(October 23, 2006) Marie Clay, the founder of Reading Recovery, conducted professional development for the two Department of Curriculum and Instruction educators recently. Susan Almeida and Julie Eckberg spent two days in September with 25 other Illinois Reading Recovery Teacher Leaders learning from this visionary educator.
Dame Marie Clay developed Reading Recovery in New Zealand during the 1960's and '70's from a developmental psychology perspective. Reading Recovery became a national program in New Zealand in 1973, was adopted by The Ohio State University in 1984, and today is taught in several languages and most English speaking countries. Illinois State University has sponsored Reading Recovery since 1990.
Reading Recovery takes the most struggling first graders and catches them up to their peers in less than 20 weeks. Children meet individually with a Reading Recovery teacher for 30 minutes each school day. The children work with books and produce daily written stories. Knowledge of words and letters are also developed during the series of lessons.
Dr. Clay's topic at the recent professional development days at National-Louis University was the contents of her new book, Literacy Lessons Part 1 and Part 2. She also included the most recent brain research in her lectures, most notably Dr. Carol Lyons' work, Teaching Struggling Readers. It was a rare privilege to be able to listen to and ask questions of the premier reading professor in the world.
Clay's observational methodology and clinical orientation arise from her training in developmental psychology and have kept her close to the source of literacy learning—the children and their teachers. This proximity may partially account for her perspectives on literacy learning, which differ, sometimes dramatically, from those of other researchers.
Marie Clay's research and achievements in the fields of developmental psychology, school psychology, and education have been recognized by her peers. Clay was the first non-North American to be elected president of the International Reading Association (IRA). During her term (1992–1993), Clay revitalized international participation in the work of the association. As the 1995 recipient of the prestigious William S. Gray Citation of Merit, her contribution to invigorating the international emphasis of the IRA was acknowledged. "World-class scholar, researcher, and visionary educator, Marie Clay has inspired scholars, regenerated teachers, and touched the lives of children in all parts of the globe. An unwavering advocate for world literacy, she will always symbolize the I in IRA." (Reading Today, 1995, 34).
For more information, visit the Illinois State's Reading Recovery project's Web site.
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