In March, the Polish-American Freedom Foundation and University of Warsaw School of Education hosted two experts from the Fulbright Specialist Program – Dr. Katherine Batchelor and Dr. Kelli Rushek from Miami University in Ohio. The visit took place as part of the “Critical Reading in the Classroom” project and marked an important step in the School of Education’s efforts to develop activities in the area of critical reading and writing skills education.
Dr. Katherine Batchelor is a professor of English Language Pedagogy at Miami University in Ohio. Her research interests include critical reading and writing practices of young people, with a particular focus on writing and multimodality. She works with students preparing to the teaching profession and practicing English teachers, supporting them in designing inclusive and culturally responsive lessons and in reflecting on the limitations of their own perspectives.
Dr. Kelli Rushek is an assistant professor of English Education at Miami University in Ohio. In her research, she focuses on critical reading, the early stages of the teaching career, and challenging the traditional canon of texts in English language teaching. She is particularly interested in the narratives of teachers representing ethnic minorities and the deconstruction of the Eurocentric canon in ELA curricula.
Their two-week stay in Poland included intensive workshop activities and collaboration with the teaching staff of the PAFF and UW School of Education, as well as external experts.
The purpose of the visit was to develop guidelines for a workshop program and materials for teachers of four subjects: biology, history, mathematics, and Polish. The experts’ visit provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and reflect on the similarities and differences in educational systems. “It’s amazing how similar – despite differences and distance – the contexts in which we teach and learn are. We are united by the challenges and difficulties we face in the interdisciplinary approach to critical reading and writing,” emphasized Dr. Kelli Rushek.
Another key element was the experts’ participation in the Polish language conference “SłowoSfera Edukacji,” where they led workshops for teachers from across Poland. The sessions focused on using everyday experiences as a starting point for developing reading and writing skills, as well as on working with more advanced forms of expression, such as posters and stickers. “The participants’ response was wonderful; you could feel how eager they were to actively participate in the proposed activities. Many of them are already using very innovative tools and solutions, which was inspiring for us – we were able to move right on to more advanced elements, such as working with stickers or posters,” noted Dr. Katherine Batchelor.
The experts also highlighted the high level of organization and the innovative nature of the School of Education’s initiatives. “We are deeply impressed by how the School of Education operates: your creativity, organization, and curriculum. We hope that soon leading institutions will learn from you what effective teaching should look like,” noted Dr. Batchelor.
The visit by experts from Miami University in Ohio strengthened the international dimension of the School of Education’s activities and laid a solid foundation for further development of the “Critical Reading in the Classroom” program. Its effects will be long-term, supporting teachers in developing the key competencies necessary for students’ informed participation in social and educational life.
The project was implemented thanks to the support of the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission and the PZU Foundation.
