Last spring, I participated in the Alaska State Writing Consortium Virtual Open. 

Reading the professional articles, studying the course text, Because Writing Matters, responding to classmates’ work via the class blog, and flexing my writing muscles on our class Ning, built my confidence, skills and knowledge as a writer and as a teacher of writing.  Here’s how I’ve shared my new abilities:

* Doing classroom demonstration writing lessons for teachers and professional development for classroom literacy leaders. (I am a Literacy Training Instructional Specialist.)

* Co-teaching a class during the Alaska teacher’s 2010 summer academy which focused on encouraging teachers to use mentor texts to teach writing. 

* Teaching a demonstration lesson about mentor texts to the students in last summer’s ASWC ISI.

* Participating in the Elementary/Secondary Language Arts Curriculum Committee – meeting and dialoguing with fellow teachers about language arts in our district.

* Joining the NWP leader site and becoming a member of the Southcentral Satellite committee.

* Organizing a book study based on Regie Routman’s book, Writing Essentials, for university credit. 

*Teaching a graduate level class based on the writing process and using mentor texts to teach the traits of writing. 

I list all of this to emphasize the tremendous impact that excellent writing training can have on a single individual, who can then turn around and use her new knowledge and skills to positively impact others within her sphere of influence.  None of this would have happened without the National Writing Project.  NWP is practical, hands on, professional development that has a direct correlation to improving teacher quality and increasing student learning.

--Lisa Weight
Alaska Writing Consortium

 

 
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