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Donalyn Miller Professional Development

Presented by Donalyn Miller


Donalyn Miller is one of the most influential voices in literacy education, best known for her groundbreaking book *The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child*, which transformed how educators approach independent reading in the classroom. A veteran classroom teacher turned author, speaker, and consultant, Miller champions the power of choice reading and student agency, arguing that fostering lifelong reading habits matters far more than formulaic reading programs. Her professional development sessions draw on decades of practical classroom experience and rigorous thinking about what actually motivates young readers. Participants in Miller's PD can expect deeply practical strategies for building classroom reading communities, conferring with students about their reading lives, and designing literacy instruction that honours student voice. Whether you're a primary teacher looking to ignite a love of reading or a secondary educator seeking to reclaim reading time in a crowded curriculum, Miller's sessions offer both the philosophical grounding and the concrete tools to make it happen.

Key Takeaways

Practical strategies for building classroom reading communities; techniques for conferring with students about their reading; approaches to increasing student choice and agency in literacy programs; methods for fostering intrinsic reading motivation

Evidence base: Grounded in research on reading motivation, volume reading, and the relationship between choice and engagement. Draws on extensive classroom practice and aligns with findings from researchers including Richard Allington, Stephen Krashen, and others who have documented the impact of independent reading on student achievement.

Presenter

Donalyn Miller

Donalyn Miller is the author of *The Book Whisperer* and *Reading in the Wild*, and co-author of *Game Changer: Book Access for All Kids*. A former classroom teacher with over 20 years of experience, she is a leading advocate for independent reading and has presented at major education conferences worldwide. She writes the 'Book Whisperer' column for Scholastic and is widely recognised for her practical, research-informed approach to building reading communities.

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