TUESDAY East Writing School
Hourly Schedule
East Writing School
- 7:00 AM - 7:20 AM
- It Takes a Village: The Role of Home and Community Literacy Practices in Reading Amongst Caribbean Primary School Learners
- Shawna-Kaye Tucker, University of Toronto | Canada
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Speakers:
Shawna-Kaye Tucker
- 7:20 AM - 7:40 AM
- Bridging Literacies in the Spoken Dialect and in the Standard Language: The case of Arabic
- Prof. Dr. Elinor Saiegh-Haddad Bar-Ilan University | Israel
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Speakers:
Elinor Haddad
- 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM
- The Intersectionality of Race, Income Inequity, and Culture on Oral Language and Literacy Practices in Black Communities
- Tanya Matthews, McGill University | Canada
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Speakers:
Tanya Matthews
- 8:00 AM - 8:20 AM
- Bedtime Stories and Artificial Intelligence: Bridging Technology-enhanced Storytelling and Children's Literacy
- Malak Abdelghaffar, University of Glasgow | United Kingdom
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Speakers:
Malak Abdelghaffar
- 8:20 AM - 8:45 AM
- BREAK
- 9:00 AM - 10:25 AM
- PLENARY SESSION
- Keynote - 40 minutes (Governor's Early Literacy Foundation James Pond | President) Panel Discussion One - 45 minutes EU READS (led by Dr. Jörg F. Maas | Stiftung Lesen) Diane Gerald, CEO of Booktrust UK, Valentina Stoeva (CEO of the Bulgarian Reading Foundation) Panel Discussion Two - 45 minutes How Neuroscience can advance Literacy Education (Brainscience, MIT, Oxford University, Stanford University, University of Connecticut)
- 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
- BREAK
- 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
- Behind the scenes - an EdTech CEO’s Perspectives on leading dynamic charge as a lean tech non-proft
- Rebecca Chandler Leege, Worldreader CEO
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Speakers:
Rebecca Chandler Leege
- 11:20 AM - 11:40 AM
- Using a Picture-embedded Method to Support Acquisition of Sight Words
- Jennifer Orr, Eyeworlds | United States
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Speakers:
Jennifer Orr
- 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM
- Teachers' Perceptions and Practices of Multiliteracies: A Multiple Case Study
- Pamela Beach, Queen's University | Canada
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Speakers:
Pamela Beach
- 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM
- Changing Children’s Lives One Book at a Time. A Worldwide Study of Shared Book Reading
- Claire Galea, United Way | Australia
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Speakers:
Claire Galea
- 12:20 PM - 12:40 PM
- Parents: The Solution to Childhood Illiteracy
- Spencer Russel Lovevery United States
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Speakers:
Spencer Russell
- 12:40 PM - 1:00 PM
- Dialogic Book Reading as a Synchronizer Between Parents and Children: Insights from Neuroscience in Arabic and Hebrew-speaking Children
- Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Technion Israel Institute of Technology | Israel/United States
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Speakers:
Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
- LUNCH
- 2:00 PM - 2:40 PM
- Global Collaboration & Sustainable Development Notable and Emerging Global Projects and Resources
- Rebecca Chandler Leege, Worldreader CEO
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Speakers:
Rebecca Chandler Leege
- 2:40 PM - 3:20 PM
- Building Equitable Early Literacy Opportunities through Healthcare Systems
- Alex Chu, ED of Reach Out & Read Northeast Dr. Shabnam Lainwala, Director of Neonatal Follow-up Clinic, Connecticut Children’s Dr. Lindsey C. Burghardt, Chief Science Officer at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University Dr. Richard L. Wintermute, Chief Medical Officer at Southwest Community Health Center
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Speakers:
Suzannah Holsenbeck
- 3:20 PM - 4:00 PM
- Community-Centered Book Access: Building Literacy, Equity and Empathy
- Greig Metzger, Little Free Library Heather RC Wooldridge, Associate Director of The Education Foundation of BCPS
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Speakers:
Heather RC Woolridge, M. Greig Metzger
- 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM
- BREAK
- 4:15 PM - 4:35 PM
- Connecting the Inner World of the Child to the Relational World of Teaching
- Mary Gordon, Founder/President Julie Lundberg, Director of Curriculum
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Speakers:
Julie Lundberg, Mary Gordon
- 4:35 PM - 4:55 PM
- The Effect of Mobile Learning on Students’ Reading Fluency, Comprehension and Motivation in Primary
- Konstantina Derveni, Charles University | Czech Republic
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Speakers:
Konstantina Derveni
- 4:55 PM - 5:15 PM
- Building Equitable Pathways to Literacy Through the Arts: A New Definition of the 3R's in Education
- Kelly Asbury, Learning Through Art Cincinnati | United States
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Speakers:
Kelly Asbury
- 5:15 PM - 5:35 PM
- Building Strong Readers: Leveraging the Science of Reading and the Science of Reading Instruction to Advance Primary Literacy
- KS Literacy Consulting United States
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Speakers:
Karen Vogelsang
- 5:35 PM - 5:55 PM
- A Picture Says a Thousand Words and Texts Uncover Myriad Images
- Kalpana M. Iyengar, University Texas | USA
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Speakers:
Kalpana Iyengar
Shawna-Kaye Tucker
Assistant Professor
Dr. Shawna-Kaye Tucker is an assistant professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on language and literacy development among children with English as an additional language in the primary years, particularly in the Caribbean where Creole languages are spoken.
Elinor Haddad
Professor
Elinor Haddad is a professor of Linguistics at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. She is an expert on literacy acquisition in Arabic diglossia. She has published over 70 research manuscripts on this topic and co-edited two volumes: “Handbook of Arabic Literacy” (2014) and “Handbook of Literacy in diglossia and in dialectal contexts” (2022).
Tanya Matthews
Faculty Lecturer
Tanya Matthews, a Speech-Language Pathologist, is a faculty lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University. Her research, rooted in her lived experience, uses a community-based participatory approach to document oral language and emergent literacy practices in the homes of Black families who face financial hardships.
Malak Abdelghaffar
Researcher & Content Strategist
Malak is an MA graduate in Children’s Literature, Media and Culture as an Erasmus Mundus Scholar from the University of Glasgow. Her thesis, titled “ChatGPT, Write Me a Bedtime Story: Exploring Parent-Child Talk and Mediation Strategies During Shared-Reading with ChatGPT,” explores the way generative AI technologies can supplement children’s literacy..
Rebecca Chandler Leege
CEO of Worldreader
Rebecca Chandler Leege was named Worldreader’s Chief Executive Officer in April 2023 after serving five years as the organization’s Chief Impact Officer. Her leadership has fostered innovation and expanded Worldreader’s impact, which now exceeds more than 22 million readers in under-resourced communities. With over 25 years of people-centered global leadership experience, Rebecca has a proven track record of driving growth through strategic vision, creative collaborations, and cross-sector partnerships.
Before joining Worldreader, she spent over two decades working, living, and studying in Africa, Asia, and Europe. She has served in various senior leadership roles and co-led All Children Reading, a renowned edtech innovation and research initiative. She also held executive positions at World Vision and World Relief, focusing on reducing gender barriers to child labor/ trafficking and overseeing relief and development programs. Rebecca launched her career in the private sector, specializing in international human resources consulting. She holds a Master of Science in Multinational Commerce and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jennifer Orr
Eyewords Inc, CEO
Jennifer Orr, founder of Eyewords resources, holds a B.Ed, B.A, and M.Ed (Western University), has certifications in ABA and Special Education (Geneva Center for Autism), is a Board Member of TeachAids and has presented at Literacy is Life, USA TESOL International Convention, and Canada Reading for the Love of It.
Pamela Beach
Associate Professor
Claire Galea
Director of Research
Claire Galea is Director of Research at United Way Australia and is completing a PhD at Macquarie University. Claire has a passion for revealing the story that data can yield as a powerful narrative tool supporting her desire to showcase positive change for children throughout the globe.
Spencer Russell
Founder and CEO Toddlers CAN Read
Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
Professor
Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, heading the Educational Neuroimaging Group (ENIG). She is also an Associate Professor at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Suzannah Holsenbeck
Executive Director
Heather RC Woolridge
Associate Director of EFBCPS
Dr. Heather RC Wooldridge has been in education for 25 years and is certified for K-12 education. Early in her career she taught English and related subjects in middle and high schools, served as a work-based learning coordinator, department chair, assistant principal, and the Coordinator of College and Career Readiness for Baltimore County Public Schools. She now serves as the Associate Director of The Education Foundation of BCPS, Inc. She resides in Baltimore County, Maryland with her husband where they steward 12 Little Free Libraries and support a network of 80+ more.
M. Greig Metzger
Executive Director of Little Free Library
Greig Metzger is the Executive Director of Little Free Library®, a nonprofit organization that is a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led little libraries. Little Free Library received the 2020 World Literacy Award and recognition by the Library of Congress, the National Book Foundation and others for its dedication to expanding book access. Greig is a senior executive experienced in general management, finance, marketing and operations in non-profit organizations and consumer and B-to-B businesses. In his career, Greig has worked with Fortune 500 corporations, venture-backed startups, and community-based service organizations. A common theme throughout has been change, growth, and momentum creation.
A resident of Woodbury, Minnesota, Greig is a Princeton University graduate, with an AB in Economics, and has an MBA from New York University in Finance.
Julie Lundberg
Founder/President
Mary Gordon
Founder/President
Konstantina Derveni
PhD Candidate
A Ph.D student at Charles University, currently working as a researcher on reading literacy development through mobile learning technologies in primary education. An ambitious, hard-working and highly organized individual, able to accomplish high-volume work and provide high-quality projects. Passionate to deepen her knowledge for academic and professional career progression.
Kelly Asbury
Artistic Director
LTA has been awarded 3 regional EMMYS; a STEMmy as Organization of the Year, by the Gaskins Foundation. Our CEO, Kathy Wade was the 2023 Governor's Award winner in Arts Administration and the Marian A. Spencer Mosaic Award. LTA recently presented at the AIO conference in Toledo by the OAC.
Karen Vogelsang
Early Childhood Literacy Consultant
Karen is an early-childhood literacy consultant. Speaking experiences include: May 2024 Literacy: The Key to Vibrant Communities. SALT Luncheon, Memphis, TN April 2023 World Literacy Summit. Oxford University, Oxford April 2020 World Literacy Summit. Oxford University, Oxford March 2019 Shelby County Schools Teacher of the Year Gala. Memphis, TN.
Kalpana Iyengar
Assistant Professor of Practice
Kalpana M. Iyengar earned her PhD in literacy at the University of Texas - San Antonio. She was later awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in the Bicultural Bilingual Studies Department. Dr. Iyengar’s research foci include cultural preservation, literacy, teacher preparation, Indic cultures, and multicultural education. She has co-edited three books.