ISI 2015 - Meadow Brook Writing Project

Summer Institute: Teacher Camp 2021

This summer, we will be offering a brand new, invigorating, and fun method of professional development for writing teachers. Our teacher camp will be held at the historic Meadow Brook Hall for five half days over the course of one week. If interested, the camp will count toward Teacher Consultant Certification from MBWP (.25).

Starting in 2022, interested participants will have the opportunity to complete their Teacher Consultant certification from MBWP. They can complete it by earning a minimum of .25 each summer, or can complete it all in one summer.

Who can register for the 2021 Teacher Camp?

Any active or retired writing teachers of grades K-16. Certified Teacher Consultants are welcome to register as materials will be new, and new and interested teachers are invited to participate and begin to earn certification as a Teacher Consultant.

What can one expect from Teacher Camp?

The camp will be a combination of lively interaction and discussion, fun and thought-provoking writing prompts, innovative readings, and group sharing of writing and teaching ideas, as well as exclusive tours of the historic Meadow Brook Hall. You can earn 15 SCECH.

Where will the camp meet?

Meadow Brook Hall

When does the camp take place?

The camp runs from August 12-16, from 9am-1pm each day

How much does the camp cost?

$300. MBWP is available to approach districts and schools on behalf of participants to help get the registration fee covered by their institution.

Pre-register for Teacher Camp.

Contact Christina Hall with any additional questions or concerns.

The MBWP is part of the National Writing Project, a network of over 200 sites nationwide dedicated to improving writing, literacy and teaching in schools, K through 16.

The institute provides a community of teachers with an opportunity to support each other with innovative ideas and practices to take back to classrooms. Participants in the Meadow Brook Writing Project Summer Institute join an existing network that will continue to influence teaching and learning long into the future.

Watch Kathleen and Mary discuss the Invitational Summer Institute

Each participant:

develops a demonstration project to share with colleagues;
practices writing freely in various personal and professional modes;
reflects on his or her own writing and teaching practices;
participates in a reading inquiry group;
develops critical skills as teachers, theorists and writers;
promotes conversation about writing across grade levels and disciplines;
prepares for a leadership role as a consultant and counselor to other teachers.

Philosophy

The Meadow Brook Writing Project does not advocate any set formulas, pre-packaged plans or quick-fix remedies. Our philosophy includes the following points:

Teachers are the key to improving education, and the best teachers of teachers are other teachers.
Knowledge about teaching writing results from an interaction between theory and practice.
Meaningful change happens over time.
Teachers of writing must write.
The teaching, learning and practice of writing are vital to a democratic society.

The institute is limited to 18 participants, including teachers representing a broad demographic spectrum and across grade levels. We also welcome teachers outside language arts who encourage writing-to-learn in their subjects. The cost of each institute session is $300.00 for 75 clock hours (SCECHs).

Leaders

Daily leadership is provided by Mary Cox and Kathleen Reddy-Butkovich. Cox, co-director of the Meadow Brook Writing Project, taught at Renaissance High School in Detroit, where her students routinely scored well above the state average on the MEAP. She is a fellow of the former Detroit Writing Project and has occupied leadership roles in the state and national councils of teachers of English. Reddy-Butkovich, also a co-director of the MBWP, is the former Curriculum Coordinator for English Language Arts and Social Studies at Plymouth-Canton Community Schools and is a past fellow of the Meadow Brook Writing Project 2001 Summer Invitational Institute.

The director of professional development of the Meadow Brook Writing Project and instructor of record for the summer institute is Christina Hall in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric at Oakland University.

More Information

For information regarding MBWP or course content and responsibilities, contact Mary Cox at (313) 824-4778(313) or cissycox@aol.com, or Kathleen Reddy Butkovich at (248) 540-7963 or kreddyb@aol.com. For information regarding registration contact Christina Hall at chall@oakland.edu.

Marshall Kitchens, Director
Meadow Brook Writing Project
Oakland University
Rochester, MI 48309-4401