Homegrown Institute comes to Florida

Local teachers have a chance to work with expert consultants in math, literacy, technology and inquiry at Florida Union Free School District this week. The Homegrown Institute will take place over three days, July 12-14, with three two-hour sessions each day. Program funding came from the federal American Rescue Plan.

“Teachers and administrators have spent countless hours reading, studying, planning and implementing the new learning and have made significant shifts in the way we approach literacy, mathematics and instructional practices across curricular areas,” said Florida Superintendent Larry Leaven.

Expertise of many kinds

Among presenters is Renée Dinnerstein (@RDinnerstein) who has 50 years experience as an early childhood educator, having taught in both Italy and in the United States. She is a past member of the Columbia University Teachers’ College Reading and Writing Project Early Childhood Reading ‘think tank,’ and has worked as an Early Childhood Staff Developer at Bank Street School, Dalton School New York, and Dalton School Hong Kong. She was a lead staff developer in the New York City Department of Education, where she helped write the New York City Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Standards. Visit her online at investigatingchoicetime.com.

Also presenting is Anne Burgunder, with whom district teachers have worked throughout the past school year. For the last 15 years, she has served as a clinical professor of math education at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education where she teaches mathematics methods courses and mentors student teachers in the field. Burgunder studies the various methods and systems for teaching and learning mathematics employed by other cultures.

Greg Kulowiec focuses on intentional use of technology and creative instructional design. Elizabeth Mirra works with science teachers, developing labs and connecting writing with science. Leah Mermelstein, author on the teaching of writing, reading, and language development, focuses on creating equitable access to children and families and has been working with the district on integrating aspects of literacy.