The Summer Institute

The Summer Institute will meet Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM, June 10–July 2, 2008, at USC Aiken. Participants should plan to spend time outside of the daily sessions reading and writing.

Graduate Credit: Teachers participating in the Institute will enroll in six hours of graduate credit in Educational Technology (AETE 760: Issues in Writing, K-12). Teachers who are accepted into the Institute will have their tuition costs covered. A one time matriculation fee of $25.00 will be required for teachers who have not taken courses at USC Aiken prior to the Institute.

Applications: Applications can be filled out here. (pdf-requires Adobe Acrobat) Completed applications are due to the Aiken Writing Project Office at 471 University Parkway, USCA, Aiken, SC 29801 by March 28, 2008. Interviews of selected applicants will be held March 31, 2007, and invitations to participate will be issued by mid April. A pre-Institute Workshop will be held on May 17, 2008.

Criteria for Selection: Attendance at the Summer Institute is limited by invitation. Those selected will demonstrate successful classroom teaching, commitment to using writing in the classroom, desire and ability to teach other teachers, openness to new ideas and approaches to teaching, willingness to write. During the Institute, each participant will present a demonstration of an approach to the teaching of writing, one which has proven successful in the classroom. An applicant should have in mind proven classroom activities that can be developed into a demonstration for participants in the Summer Institute.

After the Institute: School-year in-service and faculty development programs are offered through the Aiken Writing Project. Area schools in the Consolidated Aiken Public School District can schedule workshops and demonstrations which model successful approaches to teaching writing or sponsor study groups of current pedagogical research. Teachers who are certified as Teacher / Consultants in the Summer Institute will make presentations at local schools. Follow up meetings are held several times during the academic year to bring Institute participants together for continued professional development and to plan Writing Project programs and activities.