Teachers taking the time to teach teachers to teach

Their students might have been out of school for the summer, but for 15 local teachers, there… Their students might have been out of school for the summer, but for 15 local teachers, there was still a lot to learn.

As participants in Pitt’s Western Pennsylvania Writing Project invitational summer institute, a regional branch of the National Writing Project, the teachers focused on learning how to improve their students’ writing abilities.

Every summer, the WPWP recruits a class of teachers from the Western Pennsylvania area to take part in the program. From July 7 to Aug. 1, teachers of all grade levels studied and practiced various writing styles, including poetry, opinions and professional writing, with the hope that by improving their own skills, they can improve their students’ writing.

‘We subscribe to two principles,’ said Don Bialostosky, the co-director of the summer institute and a professor of English at Pitt. ‘Teachers who write are the best teachers of writing, and the best teachers of teachers are teachers.’

The teachers learned about writing across the curriculum, peer editing and writing with a voice. Guest visits from writers like poet Lois Williams and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman allowed participants to learn from professional writers firsthand.

‘It was an intense five weeks,’ said Tamara Goldbogen, a participant in the summer institute and a professor in Pitt’s theater department.

‘I had the chance to meet and develop a relationship with all these classroom teachers across Western Pennsylvania and got an understanding of the challenges they’re facing.’

Upon completion of the summer invitational, WPWP fellows have the opportunity to take part in other professional development projects. One such project is a week-long program called ‘Teaching Writing in the Era of No Child Left Behind,’ designed to help instructors with teaching in an atmosphere of high-stakes testing.

‘Once you go through it [the summer institute], you then become part of this family,’ said Goldbogen. ‘They have events, retreats and opportunities to continue to share work.’

During the second and last day of the invitational, the participants took part in a ‘writing marathon’ in which they walked throughout Oakland to write and share their work with one another. In so doing, teachers were able to learn from one another and better develop their individual writing abilities.

‘All you say after a reading is thanks, there’s no critique,’ said Bialostosky. ‘It’s astonishing what a powerful community-building program that is.’