Katie Keier has been a classroom teacher, school librarian and literacy specialist in grades K-8 for twenty-eight years. She is currently a kindergarten teacher in a Title I school near Washington, DC. Katie has a Reading Specialist endorsement and a master’s degree in Literacy Studies. She has completed one year of Reading Recovery training, working with two students while being a full time classroom teacher. She participated in Literacy Collaborative for three years and is trained in Leveled Literacy Intervention. Katie also participated in the Kennedy Center’s Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program for five years and continues to do ongoing professional development in arts integration with the Kennedy Center and Wolftrap. Katie is an adjunct faculty member for American University (teaching the following courses – Play and Learning, Children’s Literature: A Critical Literacy Perspective, Literacy Instruction and Assessment and Literacy through Technology, Media and the Arts) and conducts staff development workshops and interactive webinars.

Katie is available for a wide variety of professional development opportunities. Please see the Workshops page for a list of workshops and/or webinars she can present. Katie also presents workshops on creating literacy communities, play and learning, writing and reading for preschool through primary grade teachers. She is happy to customize a workshop, keynote or break out session to meet the needs of the district and participants.

• structuring the classroom space to nurture and support our literacy learners,
• building community within a comprehensive literacy framework,
• supporting readers and writers identity
• using shared experiences to build and strengthen literacy communities
• the power of read aloud to engage children in conversations that build community.

Playful Learning – A Day All About Play

We will explore the power of play as enjoyment for all children, as a learning tool and as a key component of early childhood programs.  Participants will leave with specific activities and classroom structures that support playful learning across the curriculum, as well as a collection of professional literature supporting play as a teaching tool.

Our work will focus on understanding the importance of play and playful learning in early childhood programs while exploring practical ways of making play a key part of the curriculum.

We will:

• Become aware of current professional books and research regarding play as critical and significant to a child’s development – participants will be provided with numerous articles as well as titles of books for further professional reading
• Consider ways to effectively incorporate and encourage play in current and future teaching situations (designing classroom space, creating a daily schedule, allowing multiple opportunities throughout the day for play, etc.)
• Explore playful learning through the lens of common curricular topics (literacy, mathematics, science, social studies), as well as through the arts, popular culture, and outside play

Contact Katie at:  katieannkeier@gmail.com