Billie Askew and Barbara Watson

Celebrating an Extraordinary Journey

Session Description

We celebrate the legacy of Marie Clay by tracing her extraordinary journey that changed literacy education around the world -- from her first teaching experiences to our visions for the future. Drawing on international contributions to the book Boundless Horizons, we focus on the extraordinary impact and longevity of Reading Recovery in the United States -- a journey that continues after twenty-five years!

Biographies

Billie J. Askew is professor emerita at Texas Woman’s University, where she previously served as a member of the reading faculty and a trainer of Reading Recovery teacher leaders.  She is a past-president of the Reading Recovery Council of North America and the North American Trainers Group, and she currently serves as the U.S. representative on the Executive Board of the International Reading Recovery Trainers Organization.  With Jan Gaffney, Billie was the co-editor of Stirring the Waters:  The influence of Marie Clay.

Dr. Barbara Watson is a teacher and researcher who has spent the last 30 years working with Reading Recovery teachers, Tutors/Teacher Leaders and Trainers around the world as Reading Recovery has expanded from its early beginnings in New Zealand.  She is fortunate to have had close professional contact with Marie Clay and with colleagues in each country in which Reading Recovery has been adopted.  Her research into children’s independent learning and teachers’ teaching contributes to the insights she is able to share about Reading Recovery. She received the Queen’s Service Medal for her contribution to the education of young children.

Barbara now also works with literacy learning and teaching nationally and internationally, providing teacher professional learning opportunities, within school support and guidance for education systems.