University of Central Arkansas

The following handbook of the Summer Institute, written by GBWP Co-Director and ’04 Teacher-Consultant Mike Rush, will provide more information on this annual summer event, the heart of our writing project and the gateway to its treasures.

The Great Bear Writing Project Invitational Summer Institute Handbook

By the end of the 120-hour Institute, grant-supported Fellows will have had the opportunity to write creatively and practically on a variety of topics, examine the effectiveness of their teaching, and develop skills in conducting workshops for other teachers. Running Monday through Friday, the daily schedule of the Institute devotes morning sessions to writing and teaching presentations and demonstrations. Two afternoons each week are given over to discussion of writing by the Fellows in editing/response groups. Other afternoons will feature Teacher-Consultants (Fellows who have completed the Summer Institute in a past year), guest speakers, and topics of special interest. Each Fellow will deliver one presentation based on a successful teaching plan.

Summer Institutes conducted across the country at NWP sites follow a basic format. The four weeks are intended to be refreshing, enriching, and fun. However, the Summer Institute is also a class, sponsored by a host university offering six graduate level credits. Finally, the SI is an effective program of staff development.

Although the Summer Institute is many things, it can be summarized as a multi-faceted opportunity. Participants are invited to develop or discover a writing voice and to see themselves as writers; to take a leadership role in staff development; to read and synthesize professional literature; to develop and “practice” a workshop with a view toward presentation in schools; to create a portfolio of writings; and to acquire lasting friendships with like-minded educators from sister schools in Central Arkansas. This opportunity concludes with the invitation to take an integral role in the National Writing Project through participation in the ongoing activities of the Great Bear Writing Project site, as well as events offered at the national level.

In an effort to provide answers to routine questions, this handbook has been developed for participants who seek detailed information when preparing for specific elements of the Summer Institute. It is not intended to provide answers to all questions or to replace valuable interaction between participants and members of the site’s leadership team. The handbook is offered as a means for enhancing each Fellow's Summer Institute experience. Participants are invited to seek clarification and further explanation from any member of the leadership team.

The Workshop

The founding principal of the National Writing Project is that teachers are the experts of their craft and have the most to offer other teachers. The central purpose in the National Writing Project’s fostering of Summer Institutes across the country is that teachers demonstrate their best practices for other teachers; therefore, participant workshops are the heart of the Summer Institute. Workshops are also referred to as demonstrations and presentations since those terms also describe the workshop experience.

A member of the site’s leadership team is paired with each participant to serve as a coach. It is essential that participants meet early with coaches so that valuable time is not lost on an idea that won’t be appropriate for presentation. From topic to post-workshop self-reflective evaluation, coaches are an excellent resource for all phases of workshop development.

Participants develop three valuable types of materials in preparation for the workshop. The first of these materials is the abstract; the document which reflects the workshop’s topic, purpose, and components. A time table is include detailing allotted minutes for each activity. The abstract not only guides the participant through the presentation of the workshop, it is a valuable tool in the hands of the teachers to whom the workshop is presented. Teachers taking the teaching practice back to their classrooms need a concrete formula adaptable to the individual setting in which they teach. Included in the abstract are resources such as books or web sites that can provide further information or ideas for using the writing practice in the classroom.

Second are the materials teachers need to participate in the workshop. These are the handouts the teacher would give students when using this writing practice in the classroom. The last material needed is the workshop evaluation. This is a valuable tool in the presenter’s hand as it allows participants to shed light on ways and areas in which the workshop can be more valuable in future presentations.

Participant workshops do not begin until after the first week of the Institute during which time several workshops will be presented by guests. These are valuable workshops, not only because of their “tried and true” topics, but also as examples of appropriate materials and overall presentation.

Writing

On each of the four Mondays of the Institute, participants turn in a piece of writing. Participants submit one copy each for the director and co-directors (a photocopier is provided for this and all other Institute related copying). The first three writings can be of any genre and length; however, participants are encouraged to explore different genres for each submission. The final piece is a collaborative exploratory paper: the writing groups each explore a question about writing and teaching writing and develop a piece that helps to answer the question and suggest further opportunities for investigating what they were unable to definitively answer. The paper should contain references, similar to those that appear in professional journals.

Author’s Chair

The last thirty minutes of each day are set aside to allow participants an opportunity read their writing in large group. These readings may come from the daily warm-up, writing in response to workshop prompts, one of the required writing pieces or any other original work. Author’s Chair is an important time for new writers to discover and develop writing voices. Participants are expected to contribute to an atmosphere which invites tentative writers to share their work and receive positive feedback.

Poster Presentations (Introduction of Summer Reading Books)

On the first day of the Institute, participants choose a book, from those provided, to own and take with them from the Institute. Participants read the book during the first three weeks of the Institute and make a presentation poster in an afternoon session during the last week. The presentation of the book is a five minute commercial, as opposed to a book report. The purpose of the presentation is to convey the purpose and audience of the book. An intriguing quote can be offered to motivate participants to read the selected work.

Institute Portfolio

The Summer Institute concludes with a portfolio party. Participants are given time to read each other’s portfolios and leave words of praise or recognition spread throughout using sticky notes. There are no requirements for the portfolio; it can contain writing done during and before the Institute. Postings to the e-anthology can be printed and included. The purpose of the portfolio party is to allow each participant to leave the Institute with a portfolio filled with positive comments from fellow participants.

Writing Groups

Throughout the Institute, participants will meet in randomly created small groups for the purpose of reading and commenting on original works. Participants are expected to bring drafts or revised works to the two writing group meetings each week. The writing group is an excellent opportunity to receive constructive comments for revision on pieces such as the required writings, especially the collaborative paper, before submission to the Institute or the e-Anthology.

Reading Groups

Participants are grouped by the grade levels they teach to meet in reading groups. Several articles are provided.  Reading groups will choose one to present to participants in the last week of the Institute. Presentations do not have a standard format; reading groups are encouraged to use creative methods for expressing the content and value of the article.

E-Anthology

The National Writing Project offers Fellows at all sites an opportunity to post writings for review and comments by Fellows and Teacher-Consultants across the country. The e-Anthology is accessed at the NWP website. Participants should come prepared to post a piece to the e-Anthology on the first day. That piece could be the required writing also due on the first day.

All-Day Writing Marathon

On one of the days of the Institute, usually the second Friday, participants meet at an off campus location, such as downtown Conway or Little Rock and traverse the area with their notebooks, telling all  who ask what they are doing, “I’m a writer.”  Periodically, they stop to write what they observe, sharing writings in small groups. The marathon concludes in the early afternoon when participants meet at a pre-determined location to share the events and writings of the day. Included in the batch of articles on the first day is “The New Orleans Writing Marathon,” by Richard Louth, the founder of the writing marathon concept. Participants read this article before the marathon to become familiar with marathon history, and practice.