Arkansas Delta Writing Project completes its first Summer Writing Institute July 2

June 29, 2009 -- The Arkansas Delta Writing Project will complete its first Summer Writing Institute for Teachers on Thursday, July 2. The four-week summer institute is being held at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro in the Department of Teacher Education.

Fourteen teachers from northeast Arkansas have devoted this portion of their summer vacation to study the latest research and effective classroom practices for teaching writing. More than 200 National Writing Project (NWP) sites on college campuses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have done the same.

The fourteen educators chosen received a fellowship for graduate credit at ASU-Jonesboro, free books, and a new network of friends and colleagues through the National Writing Project. The participants experienced technology sessions presented by ASU-Jonesboro faculty experts, process-based writing demonstrations, theory about learning and writing, anthology preparation, a writing marathon event, journaling and sharing time, and strategies for writing across the curriculum. Central to the writing institute were the educators’ own demonstration lessons based upon their expertise and their classroom experiences.

A recognition and recruitment “drop-in” event will be held on Thursday, July 2, in the Spring River Room on the 3rd floor of ASU’s Student Union, from 1-3 p.m. The catered event will feature the achievements of the summer writing fellows and the recruitment of the Arkansas Delta Writing Project (ADWP) fellows for the summer of 2010.

The 2009 ADWP fellows are: April Wright, Erica Sockwell, Sharon Brown, Angela Johns, Angela Garcia, Claire Coppola, Carmen White, Lori McKenzie, Millard Cover, LaTwayla Knowlton, Mary Raynor, Trina Walls, and Carolyn Ponce. Directors of the Arkansas Delta Writing Project at ASU-Jonesboro are Dr. Dixie Keyes and LaToshia Woods. Educators in all content areas, from kindergarten to college, are invited to apply for the summer institute.

"Teachers who attend NWP summer institutes return to their classrooms with new strategies for teaching writing and with experience using digital tools," said Sharon J. Washington, NWP Executive Director. "Eighty percent of Americans believe there is a greater need now than 20 years ago for a person to be able to write well in order to succeed. Summer institutes are one of many writing project programs that address this need."

The National Writing Project is the most significant coordinated effort to improve writing in America. NWP sites, located on more than 200 university and college campuses, serve over 135,000 participants annually. NWP continues to add new sites each year with the goal of placing the writing project within reach of every teacher in America. Through its professional development model, NWP develops the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers to help students become successful writers and learners.

National research studies confirm significant gains in writing performance among students whose teachers participate in NWP programs. For more information, visit the Arkansas Delta Writing Project online at http://www2.astate.edu/cpi/adwp/, or contact Dr. Dixie Keyes (dkeyes@astate.edu) at (870) 680-8065.
           

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