TCWP
School and District-Based Professional Development Program
Assumptions that Support TCWP Professional
Development Programs
Crucial to the success of TCWP School-Based
Professional Development Programs are the following assumptions:
1. Teachers are the best teachers of other
teachers. Successful practicing teachers have a credibility unmatched by
outside consultants or packets of teacher-proof materials.
2. Real change in classroom practice happens
over time. Effective professional development programs are ongoing
and systematic, brining teachers together regularly throughout their careers
to test and evaluate the best practices of other teachers and the continuing
developments in the field.
3. What is known about the teaching of
writing comes not only from research but also from the practice of those
who teach writing.
4. The university and the schools must
work together as partners. The ìtop-downî tradition of past university-school
programs is no longer acceptable as a professional development model.
In-service Workshop Series
Throughout the academic year TCWP Teacher
Consultants conduct professional development workshops in school- and district-sponsored
programs. Each series is tailored to meet the needs of the teachers in
the district involved.
Working from a firm belief in the power
of classroom-tested knowledge, the Third Coast Writing Project chooses
as consultants successful practicing teachers who have participated in
the Invitational Summer Institute on the campus of Western Michigan University.
TCWP Teacher Consultants work with teachers in all subject areas, sharing
best practices and working with teachers on their own writing.
TCWP Teacher Consultants present interactive
workshop sessions that feature practical classroom strategies, demonstration
and modeling, writing experiences for participants, discussion about why
the strategies are recommended, and practical classroom-focused handout
materials. Workshop series address a variety of needs, such as
-
Using writing to think and learn in all content
areas;
-
Using MEAP Writing test tasks to strengthen
curriculum;
-
Establishing classroom writing workshops;
-
Making teacher-student and peer writing conferences
work;
-
Strategies for teaching revision;
-
Meeting the diverse needs of individual students;
and
-
Linking writing, reading, and literature.
Consultant for a Day
Consultations can be scheduled to address
the individual needs and interests of teachers at particular grade levels
or teachers of a particular content area. The Teacher Consultant for a
day works individually and/or in small groups with teachersóusually as
they are available during their planning timeóto address issues and concerns
identified by the teachers.
Demonstration Sessions
For each session, a Teacher Consultant
presents a classroom demonstration lesson, while the teacher or a group
of teachers observe, followed by a debriefing session for reflection, discussion,
and collaborative coaching.
On-Site Writing Institute
TCWP Teacher Consultants and/or Co-Directors
provide a one- or two-week long institute (4-6 hours a day) that includes
presentations about writing, teaching demonstrations, writing, response
groups, and discussion of ìhot issuesî related to writing and the teaching
of writing. (Institute participants can earn WMU graduate credit.) This
program can be designed to include a Camp for Young Writers that takes
place half-days during a second and/or third week.
For more information about TCWPís Professional
Development Programs, contact the Director at 269-387-2581 or ellen.brinkley@wmich.edu.
Campus-Based Conferences
Occasionally TCWP offers a one-day conference
that features a special speaker and/or a specific topic. ìWhat Writing
Can Teachî was the theme of a recent day-long event that featured firsthand
descriptions of school-wide programs focused on writing and concurrent
workshop sessions led by TCWP Teacher Consultants.
Teacher as Writer Summer Workshop
The Teacher as Writer Summer Workshop
is a two-week program that provides time for writing, writing response,
discussion about writing and the teaching of writing, and submission of
writing for publication. This workshop is led by TCWP Teacher Consultants
and/or Co-Directors. (Participants can earn WMU graduate credit.)
Digital Storytelling Institute
With the support of additional external
funding, TCWP has been able to offer a Digital Storytelling Institute for
the past two years. We will seek funds to offer the program again in the
summer of 2003. The Digital Storytelling Institute is an intensive week-long
event during which small teams of teachers produce digital stories and
learn the process of digital storytelling. Participants then take the product
and teaching applications back to the students with whom they work.
TCWP Continuity and
Leadership Programs
Informal Events
TCWP Teacher Consultants seek out a range
of follow-up options once they conclude their participation as Invitational
Summer Institute Fellows. Sometimes they decide to meet monthly on Sunday
afternoons for potluck, writing and sharing writing, and just talk as they
develop lifelong professional friendships. Sometimes they meet at a local
bar or restaurant for periodic TGIF sessions. Sometimes they meet to plan
a conference session they will lead at the National Writing Project Annual
Meeting, the Michigan Council of Teachers of English, or other group. Sometimes
they meet to develop a grant proposal for a project they want to carry
out. TCWP Directors often ìinviteî Teacher Consultants to consider new
TCWP and NWP opportunities, but more often than not, the new ideas emerge
from talk among Teacher Consultants.
TCWP Newsletter
In addition to the programs described
above, TCWP publishes a newsletter at roughly quarterly intervals. For
more information, contact the editors, Pen Campbell at pcampbel@remc11.k12.mi.us
or Dan Holt at dholt@remc11.k12.mi.us.
TCWP Continuity Events
Each year TCWP Directors and Teacher Consultants
meet occasionally to learn from an invited speaker or workshop presenter
or from each other. Some groups have met for weekend reunion retreats,
a practice that TCWP plans to continue.
