[MOSAIC] Calkins

[Kukonis at aol.com]

Hi! 
I teach in Short  Hills, New  Jersey. We are a satellite school for Teacher's 
College  in Columbia.  That means that many of our demonstration lessons are 
done by people who work in  the reading and writing project or who are 
researchers who align themselves with  Columbia's  pedagogy. For example, we have had 
Carl Anderson work with our teachers as well  as Shelley Harwayne and Kathy 
Collins and Joe Yukish. These people are  extraordinary and you can imagine 
what a boon it is for our  district! Columbia provides several options for a  
satellite .... speak once, work all year, or work in three month spurts. Your  
district must apply and Columbia has many requirements to be eligible..   
However, I have  attended several Saturday conferences done annually (once in 
the fall  ...November 3rd this year..... and once in the spring.) These are 
mobbed because  they are free to any educator in the U.S. People come from all 
over the  country to spend an all day session at Columbia but it can be a 
hassle because if you  haven't gone before it can be hard to get the lay of the 
land. That much said I  still enjoy them. 
This year I attended a  week long institute for reading at Columbia. Lucy was 
the keynote speaker this  time and Donald Baer explained his word their way 
ideas on another day. It was  much more sane... and really informative. Here 
are my personal observations and  I hope I am giving you a fair perspective. 
Lucy Calkins is a dynamic speaker and  unbelievably talented author who can 
appeal to ANYONE's mind. She is funny,  smart, experienced, and she uses all of her 
life experiences and puts them  simply into teaching form. The best of the 
best. If you get a chance to hear  her, she could very well change your teaching 
life. She is also a corporate  mogul and has the market cornered on 
educational materials. She is no nonsense  and everything comes with a cost…there are 
no duplicating signs running amuck in  the halls.. on handouts.  
Her work can be more  scripted and is executed in frameworks. . .  a 
framework is adhered for minilessons,  conferences, guided groups, strategic groups, 
literacy centers, workshops etc.  Personally... frameworks give me directions. 
I hang what I want to on them....  so this works well for me.  
To give you an idea of  her style... pick up any book from the primary 
writing units and read her mini  lessons.... I think they are seamless. These 
lessons are the most didatic that  it ever gets. Reading workshop lessons  give more 
leeway for your personal  style but I suspect units will arrive in book form 
soon. they are still  researching and have written yearly drafts which are 
available at a cost.   
My tution was 500.00  for five days 9-3:30. A reference book written by one 
of today's educational  leaders was given out depending on the participant's 
grade level. You also  received a draft of reading workshop units depending on 
your grade. The rest you  paid for out of pocket if you so desired. Expensive 
but worth it in my opinion.  I learned many nitty gritty demarcations about 
different flexible groupings and  I have been teaching school for more than 20 
years ..... and already working in  a Columbia  satellite school mind you. I 
would certainly look on their website... look up  Columbia's reading and writing 
project and see for  yourself. 
Good luck.   
Pam 
If you get a chance  please send me information about the Denver 
conferences....I am a huge fan of Debbie  Miller.  




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