Prep Session Dates

Hi everyone!

It was good to hear from each of you. I recieved confirmation from Nancy this evening and have finalized to prep sessions.

You only need to come to one session. If you need follow up for any reason, I am available. Come to the session that best suits your schedule. The Saturday session is shortened to mirror the timing of the Tuesday session. Any necessary handouts will be given at that time. Please feel free to bring a working draft of your handout if you have started. You may also want to bring a copy of your inquiry as a reference.

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, January 11th from 4:30 - 6:30pm (bring a snack or bag dinner)
Saturday, January 15th from 9 - 11am (BYO coffee and breakfast)

Until then, here are some things to think about... (Think "book talk"...that was your dry run!)

OBJECTIVE:
30 minute presentation describing your question, process, and outcomes of your inquiry project. Your presentation needs to include a writing activity and a USEABLE, one page handout.

• What are the most important moments of your inquiry process?
• How can your research help other educators in any content or grade level?
• What tangible examples do you have of your work? Student writing, quotes, photo or video documents?

Best Practices Prep

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had a relaxing and wonderful winter break. I wanted to make sure you had a bit of space in between handing in your inquiry and starting the discussion of Best Practices. However, the conference will come quickly and it is better to be prepared sooner rather than later.

With that in mind, I would like to offer some time to meet and discuss your presentations. This meeting is optional, but highly recommended. I will offer a week night slot and a Saturday morning time to try and make attendance suitable for everyone involved. Please e-mail with your preference on which date and time you would like to attend. I am also available for individual sessions if you are unable to attend any of the above times. Just let me know in advance. Once I hear from each of you, I will send a confirmation e-mail with exact dates, times, and place. I will also need to confirm this information with Nancy prior to meeting.

Here are your choices (pick one or two best times):
Saturdays - 1/15 or 1/22 from 9-noon
Tuesdays - 1/11 or 1/18 from 4:30 - 6:30
Wednesdays - 1/12 or 1/19 from 4: 30 -6:30

The conference date is Saturday, January 29th at the Holiday Inn Conference center in Fogelsville. There will also be another blog entry discussing the specifics of your presentation this week. The most important thought to keep in mind is that you are presenting at a professional conference. Attendees want useful, pertinent information that they can take back to their classrooms and USE on Monday morning.

Please respond quickly so we can get things rolling! I look forward to seeing all of you and preparing for your debut as Writing Project Fellows!

The Final Countdown!

I'm a music teacher, what can I say I think of everything in song titles. Hence, this song keeps running through my mind as I think of all of you hurriedly writing your inquiry papers. With that in mind, I'll try to keep this short and sweet.

A few reminders as you write...

1. Your paper must be in APA format. Check out www.Purdueowl.com for helpful hints.
2. Keep the rubric near you as you write. It will help guide your thinking for each section. Keep it to the 25-50-25 ratio (i.e. 10 pages = 2.5pgs. section 1 + 5pgs. section 2 + 2.5pgs. section 3)
3. Don't shortchange the third and final section. You've done all of this fabulous research, tell the reader where it will take you next. What ramifications do your findings hold?
4. The paper is due NO LATER than FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10! You may mail it, deliver it to Nancy @ Penn State Lehigh Valley, or send it to Nancy electronically. If you decide to use e-mail, make sure your appendix pages are scanned clearly.
5. Last but not least, this is a paper telling of your research. Make sure you write in the narrative mode. Add your personal voice and style. Make your student's voices heard. This is not your typical research paper.

Enjoy the process of finishing. You have traveled a distance through your inquiry process. Revel in the joy of putting it all on paper for an audience to read. Also, please feel free to e-mail or call if you need anything. I'm available to read portions or drafts of your work. I'm happy to do so...that's why I'm here (not just to blog you all reminders).

Happy writing!

Digging for Treasure

Our LVWP site team has just returned from NWP's Annual Meeting and we are JAZZED! We return renewed and re-energized with ideas, action plans, and ways to re-vision.

I thought about all of you often as you are heading towards the finish line of your inquiry process and getting ready to publish. One of my sessions, Inquiry as a Political Act, offered a quote from Renee Moore author of Going Public with Our Teaching. She likens the process of inquiry to "digging for buried treasure in our own back yard." Consider this. You are diving in, dusting off years of prior sediment, gathering treasure right in your own classroom.

Hopefully you have uncovered several fabulous nuggets and, perhaps, inquiry paper writing has begun. Maybe you are setting some time aside during the upcoming holiday weekend to sift through some of your findings and start compiling your treasure map that has lead you to this point. Regardless, it is time for action!

Your due date is upcoming and it will sneak up behind you if you don't take purposeful steps towards completing your inquiry paper. Take time to look at the rubric so you are able to start/continue thinking within those three categories. Sift through your data and, certainly, begin to WRITE!

I would like to offer a time(s) to meet so you are able to write and confer with each other. This time could also be used to troubleshoot and work through the process and proportioning of your paper (25/50/25). Although it is not necessary that I am present, I would love to be with you through this time. I am available in the evenings and on Saturdays (mornings are better). Please let me know if the Lehigh Valley Mall area or the Center Valley Promenade Shops would be a better meeting place. This time is available to one or many. (I will have to plan ahead for childcare, so the sooner I know the better...just in case.)

This is not mandatory. It is offered to help block out time to write and work as a team. Just think, digging for treasure is rarely accomplished without a team effort!

Fall Follow Up

Hello to you all!

I have added your addresses to the blog post. As a team, we are truly hoping you use this "spot" to contact one another and post questions, dilemmas, and possible impromptu meetings. We realize you all are being pulled in many directions. However, we want to do everything possible to support you in the final months of your inquiry.

Speaking of support...

Don't forget to gather your goodies for the Fall Follow-up Meeting. We look forward to seeing each of you bright and early (8:30 - 11:30) on Saturday morning. You'll have time to talk, share, listen, and problem solve together to launch you into the next steps of your project.

Have a great week's end! See you Saturday!

September is nigh

It seems hard to believe but we are now halfway through August and the excitement for back-to-school is growing. I know I'm feeling it as I prepare my upcoming syllabus and look through old assignments thinking about new techniques that will freshen up and breath new life into my course. Then there is the inquiry...

Have I made an adjustment to my course requirements to include blogging? Yes. Have I researched different blog techniques to make it more interactive? No. Have I contacted the Tech department at KU to gain their support and make sure I can connect at home or in the classroom? Nope! The time is NIGH!!

As the school year approaches, it becomes important to tidy up some odds and ends of the inquiry process while time may still be more of a luxury rather than a tornado of to-do lists and lesson plans.

• Take some time to do a bit more research and sure up your process.
• Talk to your principal now, before the school year takes up his/her time.
• Talk to your team/department during the opening day meetings. You may even want to share your experience with your faculty at a meeting. You never know who will be an advocate to your process...this opens the door.
• Revise your proposal so it is ready for an audience. Give it to your principal(s), team, etc.
• Create any survey, letters home, or release forms that you may need. You can always go back and tweak them if necessary, but at least they will be mostly complete.
• Make sure to schedule in "study time" during the week. It should be like an appointment that can't be missed! This will help you stay on track and keep you from getting overwhelmed.

Enjoy the last few days of summer. Go out for ice cream...go for a hike...enjoy a beverage in a comfortable chair on a lazy afternoon...then get ready to get down to business! See you in September...

A Sincere Thanks and a BIG TIP

I wanted to be sure to thank all of you for a fabulous Summer Institute experience. I look forward to working with you throughout the fall and seeing how each of your questions reveal themselves and progress.

Don't forget to keep doing some research and planning as August moves forward. Also, take a look a the flow chart that Jan Gebhart (Inquiry panelist) gave you. It has tons of fantastic advice to keep you honest and make things easier.

BIG TIP: As you research, keep an MLA list of each of your resources AND keep the MLA listing as a heading to your notes from this resource specifically. List all page numbers with direct quotes for easy credit when you write your paper. Actually, I keep page numbers with each bullet in my notes so I can find it easily later.