The Writing Workshop at Teachers College

The Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College is a well-known program and the creator of The Reading and Writing Workshop , a curriculum for the teaching of reading and writing. Many people possess strong opinions about the efficacy of the Workshop model, both positive and negative. Schools around the country have adopted the program and adhere to it strictly, while others use elements of the program as part of a larger curricular model.

This is a review of The August Writing Institute, the goal of which is to instruct teachers how to carry out the workshop model in their classrooms. The attendance fee for the workshop is $650, which was paid for by the school where I work. Our school does not currently use the Workshop model, however, we were interested in learning more about it.

Overall, I found the Writing Institute to be extremely valuable as a vehicle for learning student-centered techniques for the teaching of writing. The Institute was divided up into several parts. There were keynote speakers on each day, usually famous children's authors, a morning writer's workshop for adults, and an afternoon lectures on specific elements of the workshop format. There were also optional workshops at lunch and in the afternoon which focused on topics like Writing Partnerships and Essay Writing.

Over the course of the five day workshop, I learned many new techniques for the teaching of writing that I can use in my classroom even though we don't adhere to the workshop model. The additional workshops with focused topics were especially helpful, but the quality of presenters was strong across the board. As of right now, I can't be sure how all of these new techniques will play out in my classroom this year, but I know that I am very excited to find out!

http://rwproject.tc.columbia.edu/