Fresh from the Big Sky Literacy Summit, Stacy Hurst and Donell Pons bring Lindsay Kemeny—and listeners—inside the conversations that had them thinking, questioning, and taking notes. Hear which ideas rose to the top and why they could matter for the way educators approach literacy instruction.
Show Notes
The best conferences don't just leave you with pages of notes—they leave you thinking differently about what happens when you return to the classroom.
In this Conference Rewind episode, Stacy Hurst and Donell Pons recap the Big Sky Literacy Summit for Lindsay Kemeny, sharing ideas and conversations that stood out across several packed days of learning.
Their discussion explores the connection between research and practice, including what teachers need to know about language and literacy, the role of teacher knowledge and preparation, and why practical experience matters. They also reflect on emerging questions around AI in education, the importance of syntax and language comprehension, assessment, self-regulation, and what it really means to move beyond simply finding or comprehending information to actually learning it.
Throughout the conversation, one theme keeps resurfacing: strong research matters most when educators can translate it into stronger teaching and better learning for students.
Resources Mentioned
- Big Sky Literacy Summit
- Bridges in Higher Education
- 10 Maxims: What We’ve Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read (2026) — Reading Universe
- AI Hub for Education — Stanford University
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