Writing Our Futures Summer Institute 2023
The Literacy Center, in partnership with the Chippewa River Writing Project (CRWP), at Central Michigan University invites you to participate in a one-of-a-kind, intensive professional development experience. From June 26 to 30, teachers who apply to and are accepted for our CMU Literacy Center 2023 Summer Institute will meet on CMU’s campus each day to practice the art of writing, participate in writing groups, and share their teaching practices with a group of supportive colleagues.
Over the course of the week, participants will learn a variety of strategies for integrating writing into their classroom instruction. Thus, we seek a diverse cohort of applicants including new, early-career, mid-career, and veteran K-12 teachers from schools that are rural, suburban, and urban, and who demonstrate the capacity for literacy leadership in their own schools, districts, and communities.
Led by CMU faculty Dr. Chad Waldron (Director of the CMU Literacy Center), Dr. Meghan Block (Co-Director of the CMU Literacy Center) and Dr. Troy Hicks (Director of the Chippewa River Writing Project), as well as CRWP teacher leaders Megan Kowalski, Jenny Sanford, and Andy Schoenborn, the institute will consist of multiple teaching demonstrations that bring best practices in the teaching of writing to life.
In addition to a stipend of $500 upon successful completion of the summer institute, we will provide dorm housing and up to 13 meals for those traveling more than 50 miles from Mount Pleasant and, for those closer, will provide parking, mileage reimbursement, and a dorm cafeteria lunch each day.
Details
Who: Fifteen K-12 teachers
What: a 36-hour, intensive professional learning experience
When: Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30, 2023: 9:00 to 5:00 each day, M-Th, 9:00 to 4:00 on Friday
Where: On CMU’s campus in Mount Pleasant (exact building and room, TBD)
How: in-person, full-day workshop model to immerse you in your own writing and to explore best practices in the teaching of writing, K-12. Teaching demonstrations will include:
- Narrative Writing for the Digital Age
- Teaching Tinkering: Encouraging Students to Engage in the Art of Revision
- Poems as Pathways for Reluctant Writers
Why: with the generous support of an anonymous benefactor, the Literacy Center is able to fully sponsor 15 teachers with all expenses paid as well as a $500 stipend.
Since this is a competitive program, to apply, we will ask you for your contact info, some demographic information about your school, and a brief essay (400-500 words) in which we ask that you respond to the following:
- Describe yourself as a writer and teacher of writing. What kinds of personal and professional writing would you like to do during the summer institute?
- Explain an approach to teaching writing that you want to think about with others (one you have tried already or are planning to pursue). How would your experience in our Summer Institute help you improve this practice in your classroom and then share it with other teachers in your school or district?
Chippewa River Writing Project Summer Institute Summer 2021
For 2021, as educators continue to integrate reading and writing into all forms of remote learning — and grapple with the emotional aspects of teaching under current conditions — the Chippewa River Writing Project is offering a two-week, 36-hour intensive professional development experience from June 21 to July 2, 2021.
Through whole- and small-group Zoom sessions as well as innovative asynchronous activities that will model best practices for teaching reading and writing in face-to-face, hybrid, or fully remote settings, we welcome 30 teachers to gain insights on best practices for remote learning.
We will engage in daily, synchronous work from 9:00 AM to 12:15 PM EST on weekdays (30 hours), with additional opportunities scheduled at your convenience in an asynchronous format (6 hours).
The CRWP Summer Institute was one of the most beneficial and impactful PDs that I have ever had the privilege of attending. The teaching demos presented by facilitators each day were highly engaging, consisted of a variety of online tools, and could be modified for any grade level or subject area. I highly recommend this PD for any teacher that is looking for a meaningful experience that will have a positive impact on their classroom practice.
Lyndsay Young, North Branch Elementary School
Teachers who participate in the Chippewa River Writing Project summer 2021 institute each day will meet online in Zoom (or similar platform) and will receive 36 SCECHs or 3 graduate credits (EDU 508) for successful completion of the summer institute and additional course requirements.
With the generous support of the National Education Association Foundation, twenty (20) educators will be provided with a scholarship to attend. The scholarship application period has now closed, though we are still welcoming a few more colleagues to attend.
Questions? Please contact Troy Hicks at <troy.hicks@cmich.edu>.
As of May 31, 2021, we have slots for seven (7) more educators to join us this summer!
Early registration for the event is $250, and SCECH costs will be included in the fee; additional tuition fees for EDU 508 will be billed at the CMU PD rate of $475 per credit hour. If eligible, participants can use tuition refunds offered by CMU’s department of Teacher Education and Professional Development.
- Registration opened on May 15, 2021.
- Registration cost, before June 4: $250
- Registration cost, June 5 to June 17: $300
- Registration closes at 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, June 17.
- Registrants who need to cancel, and request to do so before Monday, June 14, 2021 at midnight EST will be refunded, minus a $25 processing fee.
- After June 14, registrations can be transferred to another educator, but no refunds will be offered.
Please contact our director, Troy Hicks, with questions that you might have about CRWP summer institute opportunities.
As a site of the National Writing Project, the Chippewa River Writing Project adheres to a model of “teachers teaching teachers” and invites you to join us summer institutes that will engage you as a writer and teacher of writing.
I gained a network of colleagues and friends… a group in which I feel very comfortable and hope to share many years of writing, collaboration, and learning together.
Building and sharing with a network of colleagues, and learning new technologies and teaching strategies have inspired me to re-think my current situation and approach teaching from new perspectives.
Previous Summer Institutes
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|---|---|
| 2009 Invitational Summer Institute | 2010 Invitational Summer Institute |
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| 2011 Invitational Summer Institute | 2013 Invitational Summer Institute |
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| 2015 Summer Leadership Institute | 2017 Invitational Leadership Institute Hosted by Cadillac Area Public Schools |
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| 2018 Summer Leadership Institute Hosted by Mt. Pleasant Public Schools | 2020 Remote Literacy Learning Institute |
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