University of California Riverside

Inland Area Writing Project

"Teachers Teaching Teachers"

 

 

Summer Institute Application

 

Rigor for All: Writing in Secondary Schools Training


University of California
Department of English
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, California 92521

(951) 827-3666 / (951) 827-6330 Fax

We are a university-based, teacher-centered professional development organization. The IAWP is a member of a state and national network of writing projects and has a history of proven success since 1975. By sharing expert practices, teachers develop a range of strategies to improve their own classrooms and those of other teachers.

Who we are:

John Briggs, Director: john.briggs@ucr.edu
Martha Plender, Co-Director: plndrps@aol.com
Ninetta Papadomichelaki, Lecturer:  roumpini@ucr.edu
Sharen Topham, Assistant/ English Department Liaison: sharen.topham@ucr.edu

Our Goals:

  • To assist all teachers, K-14, who are seeking to improve their students' writing
  • To assist those teachers to become better writers, in order to understand and appreciate the struggles and accomplishments of their own students.
  • To enable all students to become accomplished writers of English, including those with diverse second-language backgrounds as well as those struggling with one language.
  • To keep teachers informed and prepared in relation to State Standards in Writing.

Some of the services the IAWP provides are inservice programs, ELL training and teaching, and a number of other programs , Institutes and workshops that we host on the UC Riverside campus. Many of our programs can earn Continuing Education credits through UCR's Extension or the offices of Summer Session.

Inservice Opportunities

The IAWP is a large network of teacher-consultants with experience and knowledge to help schools and districts meet their goals.

A sampling of our available topics include:

  • Writing Assessment for State Standards
  • New Teacher Workshops
  • Managing the Curriculum
  • Special Workshops for Teachers of ELL Students
  • Preparing Students for academic writing on the college level

Fees for inservices are based on the number of teachers attending and the length of the programs scheduled.

Schools, districts and department chairs may contact Jean Bristol, Inservice Co-Director for more information.

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English Language Learners

The IAWP offers workshops specifically geared toward teachers of ELL. Districts and schools may also opt to host their own inservices to address ELL Teaching. Fees to schools and districts for inservices are based on the number of teachers and the length of the workshops.

Some of the topics covered in ELL workshops and inservices include:

  • vocabulary development
  • SDAIE techniques
  • literature circles across grade levels
  • writer's workshop
  • ELA-ELD standards and testing
  • student-led conferences
  • descriptive writing, analysis and application
  • portfolios
  • structured and formulaic writing
  • oral language activities to promote writing
  • museum walk and expressive poetry

For information about ELL inservices, please contact Rose Vilchez, ELL Co-Director.

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Our Events

Every year, the IAWP hosts several programs and workshops in addition to our hundreds of inservice and outreach programs. Some of the events we host are:

  • The Invitational Summer Institute - The Summer Invitational Institute is an intensive, 20-day workshop devoted to sharing and developing teachers' expertise in the teaching of writing at all levels, (K-14) and in all subjects and disciplines. In a university setting, participants have the opportunity to rediscover themselves as writers, as readers of research on the teaching of writing and as valued presenters of their own expertise to fellow teachers. The program is limited to 20 teachers who are selected based on an application and interview.

    The Invitational Summer Institute is held every summer, usually during the month of July. The application process starts in March of each year. The Institute grants up to eight units of 300-level graduate credit and the State of California privides stipends for teachers who complete the Institute. Workshop graduates become IAWP fellows and are encouraged to take part as paid teacher-consultants. The program is geared toward attracting proven leaders as well as teachers with a high potential for leadership.

  • Subject A / AWPE Outreach: University of California Analytical Writing Placement Exam (formerly the Subject A) - Each year consultants from UC Riverside visit high schools students' preparation for the UC AWP Exam. Classroom visitations are generally held from January to May each year. For more information, contact Martha Plender at the IAWP.

  • Palm Springs Art Museum programs - Students from the Inland Empire, Coachella Valley and Palm Springs areas are invited to the museum for writing tours and programs geared to inspire writing through art tailored to your specific curriculum requirements. Schools who want to participate in the museum programs must make arrangements through the IAWP office by contacting Dr. Martha Plender, Co-Director of the IAWP. Information about the museum and specific exhibits can be found on the museums web site at http://www.psmuseum.org/.

  • Writing Retreats - Held three times throughout the year, the IAWP Writing Retreats are geared toward IAWP Fellows (those who have gone through the Summer Invitational Institute). These retreats allow participants to focus on their own writing in a variety of areas: short stories, poetry, essays and other forms.

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Professional Development Programs: the SMP Philosophy

  1. Professional development programs should address long-term as well as short-term goals.
  2. They should address the needs and interests of teachers as well as administrators, while expanding the horizon of those concerns so that other topics related to the curriculum come into play.
  3. They should involve discussion of specific examples of students' work, and the goals that teachers, schools, and districts have for students' achievement.
  4. They should pay careful attention to the State Standards, and to the need to address those standards by means of a systemic approach to teaching.
  5. They should attract teachers by working with them to develop inservice programs, and by giving teachers the option to attend.
  6. They should build on good things already being done. They should recognize, encourage, and use the "best practices" of participating teachers.
  7. They should offer stipends or other incentives to participating teachers.
  8. They should "build capacity" by finding and cultivating teacher-leaders, and by developing programs that rely on those leaders to help in their own schools and in the district.
  9. They should attempt to build site teams, if necessary beginning with a pair of teachers, so that faculties begin to share and improve upon best practices on a routine basis.
  10. They should encourage various forms of self-assessment within individual classrooms, schools, and in the district itself. (See item 3.)
  11. They should offer ways for teachers to network with other professional development opportunities, especially the offerings of the Subject Matter Projects.
  12. They should take the long view. Good self-sustaining professional development programs take years to mature.

The goal of the IAWP programs and institutes is to develop strong teacher leaders. A Leadership Advisory Group, directed by Phyllis Dinwiddie, meets monthly to discuss ways to improve the services the IAWP offers and to develop programs to strengthen the leadership within the teaching community.

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Contact us at
plndrps@aol.com