Speaking Topics
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Strategies for close reading
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Understanding the demands of twenty-first century literacy
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Reaching struggling adolescent readers
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Aliteracy: The glitch in becoming a nation of readers
Speaker Profile
Writers, speakers, and educators, Kylene Beers and Robert (Bob) Probst have worked together for over a decade helping teachers improve the literacy lives of students. Kylene is the author of When Kids Can't Read/What Teachers Can Do and Bob is the author of Response and Analysis. Together they are coauthors of Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies, Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading and coeditors, with Linda Rief, of Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice.
Kylene served as President of the National Council of Teachers of English in 2008-2009 and, from 1999-2006, as editor of the NCTE journal Voices from the Middle. Bob has served as a member on the Conference on English Board of Directors, an NCTE journal columnist, and a member of the NCTE Commission on Reading. Both have served as lead authors for Holt Rinehart and Winston's national literature series Elements of Literature and Kylene now serves as a special contributing author to the McDougal Holt Literature book.
Kylene began her teaching career as a middle school language arts teachers in the Houston area. She then taught at the University of Houston in the College of Education for many years. She left there to accept a position as senior reading researcher in the School Development Program at Yale University and later as a senior reading advisor to the Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Bob began his teaching career as high school English teacher and then became a supervisor of English for a large district in Maryland. He spent most of his academic career at Georgia State University where he is now Professor Emeritus of English Education. After retiring from Georgia State University, he served as a research fellow for Florida International University. He now consults, with Kylene, in school districts across the United States.
Kylene and Bob speak nationally and internationally to administrators and teachers on literacy issues, particularly issues around struggling readers and meeting standards -- including the Common Core State Standards.
Grades: 4–12
