April 13, 2011

AASSA Conference Campinas Brazil




 I have just returned from a busy trip to Brazil and Argentina. I had the opportunity to work for 4 days at the AASSA Conference held in Campinas, Brazil.  The highlight of this was the opportunity to work for 2 days with the wonderful group of people above!

This group of teachers, principals, IB Coordinators and literacy specialists covering grades pre K -12 worked hard but also had fun! They all actively grappled with the new materials presented and made sense of it by practicing with each other and imagining how it could work in their school settings.

Some quotes from their reflections include:-
"I was worried this would be a scripted program i was so relieved to find out it is not and that it is tailored to our needs."
 "We had thought provoking and powerful discussions today."
"These materials will help me become a more effective leader"
"I now know ways to keep adult discourse authentic, productive and professional." " Today was serious thought provoking and challenging for me." "This was a fantastic energizing 2 days."

I hope I will have the opportunity to be in touch with these participants as they begin to implement the ideas we explored in their work. I also hope to see many of them once more in March 2012 in Quito, Equador at next years conference.