Nebraska Writing Project teacher consultants are available for professional development inservice programs and embedded institutes. Teacher consultants will design programs based on the needs of the individual school. Most programs involve the sharing of effective best practices from the teacher consultant’s own classroom, connected to the target goals of the host school.
To set up consultation about inservice programs or embedded institutes at your school, contact:
Dr. Rachel Shah, Director, Nebraska Writing Project
rshah@unl.edu
Key Elements of NeWP Inservice Programs:
- Basic cost is $100/hour/NeWP teacher consultant.
- Most programs need to be conducted after school or during the evening.
- Basic program assumes one NeWP teacher consultant for every 12 participants (teachers, para-educators, counselors, or administrators).
- Nebraska Writing Project will match the host school with teacher consultants in the network with demonstrated expertise in the target writing objective.
Past one hour inservices have covered such topics as poetry writing for secondary students, digital storytelling based on community interviews, scaffolding personal narrative writing for 4th grade, and inquiry writing across the curriculum. With over 1200 active, experienced teachers in the Nebraska Writing Project network, we have many areas of writing expertise to share.
Key Elements of NeWP Embedded Institutes
Embedded Institutes bring the work of Nebraska Writing Project Institutes into a school or school district during the academic year. Participants immerse themselves in their own writing, in sharing of best practices, and in professional inquiry about the teaching of writing while they are actively involved in teaching their own classes. Key elements include:
- 45 contact hours during the academic year, split between weekly small writing group meetings and monthly/bi-monthly whole institute meetings
- Up to 20 participants per institute
- A facilitation team of experienced NeWP leaders
- Each Embedded Institute is designed, in consultation with the host school/district, to provide individualized, targeted writing focus
- Professional inquiry designed in consultation with leaders at the host school to address that school or school district's particular goals
- Possibility of 3 UNL graduate credits for participants
Experienced Professionals
The Nebraska Writing Project institutes are taught by a team of Teacher Facilitators selected for their expertise and experience in one of Nebraska's several institutes. Facilitators will present practical strategies that have been utilized in their classrooms.
Hosting an Embedded Service
To host an Embedded Institute, your school or school district will need to cover the following costs. Most host schools use a mix of grant funds and local foundation funds.
- Stipends of for up to 20 participants (to help ofset the cost of 3 UNL graduate credits)
- Facilitator fees for two facilitators
- Travel expenses for facilitators
- Books for participants
- In-kind provision of a meeting room, photocopy access, and computer access during the institute.