Professional Learning Community (PLC) on Improving Reading Instruction in Print Skills
6 weeks | 27 hours
*Note: This PLC has the same information as Foundations of Reading: Print Skills; it is just presented in a slightly different manner.
The first step in helping learners improve their reading is to help them strengthen their print skills, which consists of alphabetics and fluency. Did you know that many adult learners, even those who can read and comprehend at higher levels, struggle with these skills? No matter what level learner you work with, this PLC will provide you with information about and strategies to help you incorporate alphabetic skills and fluency into your lessons. This PLC will be a blend of online learning and virtual meetings. Throughout the PLC, participants will:
- collaborate with others to improve lessons
- gather useful resources
- gain a deeper understanding of how alphabetic skills and fluency affect comprehension
- learn how to contextualize these skills in their lessons
Opening a Google Account
In this PLC, we will be using Google Docs, which is now part of the cloud-based file storage system Google Drive. There are several reasons to use Google Docs in our PLC:
- the ability to collaborate on documents
- the ability to access these documents readily once the PLC is complete and Blackboard is closed
- the opportunity to become familiar with and practice using Google tools that can be used with learners in your classroom
In order to participate, you need a Google account. It will be helpful to set up your Google account before the PLC on Improving Reading Instruction in Print Skills begins.
GCFLearnFree provides excellent instructions on opening a free Google account. (Note: if you use Gmail, you already have a Google account.) Whether your account is new or old, be sure to check that you remember your username and password!
Completion of the PLC is designed to require approximately four and a half hours a week (for a total of 27 hours over 6 weeks). However, you may find that you want to spend longer with some topics.
In order to receive the certificate for participating in the PLC on Improving Reading Instruction in Print Skills, you must complete all assignments and attend the virtual PLC meeting each week.
Remember that, although you will gain from doing the activities, you will learn most from discussions with your colleagues and facilitator. To keep our discussions as productive as possible, you must stay within the timeframe outlined for this PLC.