2010 CDWP Invitational Summer Institute

Click here to apply

The CDWP Invitational Summer Institute is an intensive professional experience through which participating teachers immerse themselves in their own writing and in the study of writing instruction. Successful teachers from throughout the Capital Region come together for four weeks on the campus of the State University of New York at Albany to explore strategies for teaching students at all grade levels to write well and for enhancing student learning in general. Teachers work on their own writing, study current research and theory, share teaching strategies, and learn about writing and teaching from visiting experts in the field.

Teachers who participate in the Summer Institute receive a stipend of $1,000 and earn 150 hours toward required professional development. They also have opportunities to consult with schools in the Capital Region and to engage in a variety of regional and national professional development activities. They become part of a vibrant community of committed and supportive educators from throughout the Capital Region and also have opportunities to interact with educators on a national level.

Pre-Institute Weekend Retreat
The Summer Institute includes a Pre-Institute Weekend Retreat at the Rensselaerville Retreat Center, which will be held on May 14-15, 2010. The retreat allows the summer institute participants to get to know one another, share writing, and begin the work they will do together during the main summer institute.

Main Summer Institute
Participants in the institute will meet daily, June 28-July 22, 2010, Monday through Thursday, with mornings devoted to whole-group meetings for discussion, teacher presentations of writing lessons, and guest speakers, and afternoons dedicated to writing and inquiry groups. Fridays are generally reserved for writing time. The CDWP Summer Institute is has three main components designed to help teachers work collaboratively: writing groups, inquiry groups, and teacher demonstrations.

Writing Groups
Institute participants meet regularly in groups of three or four to share and discuss their own writing. The writing groups provide participants with sustained attention to their writing in a community of peers; they provide ample opportunity for reflection on the teachers' experiences as writers.

Inquiry Groups
Institute participants also meet regularly in response groups to engage in sustained inquiry into a selected topic related to writing and teaching. Inquiry groups offer teachers the opportunity for focused discussion of the topics and readings selected for the whole group and brought to the group by guest speakers. The work of these groups culminates in a collaborative inquiry project on the group's chosen topic that is presented to the entire summer institute.

Demonstration Lessons
Each participant has the opportunity to share a writing lesson developed from his or her own teaching situation and interests. During these presentations, teachers discuss what lessons imply about the theory and practice of teaching writing and how those implications play out with classes at other levels and with students of varying backgrounds.

Guest Speakers
Each summer three or fours guest speakers visit the Summer Institute to make a presentation on a timely issue related to teaching writing and to interact with Summer Institute participants. In the past guest speakers have included respected scholars and researchers as well as former Summer Institute participants. These presentations offer participants the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge theory and research in teaching and writing.

Monthly Meetings
During the school year following the Summer Institute, participants will come together for monthly meetings that will build upon their summer work and facilitate their continued inquiry into writing and teaching writing. These meetings are intended to provide ongoing support for participants' own writing as well as for their efforts to develop their own writing pedagogies. Participants also have opportunities at these meetings to help plan CDWP events and inservice programs.

Applications should be submitted to CDWP before April 15, 2010. For more information about application requirements and deadlines, email CDWP at cdwp@albany.edu, or contact:
Dr. Robert Yagelski 442-5002
Carol Forman-Pemberton 399-7545
Alicia Wein 453-0025

Click here for a brochure from last year's 2009 Summer Institute.
(The brochure is in the Adobe PDF format. A free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, a browser add-on necessary for viewing the document, can be downloaded at the Adobe Website.)