local educators participate in
capital area writing project
Raleigh, NC – August 6, 2009—Local teachers from across North Carolina recently took part in the North Carolina State University’s 26th Annual Capital Area Writing Project (CAWP). This summer institute assists teachers in all subject areas and at all levels, from kindergarten through college, in improving their skills in teaching writing and in using writing to enhance learning.
The Capital Area Writing Project is one of three such programs in North Carolina allied with the National Writing Project (NWP) in an ongoing effort to improve the teaching of writing in the public schools. Throughout the CAWP Institute, participants write, critique, learn successful classroom techniques, and participate in presentations that support and illustrate various strategies associated with the teaching of writing. The teachers are also introduced to ways to integrate new technologies into their teaching.
“Writing teachers must write themselves in order to value writing, to understand students’ writing problems, and to enhance their own writing skills,” says CAWP Director, Dr. Ruie Pritchard.
During the institute, participants review professional research and current trends in composition instruction and evaluation. Each participating teacher designs an implementation plan for incorporating what they learned into their individual school settings and sharing their knowledge in professional forums.
“We can learn so much from each other. Even after completing my master's degree, I continue to work with the College of Education through the Capital Area Writing Project to ensure that I not only continue to grow, but contribute to the growth of my professional colleagues,” says Paige Elliott, CAWP Teacher Consultant.
CAWP is a part of the National Writing Project founded at the University of California at Berkeley. Validated by numerous research studies, the NWP has proven to be a most effective staff development model for teachers, both in terms of its impact on students and its impact on the confidence and expertise of professional educators. The teachers become valuable resources in their institutions and school districts, helping with staff development and curriculum design involving composition.
CAWP 2009 participants represented five North Carolina counties. 2009 CAWP was facilitated by Dr. Ruie J. Pritchard, Director of CAWP and professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at N.C. State, Dr. Ron Honeycutt, an English Language Arts teacher at Dillard Drive Middle School and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at N. C. State, and Ms. Paige Elliott, 2008-2009 North Carolina Regional Teacher of the Year, 2007-2008 Wake County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, and English teacher at Fuquay-Varina High School. The CAWP Institute featured an emphasis on New Literacies. Ronnie Davie, former CAWP Fellow, served as a visiting scholar and presenter from Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand. Dr. Donna Morrow from Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Ms. Megan Poole, from Turner Creek Elementary School in Raleigh, served as Technology Facilitators. Both are CAWP veterans and alumni of the College of Education.
2009 Capital Area Writing Project Fellows
Julie Abdella WCPSS Central Office, Wake County Public School System |
Karen Baker Burden Holly Springs High School, Wake County Public School System |
Paulette Campbell Carnage GT Magnet Middle School, Wake County Public School System |
Wendy Dierk Penny Rd. Elementary School, Wake County Public School System |
Jessica Greene Brogden Middle School, Durham Public Schools |
Melissa Hamm Pittsboro Elementary, Chatham County Schools |
Cathy Horne WCPSS Central Office, Wake County Public School System |
Darius Horton Horton Middle School, Chatham County Schools |
Justine LaMantia Sherwood Githens Middle School, Durham Public Schools |
Leigh Ann Lane E. Wake School of Arts, Ed. & Global Studies, Wake County Public School System |
Heather Lowry WCPSS Central Office, Wake County Public School System |
Richard Matkins Needham B. Broughton High School, Wake County Public School System |
Amy Kay Nickerson Holly Springs High School, Wake County Public School System |
Margaret Price Wiley International Magnet Elem. School, Wake County Public School System |
Tanya Watson NCSU graduate student, New Orleans Jefferson Parrish |
Catherine E. Wiggs Gray’s Creek High School, Cumberland County |
