 |
Welcome to WSRA's Conference Information Page!Click here to get details about WSRA's 2021 on this Conference Website COMING SOONVirtual Online Literacy Learning Opportunities for WSRA 2021 Dear Educators, The Wisconsin State Reading Association invites you to join us as we celebrate 65 years of leadership, advocacy, and professional learning! As I was thinking about this milestone year for our organization, I reflected on all of the voices that have informed my literacy DNA and looked to the voices that are moving my thinking forward. Mostly, I thought about the children; they are our “why.” This brought me to this year’s theme: Raising Our Voices: Empowering All Learners Today to Change the World Tomorrow. We live in a democracy that ultimately demands engagement, so how are we educating its citizenry? Are we providing them spaces that foster agency where knowledge is constructed through dialog and interaction? Are we giving voice to those traditionally silenced or marginalized? Are we creating compassionate, civic-minded citizens who, through authentic, relevant, and meaningful learning opportunities, discover who they are and who they want to be in our global community? In short, are we honoring and raising up all voices? Inherent in the Raising Our Voices theme are not just the voices of students but our voices as educators as well. How are we advocating for the learners in front of us? How are we equipping ourselves with research-based best practices? How are we insisting on intentional, inclusive, anti-bias, anti-racist literacy practices for all of our students? How are we engaging civically in matters that greatly impact our profession? During this time together, we will explore these ideas and more through the following learning strands:
Along with literacy experts, we will mine these topics for practices that we can put to work with the readers and writers before us. I’m delighted to bring our “why” back to the WSRA conference with the Young Voices Festival: Changing the World One Voice at a Time. In Kara Pranikoff’s book Teaching Talk: A Practical Guide to Fostering Student Thinking and Conversation, she states, “Lasting impact is made when we see the capacity we have to bring people together and empower their voice.” Beyond these days of learning together, my hope for you is that you reflect on whose voices you are lifting up in your schools, that you continue to offer and support relevant teaching that connects your students to the global community, and that you raise your own voices on behalf of all of the learners in our literacy communities. I will end as Monique Gray Smith did in her WSRA 2020 Conference keynote: Thank you for contributing to the wellness of the world! Michelle Mullen WSRA 2021 Conference Chair, Michelle Mullen Raising Our Vo!ces: Empowering All Learners Today To Change the World TomorrowPLUS Young VO!CES Festival: Changing the World One Voice at a TimeWSRA typically holds its annual conference each February in Milwaukee. WSRA brings together educators, authors, friends of literacy, special guests, and exhibitors. Important announcements and updates are shared, relevant legislation and policy are addressed, and discussions take place that significantly impact teaching and learning, classrooms, libraries, our roles, and our ongoing transformation. This year's conference will be held online for your health and safety. WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THIS YEAR'S WSRA VIRTUAL CONFERENCE:
PAYMENT for the #wsra21 conference is by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit card. POLICIES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS:
The Wisconsin State Reading Association sponsors conferences and institutes focused on the improvement of literacy instruction. Its institutes are located throughout the state of Wisconsin. WSRA’s policy is to conduct its own conferences and institutes. Periodically, these may be coordinated or sponsored in conjunction with WSRA’s local reading councils or WSRA committees, accredited universities, DPI, CESAs, an other organizations in Wisconsin. WSRA does not promote products. |