This course is designed for educators who have done exemplary work in their district and have a passion for sharing what they have learned with other educators, either in Oakland County or in other parts of the country. Writers must come as part of a team. Teams might be comprised of all teachers or educators from various roles. Teams of two to four work best. The kind of “work” I could write about Think about what work you have done that you want to share with others. So far, Oakland writers have written about a technology conference for teachers, standards-based grading in a middle school, leadership skills of administrators, critical literacy, classroom demonstration/observations, and more.

Why should you write?
You may start out believing that you are writing about your work only to share it with others. But, as you struggle to describe that work to others, you will learn even more about the work you have done. Because you will write with a colleague, you can anticipate rich conversations and expanded learning through those discussions.

Time Involved
While this is a three-day course, in between each session teams should plan to spend 10-12 hours with their team outside of the workshop setting. 
 
Participants’ Success
So far, there has been a great deal of success! Of the 16 participant teams over the last three years, five of them have had articles accepted and published.

“Adopt, Adapt, Improve,” by Melina Chynoweth, Joy Gruits, Ginnie Holloway, and Katy Hughes, Principal Leadership, October 2008.

“Sing the Write Song: Collaborating to Bring Systemic Change in Writing,” by Mary Cooper, Connie Dye, Marianne Malarkey, and Jennifer Michos, Language Arts Journal of Michigan, Volume 25, Issue 1 Multiliteracies and Writing

“A Strong Commitment to Student Success,” by Lora E. Stout, Carol-Lyn McKelvey, and Susan Matz, Middle Ground, April 2010.

“Eight Steps to Meaningful Grading,” by Heather Deddeh, Erin Main, and Sharon Ratzlaff Fulkerson, Phi Delta Kappan, April 2010.

“Host Your Own Tech Conference,” by Pam Shoemaker, Mark Hess, Lynn Dunn, Barb Ozminkowski, and Jen Phillips, Learning & Leading with Technology, September/October 2010.