Well! Then I'll share it here instead

Several days ago, I began the process of submitting a proposal to the International Reading Association for presenting at their conference in the spring. Cool, huh?  My thesis advisor suggested I go for it, or I honestly would never have considered myself qualified. Anyhow, about a week ago, I went to the appropriate web site and wrote down the questions for which I would need to write responses.

Then, I freaked out. FREAKED OUT!  The issue is that, the number of characters allowed for each prompt is high -- really, really high. They vary from 5,000 to 10,000 characters, for, oh, um,  like a dozen or so questions. Friends, that's a LOT of writing.

Dr. Wellman nicely told me to chillax and assured me that the proposal reviewers like brief submissions (thank you, Dr. Wellman).  So I spent a couple of days crafting what I hope is an excellent proposal.

Funny thing, though ... today, when I went to upload it (a rock solid 33 hours before the deadline, I want to point out), one of the prompts I'd written down had just disappeared.  Last week, there was a section called Classroom Implications (or, at least, I thought there was).  Today, nada.  No Classroom Implications.  Zip.

But, since I took the time to write an answer to that section, I'm going to share it here instead.  (And, Dr. Wellman, if you're reading this, you'll see something shockingly close to it in my lit. review.  We'll call that "efficiency.")

So, here are the classroom implications for the session I hope to present at the International Reading Association conference:

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The potential impact to classroom experiences for students and teachers alike is significant, most importantly in that picture books, when well integrated into unit lessons, offer pathways to deeper emotional connections and higher order thinking for high school students.  There are many reasons why this is so, including:

·      Picture books provide a way to connect with highly visual learners (Carr et al, 2001).

·      Well-chosen picture books provide background knowledge and context (Carr et al, 2001).

·      When illustrating a real-world concept, they provide a situated perspective for students, connecting classroom content to life outside of high school (Putnam and Borko, 2000).

·      When read aloud to students, picture books create a bond between the reader and the student that reinforces the power of words (Giorgis, 1999).

·      Picture books provide non-threatening access to tougher concepts (Gewertz, 2009).

·      Using picture books to increase vocabulary acquisition is effective because it encourages students to discover words based on their perceptions and experiences (Polette, 1989).

·      Teachers report that the personal connections students make (i.e., experiencing revulsion at disturbing historical events, recalling impactful memories, identifying dreams and hopes, bridging cultural differences) are unique to picture book use (Matthews et al, 1999).

·      Picture books tap into students’ earliest reading experiences, thus offering an aesthetic reading event (Rosenblatt, 1982).

·      Picture books have a unique power to create experiences and summon feelings (Florida Online Reading Professional Development, 2006).

These practice-grounded theories show that, a classroom environment that includes picture book use, taps into a compelling learning vehicle.  Once teachers make a connection with students using picture books, a connection facilitated by mutual trust, sharing early reading experiences, comprehension of an accessible text, and enjoyable engagement, they find that students’ minds are particularly ready for the link to rigorous concepts.

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And there you go.  The proposal is finished, and I am a happy woman.