In the summer of 2012, I was a fellow in the Eastern Michigan Writing Project (EMWP) Invitational Summer Institute. The Institute emphasizes three roles of teacher fellows: Teacher as Writer, Teacher as Consultant, and Teacher as Researcher. This portfolio contains artifacts I have created that fulfill each of those roles. For more information about what we did on a daily basis, please see one of the YouTube videos below.
Reflections
One of my core beliefs about teaching and learning is that reflection is essential. The Eastern Michigan Writing Project agrees with me on that, and as a result, I have written an essay reflecting on my Summer Institute experience. It is attached below.
The Three Components of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project
The writing project helps teachers develop three important parts of their teaching identities. Those are: Teacher as Writer, Teacher as Consultant, and Teacher as Researcher.
Teacher as Writer
I am currently working on a fantasy novel, and I did a lot of writing toward that during the summer institute. The first draft of this novel is now finished, and I am working on revisions. Here is the excerpt that I included in the anthology we created.
Teacher as Consultant
Teachers in the EMWP Invitational Summer Institute are also consultants for professional development. We start by giving demonstrations to our colleagues in the institute on a lesson we use in our classrooms, which is what I’m doing in the picture below.
During the Summer Institute, we also develop a plan for professional development that we can bring back to our school in the fall. The links to my demonstration lesson and my professional development proposal can be found here:
Brushstrokes Demonstration Lesson
The Five Basic Brushstrokes Handouts
Professional Development Proposal for 2012
Teacher as Researcher
The third component of the EMWP Invitational Summer Institute is Teacher Research. I have written up a research proposal about using mentor texts in my 9th grade writing competency class.
I did not actually have the chance to implement this research, as the classes I taught changed in the fall. However, I learned a great deal about conducting research in the classroom and I did eventually conduct research on using writing circles in the classroom in the next year.