Kentucky Connected Educator April Blakely

Dr. April Blakely

In what ways are you a connected educator?

Kentucky provides ample professional learning opportunities for teachers through conferences and events hosted throughout the state.  I attended the 2nd Annual Let’s Talk: Conversations about Effective Teaching and Learning conference hosted by KEA this summer.  It was an opportunity for me to participate in PD predominantly geared toward P-12 teaching.  Activities like this one around our state help keep me current with the emerging trends in Kentucky education.  At the national level, I am active in several professional organizations that provide opportunities for professional collaborations with leading experts in the field of literacy education and teaching. These opportunities influence my practices as a college professor and my service with regional partners.  For example, in the spring I participated with a group of area teachers in a PLC to study close reading strategies.  

How does being connected impact your practice in schools/classroom?

I feel quite privileged to work in a profession that requires me to stay connected to P-12 education.  The days of an “ivory tower” philosophy do not apply to most teacher educators.  For example, I teach a methods course in content literacy on-site at one of our local middle schools.  This embedded experience allows me to let the clinical experiences of my students drive my classroom instruction.  If I know middle grades students are doing a book study, then we (my candidates and I) also read the book and participate in instruction.  Or, when I introduce strategies like interactive notebooks, digital media, or reading comprehension skills,  my candidates can just walk down the hall to see these strategies in action.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

Being a connected educator impacts every nuance of my work as a professional.  It shapes my instruction, guides my scholarship, and helps focus my regional stewardship.  I can’t imagine not being connected or a part of the local and national dialog about best practices for teaching and learning.

What advice or resources would you recommend to colleagues interested in becoming connected?

I think some of Kentucky’s best resources are connected colleagues.  I moved to Kentucky only four years ago and at the time had little knowledge about our state’s educational focus.  However, connected colleagues invited me to attend meetings, join professional organizations, and to become a part of an exciting change initiative.  Now, when I’m at national conferences and people learn I’m from Kentucky, they always have questions about Common Core.  I feel better prepares to represent our position as the first adopters because I understand why we have been more successful that other states with implementation.  So, my best advice is to hang out with other connected educators and join the conversation.  

Bio: April Blakely is an assistant professor of literacy education at Eastern Kentucky University. She earned her doctorate at East Tennessee State University in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Prior to her work at EKU, April spent 18 years as a classroom teacher, middle grades coordinator, and special programs coordinator at the ETSU laboratory school and the Aiken County, South Carolina Public Schools. She is first and foremost a teacher, and in her writing, research and professional development efforts, it is the blended voice of teacher and administrator that is always heard. As Chair and member of a five-year re-visioning process at the lab school, April developed a passionate, research grounded voice about the sustainability of lab schools. Currently, her research focusses on the integration of learning technologies in teacher preparation. She presents regularly at conferences including the  Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, the International Reading Association, and the Association of Middle Level Educators.