “brain-based” techniques that can easily be integrated into teaching and learning in almost any discipline. The focus will be practical applications that have been tested in this instructor’s developmental reading classes. You will take home a toolkit of methods to enhance learning and student success in your classroom.
Biography:
LeeAnn Morris has over 20 years of community college teaching experience and is committed to helping students achieve their college and career goals. Dr. Morris is a Distinguished Faculty professor at San Jacinto College near Houston, Texas, and has been honored there with the Outstanding Faculty Award. She serves as chair of the College Preparatory Department, which consists of the developmental English, college study skills, developmental math, reading, and English for Speakers of Other Languages programs. Dr. Morris has published articles in the Wisconsin State Reading Association Journal and Journal of Developmental Education and has also presented at local, state and national conferences.
Friday, March 5th, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
"Reading Apprenticeship"
Reading Apprenticeship Trainers of QEP Faculty from San Jacinto College: Karren Hattaway, Professor of English; Susan Lustic, Professor of Biology; Sandra McCurdy, Professor of Math; and Marylou Robbins, Professor of Psychology
The session offers an overview of Reading Apprenticeship, a strategic way of interacting with students in all disciplines that empowers teachers to act as guides, modeling productive reading experiences for students in academic-transfer courses. Session leaders are San Jacinto College Reading-Apprenticeship trainers (or RATs) who represent diverse academic areas including math, biology, social science, and humanities. Participants will experience three RA routines and gain an understanding of the role of metacognitive conversations in student comprehension and academic success.
Biographies:
Ms. Susan Lustick has a M.S. in biology from Texas A&M University and has been teaching at the college level for 15 years. A Faculty Fellow, Susan is coordinating the College’s Green Team and training other faculty as a Reading Apprenticeship Faculty Leader.
Dr. Karen Hattaway has a Ph.D. from Rice University and has been teaching for nearly 40 years. Currently chair of the Communications Department, Karen also chairs the Quality Enhancement Plan for San Jacinto College and is a Distinguished 
Professor of English and a Reading Apprenticeship Faculty Leader.
Dr. Marylou Robbins has a Ph.D. from Michigan State University and has been teaching at the college and university level for 36 years. A Reading Apprenticeship Faculty member, Marylou is also an officer in the College Faculty Organization and was recently elected Most Outstanding Professor by the students of San Jacinto College South.
MS. Sandra McCurdy has a Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of Houston Clear Lake.
A Distinguished Mathematics Professor, Sandy has been teaching mathematics at the college level for 15 years. Sandy is a Reading Apprenticeship Faculty Leader and a Faculty Fellow for San Jacinto College.
Saturday, March 6th, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
"Calling Students to Action: Inspiring Self-assessments"
Speaker: D.J. Henry, Author
Effective student self assessment lays the foundation for transformative and inspiring teachable moments. Effective self assessment calls for students to “move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision." The presentation “Calling Students to Action: Inspiring Self-Assessment” provides students and teachers with a systematic approach to authentic assessment that activates student metacognition, engages student motivation, and deepens student understanding of the connection between reading, writing, and knowledge. This flexible approach frames portfolio assessment into three phases: The Diagnostic Portfolio, The Working Portfolio, and The Display Portfolio. This framework develops critical thinking, active learning, and a student-driven individualized learning plan. Students reflect upon their needs as readers and writers, create a plan of action to meet those needs, monitor their progress, and display and reflect upon their mastery of course content. To stimulate an interactive discussion among participants, handout packets consist of ready to use (and easy to adapt) rubrics, reflective activities and questions, as well as reading and writing strategies. This portfolio system evolved over the course of twenty years of action research in the classroom, university sponsored research, and professional collaboration with reading, writing, and content-specific teachers.
DJ Henry discusses self-assessment on TCCTA Online!
Biography:
D. J. Henry is a veteran teacher with over 25 years of community college classroom experience and an acclaimed textbook author. During the course of her teaching career, D.J. Henry has served on several federally funded grants designed to infuse teaching and learning with sound pedagogies and technological supports. D.J. Henry has extensive experience in the standardized testing of literacy competencies. She worked with the State of Florida from 1982 to 2002 as an item writer, rubric writer, and reader for the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) and the State Developmental Reading and Writing Exit Exam. D.J. Henry also served as a reader for the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE) for over 15 years.
D.J. Henry has several esteemed publications, including a three-book college reading series with Longman Publishers (The Skilled Reader, The Effective Reader, and The Master Reader). Adopted at over 1,100 institutions nation wide, the series had an immediate and profound impact on the teaching of college reading, and is the most successful launch of a first edition reading series in over two decades. Another highly regarded publication is D.J. Henry’s Thinking Through the Test (Longman Publishers), a study guide for the State Developmental Reading and Writing Exit Exam in Florida. Additionally, she has also published innovations in authentic assessments that utilize student portfolio pedagogies.
Developmental Reading Section Chair:
Tamara Harris, Houston Community College - Southwest