NVWP offers a range of courses as well as consultant services that will design and coordinate individual training programs for educational groups.
The NVWP Summer Institute (English 699/Education 600)
This is a five-week intensive program for selected teachers from Northern Virginia who wish to become NVWP Teacher/Consultants. Participating teachers earn six graduate credits from George Mason University. Learn more here.
Writing and Learning Across the Curriculum (English/Education 695)
The purpose of this course is to assist teachers in improving student writing and in the use of writing to learn. Several class sessions consist of presentations by Northern Virginia Writing Project Teacher Consultants that focus on specific aspects of writing to learn. By the end of the course, participants have experienced a number of successful teaching methods that they are able to use in their classrooms.
Individual sections of 695 often have a specific focus. In addition to the “regular” English 695 (Writing to Learn/Writing Across the Curriculum), we offer sections focused on Technology and Writing, Creative Writing, Special Populations (designed for educators interested in working with students with special needs), and The Teaching of Literature (offered summers only, in Fairfax County only).
Theories of Composition (English/Education 697)
This is a course that includes the latest theories of composition instruction and enables participants to develop their own theory of writing instruction. Participants study and make personal connection with educational theory.
Research in Writing: A Teacher-Researcher Seminar (English/Education 696 and 697)
English/Education 696 is designed to acquaint classroom teachers with current research on composing and methods of studying writing in school settings. This course focuses on each participant developing a proposal to study some aspect of composing and on conducting the research. Findings are included in an in-house publication at the end of the course. Three graduate credits in either English or Education. Prerequisite: A course in the teaching of writing, including but not restricted to English 615, English/Education 695, or the NVWP Summer Institute. The intent of the prerequisite is to enable teachers to conduct research on principles they have already been introduced to in a teaching of writing course. Teachers with questions about the course or the prerequisite should contact the NVWP office.
English/Education 697 is a teacher-researcher seminar designed to acquaint teachers with current research methodology in language and learning. Participants in the seminar read research, conduct studies in their classrooms, and write reports of their findings. The seminar is a 3-credit year-long course of study.