The Virgin Islands Writing Project (VIWP) is celebrating its
10th anniversary with its 10th Summer Institute from June 20 to
July 13 at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas and
St. Croix. Approximately 26 teachers in the Territory will be given
the unique opportunity to participate in the Summer Institute,
which instructs teachers on new strategies to improve their
students' writing skills, the latest research and effective
classroom practices. With funding support from the National Writing
Project (NWP), the Virgin Islands Department of Education and UVI,
local teachers will be joining 3,000 others across the country who
will use this out-of-school time to expand their knowledge and
understanding of how best to teach writing.
Of the 26 teachers participating, 10 will be on St. Thomas and 16
on St. Croix. Participating teachers are from the following
schools:
• Alexander Henderson Elementary
• Charles H. Emmanuel Elementary
• Charlotte Amalie High
• Elena Christian Junior High
• Eulalie Rivera Elementary
• Evelyn M. Williams Elementary
• Gladys Abraham Elementary
• Ivanna Eudora Kean High
• John H. Woodson Junior High
• Lew Muckle Elementary
• St. Croix Career and Technical Education Complex
• St. Croix Educational Complex
The 26 teachers will increase the VIWP's number of teacher
consultants - teachers trained to teach writing - to 150. At the
end of the summer, these teachers will join a national network of
teachers who will continue their learning about the teaching of
writing through Connect, NWP's social networking and online
learning space, as well as through face-to-face learning
opportunities.
"Our teachers will share the unique opportunity of interacting with
teachers of all disciplines as they learn how to teach writing in
all subjects," said VIWP Director Dr. Valerie Combie. "They will
work in reading groups and writing groups, honing their skills and
sharing their writing. In essence, the Summer Institute will
provide the time and space for teachers to enhance their reading
and writing as they prepare to re-enter the classroom in the fall,"
Dr. Combie concluded.
Located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and co-directed by local university
faculty and classroom teachers, the NWP institutes offer teachers
the opportunity to study the latest research on teaching writing
and sharing knowledge, expertise, and effective classroom practices
with one another.
"We grow our teachers and allow them to experience as much as we
can to meet their potential," said Dr. Tonya Perry, director of Red
Mountain Writing Project at the University of Alabama at
Birmingham.
"Thousands of teachers will return to school this fall with a
renewed focus on the teaching of writing," said Dr. Sharon J.
Washington, NWP executive director. "These K-university educators
will enhance their knowledge of theory, research and practice to
help students become better writers and learners. As NWP teacher
leaders, they will also be better equipped to support their
colleagues as they prepare students to write in all disciplines to
meet college and career-ready standards."
National research studies have shown that professional development
programs designed and delivered by NWP sites have a positive effect
on the writing achievement of students across grade levels, schools
and contexts. To learn more about this study, visit http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3208.
For more information on the Virgin Islands Writing Project call Dr.
Valerie Combie at (340) 692-4126, send e-mail to vcombie@live.uvi.edu or visit the
VIWP home page here.