Summer 2013

 

Summer Institute
July 8-26, 2013 (Monday through Friday), 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. daily

Teachers in all subjects, grades K-12 are eligible to apply. Teams of teachers from the same school or district are encouraged to apply. Space is limited, so apply early. Click here for more information.

The 2013 Summer Institute has support from the UMass Center for the Study of African American Language, the English Department, and the College of Humanities and Fine Arts as well as the National Writing Project. 

Teachers as Writers
Monday-Friday, July 29-August 2, UMass Amherst.

Join teacher-author Lucile Burt and other teacher writers during this one week workshop that builds on the premise that teachers of writing benefit most from working on their own writing and identity as writers. We will explore ways to generate new material, to complete unfinished work, to develop writing habits, and to foster support for writing through ongoing groups.  Although we will explore various model texts and different genres, participants are welcome to use the week to continue work they have already begun.  The group will write together in the morning, take private writing time midday, and share and respond in the afternoon. Open to new participants as well as alumni from previous Teachers as Writers workshops.

Here’s what past participants have said about the workshop and Lucile:  “Excellent!  Dedicated writers, insightful response, thoughtful and generous leadership, lots of flexibility and inspiration.”  “I really enjoy the challenge of writing in different genres. What’s best?  Having the time to write and share for response.”  “The daily writing exercises were a terrific catalyst!  Lots of new ideas each day made the writing fresh and easier to begin.” 

Registration fee: $150. 30 PDPS.  One graduate credit available through Continuing and Professional Education for $100 per credit plus $45 CPE registration fee. Limit 20.  Register here.

Summer 2012

Writing and the Teaching of Writing

MTuTh, July 9-26, 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

This course is designed for K-16 writing teachers and all teachers who use writing as a teaching tool.  It will focus on theoretical and practical questions related to the nature of the writing process and the challenges of teaching writing, particularly in light of the new Common Core literacy standards.  The aim of the course will be to provide participants opportunities to reflect on their own literacy learning and teaching experiences, to explore composition theory and research, and to examine current issues in the teaching of writing.  Readings and research projects will focus on writing process and its linguistic, psychological, and socio-cultural underpinnings.  Concepts such as audience, voice, identity, and dialect – as well as practical matters such as teaching grammar, working with English Language Learners, and incorporating technology – will all be considered.  A key assumption of this course is that the best way to learn about writing is to write – in a variety of modes and for a range of purposes – and to reflect on the complex processes involved in that act. 

Participants can expect to write regularly: low-stakes experiments in different genres, informal reading responses, portfolio reflections, a literacy self-study, and a well-documented research essay will all be part of the mix.  Class meetings will include discussions, workshops, response groups, and presentations. 

67.5 Pdps.  3 credit option. This course, if taken for graduate credit,  fulfills a core requirement for the Western Massachusetts Writing Project Certificate in the Teaching of Writing but is open to all.  Limit:  16.  

Instructor:  Bruce M. Penniman

WMWP Registration fee:  $225.  Once this fee is paid and you are accepted, if you wish to register for graduate course credit, you would do so with UMass Amherst Continuing and Professional Education at http://www.umassulearn.net.  The course is English 712.  CPE registration fee is $100 per credit plus $45 registration fee.

NOTE: Only those who have registered with WMWP and been accepted will be authorized to enroll for credit.  Registration deadline: June 25, 2012.

 

Last Chance Category Trainings to fulfill Massachusetts requirements before implementation of the RETELL initiative
July 9 – 13, 2012 (Category 2); July 16 – 17, 2012 (Category 1); July 18 – 20, 2012 (Categories 4B, 4C)
Location: Holyoke, Massachusetts

Presenters: Floris Wilma Ortiz, Ed.D., Amherst Regional Public Schools & Olga Escalera, Holyoke Public Schools

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently announced that under its new RETELL (Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners) initiative, all core academic teachers and administrators will be required to earn Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) endorsement through a course being developed by the department and offered beginning fall 2012.  The new SEI course will replace the current Category trainings, which will end August 31.

A frequently asked question about this new program is “What will happen to teachers who have completed some or all of the required Category 1, 2, and 4 trainings?”  DESE has provided this answer (emphasis added):

Educators who have completed two or more of these trainings will not be required to complete the full course of study approved by the Department to qualify for an SEI Endorsement. Instead, they will be able to qualify for the endorsement by completing a subset of the course that covers only the proposed new knowledge and practice standards that were not addressed by the category trainings they completed. (http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=6792).

Realizing that many teachers have completed some but not all of the three required courses, WMWP, a long-time provider of Category trainings for school districts in western Massachusetts, will be offering a “last chance” opportunity for teachers to fulfill the requirement before the program lapses.  The trainings will be offered in Holyoke, but they are open to teachers from all districts.  The cost per teacher is as follows:

Category 1 (2 days): $200     Category 2 (5 days): $450     Category 4B/4C (3 days): $300

 
To register for one of these trainings, click here. When registering, please indicate the specific category.

For inquiries about these courses, please contact the WMWP office at wmwp@english.umass.edu or 413-687-0910.

Enrollment is limited to 20 per course.  Graduate credit is available at additional cost.