ORONO – Outstanding educators from across the state will gather at the University of Maine next week to learn ways to help other instructors, as well as students, to make writing an exciting, enjoyable undertaking rather than a task to be avoided. The occasion is the annual Summer Invitational Institute of the Maine Writing Project, which is producing a growing force of highly trained writing instructors for Maine students and other teachers.

One highlight of the summer institute will be a visit by top officials of the National Writing Project, which supports teachers in Maine and across the country in their efforts to improve students’ reading and writing. Each summer National Writing Project leaders select one university campus for a personal visit. At UMaine, they will discuss the teaching and learning of writing with the 18 institute participants and learn about the Maine Writing Project digital storytelling project. Working with National Writing Project funding, six Maine educators around the state have been developing curriculum and providing professional development for other teachers in digital storytelling techniques.

The national leaders are enthusiastic about the ways teachers interact and encourage one another to promote improved writing by all students.

“This process has created an energy and enthusiasm among teachers that has made it possible, as never before, for teachers to be recognized as leaders and expert professionals,” said Richard Sterling, executive director of the National Writing Project, who will visit the institute next week.

The Maine Writing Project was established within the college of education and human development in 1998, as an affiliate of the National Writing Project. Today, the national project has nearly 200 affiliated sites across the country, comprising a grassroots initiative based on a model of teachers teaching teachers.

Participants for the institute are selected on the basis of their success as teachers and their potential as effective writing instructors. Once they have completed the program, the educators become teacher-consultants of both the Maine Writing Project and the National Writing Project. As teacher-consultants, they advise and instruct other educators about strategies to improve student writing. The Summer Invitational Institute and other efforts of the project are geared toward improving student writing and better teaching of writing across the curriculum.

“Better writing is crucial to learning in all subject areas, not just English,” said Richard Kent, assistant professor of literacy education and director of the Maine Writing Project.

Institute participants are teachers at all levels – kindergarten through post-secondary – in all curriculum areas.

The growing group of Maine Writing Project teacher-consultants is a valuable statewide resource. In addition to teaching, its members also take leadership roles in planning and conducting a variety of educational opportunities, including professional development conferences, institutes on relevant topics and Young Authors’ camps. The project also organizes a statewide conference in the fall highlighting a score of innovative kindergarten to grade 12 practices across the curriculum.