The National Writing Project in Alaska ASWC Invitational Institute 2008

May 3, 2008 Orientation
July 14-August 1, 2008

For Classroom Teachers of All Subjects

—Elementary through College—
Interested in Improving Writing

APPLICATIONS

Fifteen outstanding teachers will be selected to attend the Alaska State Writing Consortium  (ASWC) 2008 Invitational Summer Institute to be held at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks campus this summer.  Teachers of all subject areas and of all levels of instruction--kindergarten through university--interested in helping students become better writers or incorporating more writing across the curriculum are welcome to apply. One purpose of this institute is to prepare and support teacher leaders who will return to their districts and lead professional development workshops and/or credit courses.

As part of the National Writing Project, ASWC’s Invitational Institute endeavors to:

• Provide teachers, administrators, and curriculum specialists a setting in which they can demonstrate their own best practices in teaching writing;
• Assist teachers as they broaden and deepen their knowledge and skills through study of writing theory and practice;
• Nurture teacher growth by offering an opportunity to commit intensely and reflectively to the process of writing.  Special focus on teacher as writer and peer review;
• Identify and prepare a corps of Teacher-Consultants who can effectively teach approaches to writing instruction to teachers in their home districts and throughout the state; and
• Collaborate and share with other teachers as part of the Alaska State Writing Consortium professional learning community.

COLLEGE CREDIT   

The Summer Institute is divided into three parts:  Participants will enroll in a five graduate credit course beginning with an introductory meeting on Saturday, May 3, 2008, and followed by three weeks on the UAF campus July 14- August 1.   An optional, one-credit course will be held in the fall of 2008.    Sessions will meet from 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. on the days indicated. 

SCHOLARSHIPS

To help offset the cost of the Institute, ASWC is providing ten  $1000 scholarships to the 15 teachers selected from ASWC member districts. This will cover tuition and some miscellaneous expenses. Five $500 housing scholarships will be awarded to teachers living too far away from Fairbanks to commute.  In addition, a limited number of travel scholarships will be available for the May orientation.

Please note:  Scholarship recipients will be required to pay tuition (approximately $300) for summer school enrollment at UAF (it may be placed on a credit card) and will receive their $1000 scholarship shortly after successful completion of the institute.

DEADLINE

Completed applications must be postmarked by February 29, 2008.  Send to Dorothy Gray, ASWC Program Coordinator, 51910 Arness Rd., Kenai, AK  99611.A mini-portfolio (contents described below) and three letters of recommendation must be submitted with application.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION: 
The successful candidates will possess these qualifications:

1. A complete mini-portfolio submitted on or before Saturday, February 29, 2008.
2. A minimum of two years of teaching experience.
3. Basic knowledge of the writing process and six traits.
4. Previous enrollment in an ASWC Open Institute or the equivalent in another state.
5. Outstanding teacher record as evidenced by three letters of recommendation.
6. Strong commitment to growth in writing instruction.
7. A willingness to develop a formal presentation on topics related to writing instruction and to share those presentations with other participants at in-service workshops.
8. A willingness to do the writing, research, and reflection that will be asked of all participants during the Summer Institute.                              
9. Demonstrable success as teachers of writing and promise as equally successful teachers of other teachers.             
10. A willingness to be an active participant in the Alaska State Writing Consortium and its  professional and in-service programs.
11. Above all, a strong and open approach to professional collaboration and sharing of ideas.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews for selected applicants are scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 2008.  Applicants will be notified of interview times by March 7.  If you live in the Fairbanks area, please bring student samples of your teaching to the interview.  If you have a teacher’s portfolio, bring that as well.   If you live outside the Fairbanks area, we will schedule a phone interview.  You may mail or fax samples prior to that interview time for the selection team to review.  Please remember to student confidentiality issues by removing all names.

EXPECTATIONS OF FELLOWS AT THE INSTITUTE

Teachers who are selected as fellows will present a pre-approved, pre-planned individual demonstration, participate in teacher research and teacher writing, and reflect on their roles as teacher and writer during the institute.  Expectations will include 100% attendance, including being on time.  A detailed syllabus will be emailed prior to the May 3 orientation meeting.

DATES FOR THE 2008 ASWC SUMMER INSTITUTE

February 29            Applications due either electronically or postmarked by April 3.

March 7                  Notification of applicants of interview times                       

March 15                Interviews

March 20                Notification of acceptance

Saturday, May 3      Orientation meeting, 9 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Fairbanks

July 14-August 1     ASWC Invitational Summer Institute on UAF campus

October 2008          Optional one-credit follow-up course

DEMONSTRATIONS

At the May orientation meeting, sample demonstrations will be shown to give participants an idea of the type of lesson they can present at the summer session.  During the summer session, each participant will present a demonstration of an approach to the teaching of writing, one which has proven successful in his or her own classroom.  An applicant should have in mind some proven classroom activities that could be developed into a demonstration for participants in the Invitational Institute.  

AFTER THE SUMMER INSTITUTE

Once a teacher has successfully completed the ASWC Invitational Institute, he or she becomes an ASWC Fellow and as such is entitled and encouraged to join the state-wide professional learning community by attending follow-up courses, meetings, and future institutes or workshops.   ASWC Fellows are often facilitators of school year staff development programs offered through the Alaska State Writing Consortium.

OPTIONAL ONE-CREDIT FOLLOW UP COURSE

      ASWC will offer a one-credit follow up course during the fall semester 2008.   This course will    provide fellows with an opportunity to report back on the success of their fall presentations, work in their collaborative study groups, publish their final piece of writing, and reflect upon the entire institute.

     

THE NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT (NWP)

       ASWC is an affiliate of the National Writing Project, a collaborative university-school staff development program to improve the teaching and learning of writing in the nation's classrooms.  Begun in 1973 as the Bay Area Writing Project at the University of California at Berkeley, the National Writing Project has grown into an international network of projects reaching approximately 83,000 teachers a year in summer institutes alone.

FUNDING and SUPPORT

ASWC is supported in part by the University of Alaska-Southeast, the University of Alaska-Anchorage, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and the following school districts: Anchorage, Bering Strait, Bristol Bay, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Hoonah, Juneau, Ketchikan Gateway, Lake & Peninsula, Lower Kuskokwim, Lower Yukon, Matanuska-Susitna, Petersburg, Skagway, Southeast Island, Unalaska, and Yukon Koyukuk. 

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, please contact:

Dorothy Gray, ASWC Program Coordinator; dorothygray@alaskastatewritingconsortium.org   907-776-5220

Ann McKay Bryson, ASWC Board Director;
bryson_ann@asdk12.org; 907-742-4164

 

	Alaska State Writing Consortium 1108 F Street Juneau, Alaska 99801 (907) 796-6045 aswc@acsalaska.net