News
Rahway High School Celebrates National Day on Writing
Rahway High School celebrates National Day on Writing. Organized by Kim Kiefer, KUWP Teacher Co-Director and Rahway School Coordinator, Rahway's National Day on Writing was recognized by the National Writing Project and NJ Today.
Kean Celebrates Third Annual Day on Writing
For the third consecutive year, Kean students, faculty and staff joined thousands of writers throughout the nation to celebrate the National Day on Writing. “We hosted two successful celebrations in honor of this important date in the past, but the third year was our best yet,” said Erica Holan, assistant to the director for the Kean University Writing Project, which helped to coordinate the event.
To highlight writing in its various forms, a series of seminars and workshops were held in the Maxine and Jack Lane Center for Academic Success. Click here for a full listing of the events held.
In The Writing Center, guests were invited to write a message on a wall of paper celebrating the art of expression through writing. Adjacent to the writing wall was a journal that told “a rolling story,” written one sentence at a time by each member of the Writing Center staff. Guests were welcomed to write their own unique sentence and continue the ongoing tale.
The celebration also extended online, as guests were invited to pick pieces of writing that personally matter to them and contribute them to the Kean University Writing Project Gallery, a part of the National Gallery of Writing. Hosted by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the national gallery celebrates composition in all its forms and demonstrates how integral writing has become to daily life in the 21st century.
What I love about the National Gallery of Writing is how accessible it is. The fact that everyone across the country can celebrate writing by posting to the gallery, any time, day or night, is fantastic! - Erica Holan
Holan added that she and curator Dr. Charles Nelson welcome writing submissions to the Kean University
Writing Gallery year round. In addition to traditional forms of writing, participants are encouraged to submit writing in any form, including, but not limited to, poems, stories, vignettes, song lyrics, recipes, six-word memoirs, letters, blog posts, audio and video recordings, and any other form of writing that appeals to them. “The possibilities are endless!” exclaimed Holan. “In the advent of new literacies and new technologies, text is taking on various forms that students may not even consider ‘writing.’ It's important to celebrate this change in ‘writing’ or ‘composing’ texts. The National Day on Writing celebrates texts in all its various forms.”
The National Day on Writing was sponsored by the departments of English, Education and Communication; the Office of the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs; Tenure Track Faculty Network, and the Center for Professional Development.
2012 Invitational Summer Institute
KUWP staff are currently planning the schedule and activities for the 2012 Invitational Summer Institute. Information on the program and the application process, including the application form and guidelines, will be available no later than December 1, 2011, on this website. Prior to that date, interested parties should contact Linda Best, Director, at lbest@kean.edu or (908 737 0377) for additional information and to be placed on the distribution list for applications when available.
3rd Annual National Day of Writing
The Kean University Writing Project (KUWP), in cooperation with the National Writing Project, and the National Council for the Teaching of English, held our 3rd Annual Day on Writing Celebration on Thursday, October 20, 2011. (For more information on the events, see our flyer.)
Lunch with Luis Rodriguez
On October 4, 2011, twenty-seven KUWP Teacher-Consultants, supporters from the external community, and KUWP staff enjoyed a visit with poet, writer, and activist Luis Rodriguez. Part of the University's Issues 2011 Series, the event coincided with the release of the author's newly-released provocative memoir, It Calls You Back: An Odyssey through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing. Participants enjoyed lunch with the author as well as his moving presentation about his life and work, and they each received a signed copy of the aforementioned work. (See the flyer on the event.)
On visiting Kean after New York City, Luis Rodriguez, on his blog, wrote:
"The next day, I traveled to Kean University in New Jersey to address more than 500 students, faculty, administrators, teachers in the National Writing Center, and community. What a great audience I had—they were engaged and their questions were right on."
Teachers Teaching Teachers Event: Unprecedented Participation and an Overwhelming Success!
On Saturday, April 2, 2011, the Kean University Writing Project hosted its first Annual Spring Professional Development event "Teachers Teaching Teachers: A Day of Conversations, Practices, Sharing, Readings, and Writing about Writing in the Classroom." More than 70 educational professionals came together to participate in workshops focusing on the intricacies of writing in the K-16 classroom setting. Kean University Writing Project teacher fellows Marie Meriton, Lisa Bottone, Pat Kranz, MonaRae Stokes, Pam Westry-Rodgers, Kim Kiefer, Kathy Bentley, and Sue Kenney hosted the eight interactive workshops offered to attendees. Participants were delighted with the selection of sessions offered, almost to a fault – "Please don’t make us choose next time! I want to attend them all!" Post-event praise ran high among participants: "[T]his past weekend [event] has truly inspired me…I even started to implement some of the techniques in my classroom [the following Monday] morning!" Teachers Teaching Teachers event organizer Mark Sutton adds with heartfelt thanks to all of Saturday’s participants, "I heard nothing but compliments on the quality of the sessions and the chances for people to talk. The day was a perfect representation of what NWP should be: teachers helping each other become better teachers. [The teachers] should all be proud of the part [they] played in that."
The Kean University Writing Project (KUWP) is a regional site of the National Writing Project (NWP), a federally funded organization that provides professional development services to teachers throughout the United States. There are over 200 sites in the NWP network. The Kean University Writing Project takes its mission seriously: To provide high quality professional development services, in accordance with the National Writing Project’s "teachers teaching teachers" model of inservice delivery. Teachers are the heart of this organization.
KUWP Director Linda Best on the inclusion of teacher fellows delivering workshops during professional development events such as the one held on April 2nd: "Teachers from the region who participate in KUWP programming are the future of this important site. Their outreach, both in the classroom and to colleagues, extends our mission, enhancing the teaching of writing and offering the promise of success for the diverse student populations we serve. In the short time since earning the status as an approved site of the National Writing Project, KUWP has distinguished itself—through the work of its teacher-consultants--both regionally and nationally in programming like the successful event they ran on April 2nd."
The Kean University Writing Project offers professional development to schools and districts year round. Teachers are invited to apply to the site’s Invitational Summer Institute (ISI), hosted annually in July. Participation in the ISI entitles graduates of the program to all the benefits of becoming a KUWP teacher fellow, including the opportunity to host workshops like those discussed above. For more information, call (908) 737-0377 or visit us at our website, www.kuwp.org.
Submit to the KUWP Literary Magazine
Kean University Writing Project is starting its own literary magazine. Please see the attached document regarding the kickoff of the Kean University Writing Project Literary Magazine!
A special thanks to 2008 fellow and Co-Director Kim Kiefer for her efforts with this endeavor!
Please note submissions are due to Kim no later than June 30, 2011. All submissions should be sent to gotkiefer@aol.com.
First Issue of KUWP's Newsletter is Here!
KUWP's first issue of its quarterly newsletter is here. Many thanks to Kathy Bentley and Natalia Galante in their efforts to bring our first issue out. And thanks, too, to our contributors!
Application Deadline for Summer Institute Extended
The deadline for applying to the Summer Institute has been extended to May 2, 2011. Click to get the application form.
April 2 Seminar Deadline Extended
The deadline for registering for the April 2 Seminar on Writing in the Classroom has been extended to March 29. Download the new registration form here.
April Seminar on Writing in the Classroom
On April 2, 2011, KUWP will hold a professional development seminar: "A Day of Conversations, Practices, Sharing, Readings, and Writing about Writing in the Classroom."
This seminar features the Teacher-Consultants of the Kean University Writing Project (KUWP) as they share the creative work they do in their classrooms, much of it inspired and refined through their experiences at the KUWP’s Invitational Summer Institute. Concurrent sessions will feature interactive displays of classroom practice, conversations across levels on pedagogical theory and research, orientation to the National Writing Project’s core values, and chances for attendees to create their own writing. All of these activities will provide opportunities for an intertwined and systematic examination of theory, research, and practice. Participants will have the chance to apply for this year’s Invitational Summer Institute on site.
Teachers, administrators, literacy coaches, and other types of educators from all levels and all subjects are welcome!
See the Registration Form and "Save the Date Info for Principals.
KUWP Newsletter Starting Up
Dear Friends and Colleagues of the KUWP,
I hope that this greeting finds you well. As always the KUWP remains dynamic. We are embarking on a new journey and hope you will join us. We will be creating a quarterly newsletter, which will be published on the 15th of March, June, September, and January. Its purpose will be to share what we are doing in our classrooms and schools and to have an opportunity to grow as authors by publishing our writing and sharing our successes.
These are proposed topics to be included in the newsletter. However it is meant to be ours, so if there is something that you would like to include, please do so. I hope that you will consider submitting an article or idea for one of the following sections of the newsletter:
- Classroom Connection – language arts based activities/innovations that you are implementing in your classroom or school; share what is working for you and for your students
- Writer’s Block – personal/professional writing of any genre that you would like to share; it could be something current or something that you are now ready to share
- Announcements – upcoming activities/events that KUWP fellows and friends may be interested in attending
- Reader’s Corner – share what you are reading; a literary critique of a book or article
- KUWP Link – talk about any programs that you have attended as a result of your participation with KUWP for example, conferences, workshops, or special events as a way of sharing what you learned
- Literary Resources – share information such as websites, programs, research, and technology that others may also find useful
All submissions are welcome. The deadline for submitting materials for the first issue will be Friday, February 25th. Please e-mail all submissions to katbentley@optonline.net. If you would like your name published with your submission, please indicate that along with your connection to the KUWP. If you would like to remain anonymous, let me know that as well, so that your name is not included.
The success of our newsletter depends on your participation. Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me with any questions or suggestions.
With best wishes for 2011,
Kathy Bentley
KUWP Fellow 2009
Wrapping Up a Semester of Professional Development
This semester, KUWP hosted workshops on professional development and writing, including:
- 2-day workshop on Expository Writing
- workshop: Responding to Student Writing and Open Forum
- workshop: Writing about the Self Analytically
- workshop: Round Robin Writing
Schools and districts interested in Professional Development programming should contact Linda Best (lbest@kean.edu, 908-737-0377).
KUWP & National Day on Writing Reported in The Cougar's Byte
Strawberry Gallagher reported on Kean University's celebration of the National Day on Writing on October 20, 2010, in The Cougar's Byte today. As she concluded,
"Writing has different forms, different formats and different purposes but has one common function, it brings people together. When we read quotations, novels, poetry and other forms of literature, society can relate and not feel as they are alone in their struggles of love, heart break, disappointment and despair. It has played several different roles in people's lives as well as throughout history. Dr. Best could not have put it better 'Everyone has something to say' and it needs to be said. The National Day of Writing not only embodies the purpose of writing but it gives people the opportunity to express how they feel liberally."
Franklin School Participates in National Day on Writing
New Jersey Today reports on Franklin School participating in the National Day on Writing. The students, grades 1-5, wrote about Benjamin Franklin and what it would be like for him to live in the 21st century.
Professional Development News
The Kean University Writing Project is currently delivering a year-long PD program at one high school in the region and ongoing PD planning/events to an additional local school as well as two regional districts. Schools and districts interested in PD programming should contact Linda Best (lbest@kean.edu, 908-737-0377).
Writer's Block: From Journalism to Broadcast to Academics
As part of the 2nd Annual National Day of Writing program, Dr. Scott McHugh hosts this audio program with Dr. Christopher Lynch, Professor Pat Winters-Lauro and Tower Managing Editor Rachael Rothspan. This 45-minute program looks at writer's block from various perspectives and discusses strageies and process involved in writing.
To listen, click on Writers Block!
2nd National Day of Writing
The Kean University Writing Project (KUWP), in cooperation with the National Writing Project, and the National Council for the Teaching of English, is holding its 2nd Annual National Day on Writing Celebration today.
Press Release
Teachers Head Back to School with New Tools to Teach Writing
Through Social Media, Teachers Connect and Continue Learning
For Immediate Release (Click to download)
Union, NJ, August 16, 2010 – As the 3,300 teachers who attended National Writing Project (NWP) professional development institutes this summer start school this fall, they will be returning with new ideas to help students improve their writing. They will also be better connected with colleagues—and therefore better equipped to teach their students how to write in this digital age.
Teacher-leaders from all grade levels and disciplines attended the professional development sessions held at the more than 200 university-based Writing Project sites across the country. Staying connected through online professional communities and using tools like Twitter, Facebook, Nings, and blogs, these teachers join the ranks of thousands of others who have participated in NWP's annual Invitational Summer Institutes over the past 36 years. Throughout the school year, teachers nationwide will be able to continue learning and sharing ideas and practices presented at the four-week summer sessions.
"Thousands of teachers will return to school this fall with more than their batteries recharged," said Dr. Sharon J. Washington, NWP Executive Director. "These educators have enhanced their knowledge of theory, research, and practice to help students become better writers and learners. They are also equipped with new ways to stay connected—and share ideas—with one another, so their professional development never stops."
After the Invitational Summer Institute (ISI), Writing Project teacher-leaders conduct workshops for other teachers in their communities. Early childhood to university educators come from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend the NWP Invitational Summer Institutes to enrich their teaching practices and learn various approaches for improving student writing and learning./p>
As part of its mission, National Writing Project supports the development and use of innovative approaches that are vital to teaching and learning in today's technological environment.
Jameelah Wright, a Kindergarten teacher at Wahlstrom Early Childhood Academy in East Orange, New Jersey and Kean University Writing Project (KUWP) 2010 teacher participant, shares: "Prior to my experience at the KUWP, I had never heard of [Prezi]. My use of [this online application] demonstrates my comfort with exploring new technologies and finding practical uses for them," regarding her exposure to new digital tools through the Writing Project ISI experience.
Kate Sullivan, a language arts teacher at Seagirt Elementary School in Seagirt, New Jersey, and fellow KUWP teacher participant, discusses the importance of personal technological skill growth: "Through my work in the institute I have developed a passion for exploring technology as an essential tool for instruction, and look forward to creating effective professional development opportunities for practical incorporation of digital tools in the classroom."
The National Writing Project (NWP) is a nationwide network of educators working together to improve the teaching of writing in the nation's schools and in other settings. NWP provides high-quality professional development programs to teachers in a variety of disciplines and at all levels, from early childhood through university. Through its network of more than 200 university-based sites located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, NWP develops the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers to help students become successful writers and learners. For more information, visit www.nwp.org.