Keynote Session:  Navigating Slumps in Reading Motivation 

While some readers increased their reading volume and interest during the global pandemic, others reported they didn't have the emotional or intellectual energy to read or have lost their joy in it.  Throughout our lives, readers encounter slumps in reading motivation and interest. How can readers find our way back to reading when we don't feel like reading much? In this session, Donalyn Miller will share suggestions from thousands of readers of all ages for navigating reading slumps. Session includes numerous book recommendations and resources.

Donalyn Miller’s work champions self-selected independent reading, providing guidance and resources that foster children’s love of reading and the development of positive reading identities. A national and international consultant and bestselling author, Donalyn’s published works include The Book Whisperer (Jossey-Bass, 2009), Reading in the Wild (Jossey-Bass, 2013), and Game Changer: Book Access for All Kids (co-written with Colby Sharp, Scholastic, 2018) as well as articles in Gifted Child International, Education Week Teacher, The Reading Teacher, Voices From the Middle, Educational Leadership, Horn Book, School Library Journal, and The Washington Post. Recipient of TCTELA’s Elementary Language Arts Teacher of the Year (2011) and TCTELA’s Edmund J. Farrell Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award (2018) (for her contributions to the language arts teaching profession).

Donalyn is also a co-founder of The Nerdy Book Club, an online community which provides inspiration, book recommendations, resources, and advice about raising and teaching young readers. Donalyn and her husband, Don, live in Texas atop a dragon’s hoard of books. You can connect with her on her website BookWhisperer.com, or on Twitter at @DonalynBooks.

Keynote Session:  Prompting EpiphAnIes: Creating Confident Writers in the Age of AI

As generative AI tools become a more integrated part of word processing applications and an integral part of the writing process, almost without registering it, many of us are using the technology in a hybrid-human way. Still, we are mindful that this shift could undermine our pedagogical values and instructional goals related to the teaching of writing. In order to create confident writers — and to ensure that they still realize their own epiphanies along the way — this keynote presentation will explore how Andy, with his middle level learners, models productive and ethical AI use in all stages of the writing process. Moreover, with Troy, participants will then try out a few prompts and AI tools to critically evaluate the opportunities. Taken together, participants will leave with a more robust understanding of both AI tools as well as practical strategies for implementing them in the writing workshop. 

Dr. Troy Hicks is a professor of English and education at Central Michigan University, where he serves as Acting Associate Dean of the College of Education and Human Services. He also directs the Chippewa River Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, and collaborates with K–12 colleagues to explore how they implement newer literacies in their classrooms. Dr. Hicks speaks regularly at conferences, workshops, and webinars, and has authored, co-authored, and edited many resources including 16 books, and dozens of articles, chapters, blog posts, and other media broadly related to the teaching of literacy in our digital age. 

Andy Schoenborn is an award-winning author and teacher in Michigan at Clare Public Schools. He focuses his work on progressive literacy methods including student-centered critical thinking, digital collaboration, and professional development. He is a past president of the Michigan Reading Association, a two-time past president of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English, and a Teacher Consultant for the Chippewa River Writing Project. His first book, co-authored with Dr. Troy Hicks, Creating Confident Writers was published in 2020. Find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andy.schoenborn or on Bluesky @aschoenborn.bsky.social.