Fairfax, Virginia, September 7, 2012—Looking to become better educators and school leaders, twenty-eight teachers attended the Northern Virginia Writing Project’s Invitational Summer Institute this past summer. The ISI is the first step in joining a nationwide K-university professional network focused on improving the teaching of writing and learning in the digital age. Upon returning to the classroom, this new group of NVWP Teacher Consultants arrives equipped with a multitude of tools, strategies, and ideas gleaned from four weeks of learning together with Writing Project colleagues.
NVWP Invitational Summer Institute class of 2012
Paul Rogers, director of the Northern Virginia Writing Project at George Mason University, led the institute along with veteran educators Dahlia Constantine, Jennifer Orr, and NVWP Co-Director Kim Sloan. “Working with this group of amazing teachers has been a tremendous learning experience for everyone involved,” stated Rogers. “These teacher leaders are the real experts in education. They know what works and what doesn’t, and sharing that hard-earned knowledge with peers is truly the most powerful form of professional development.”
With support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program, George Mason University, and other local funders, teachers from across grade levels and disciplines attended the 2012 ISI. This new group of Teacher Consultants joins the 825 teacher leaders who have completed the Invitational Summer Institute in NVWP’s 35-year history.
Following the completion of the institute, the teachers continue to collaborate and stay involved with the teachers they have met through the Writing Project by participating in writing workshops, conferences, and renewal meetings, as well as by engaging in social media and web communities. Additionally, these newly minted Teacher Consultants (TCs) join the thousands of teachers across the United States who have participated in Summer Institutes with the National Writing Project (nwp.org). All of the NVWP Teacher Consultants throughout the region will continue to share their best thinking and practices, develop resources to address college and career-ready standards, and make the use of digital technology a central part of teaching writing in their 21st-century classrooms.
The mission of the Northern Virginia Writing Project (NVWP) is to improve writing instruction, writing practice, and learning at all educational levels; to develop teacher leaders across the disciplines and elevate their professional standing; and to provide support for young writers and their families. For more information, visit www.nvwp.org.
Introducing the Newest NVWP Teacher Consultants!
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Marissa Mack, NVWP Communications Director
703-993-1168
mmack@gmu.edu
