Senator Gordon Smith
United States Senate
404 Russell Bldg
Washington D.C. 20510
Attn: Steve Wymer Legislative Assistant
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing in support of continuing funding of the National Writing Project. Started at the University of California at Berkeley 22 years ago, the project has grown to every state, some with multiple sites. The project was established as a means for teachers to gain writing skills of their own and to improve the teaching and learning of writing in their classrooms.
The model of the project can be described as a writer's workshop, a cooperative and sharing learning environment with presentations, extensive writing exercises and educational strategies (e.g., technology). Participants at the Summer Institute study the recursive mode of writing, a process of writing that includes pre-writing activities, drafting, peer editing and publishing. One presentation to the group is required of each workshop attendee. This gives each a chance to practice teaching and learn new strategies for effective writing instruction from colleagues. Book reviews on writing and written language instruction, a web review, and four papers are assigned and posted on an NWP/OWP (Oregon Writer's Project) blog.The use of technology in the teaching of writing is emphasized and provides workshop participants an opportunity to stay current with the changing face of technology in schools.
I attended the OWP Summer Institute in 2001 and returned summer, 2006. I am a special education teacher at Springfield High School in Springfield, Oregon. The OWP has provided me with materials, skills, resources and colleagues to work with toward the common goal of improving our teaching of writing and improving our students' skills in written language. The benefit of taking the workshop twice has been multi-fold. I have been exposed to 40 models of the effective teaching of writing from educators of all specialties, content areas and grade levels. Though I am currently working in a high school, the advantages of knowing what others teach in lower grades provides a great deal of useful information regarding the learning background of my students. The elementary and intermediate teachers benefit from knowing what high school teachers expect, and teach, regarding writing skills. I have also benefited from my second OWP in that my own writing skills have improved. With all the intensive writing exercises completed, I have gained fluency and confidence. Without NWP/OWP, I would not have had the opportunity to gain skills and valuable knowledge and skills.
The importance of continuing education for teachers is crucial. Not only do states and school districts require professional development, the nature of teaching, and its' tools, continue to change. Use of technology has grown dramatically and continues to change yearly. When I first started teaching in the late 1980s, e-mail was not yet in use in my employing school district. Students, in some cases, know more about the use of technology than teachers. OWP/NWP provides the perfect opportunity for teachers to gain skills and knowledge to best teach their students. The teaching of writing can be taught effectively using technology. Particularly spell check, blogs, internet resources and computer word processing skills are used by students. The OWP/NWP Summer Institute offers a forum for teachers to develop, expand and share technological skills with each other.The importance of being an adequate writer in our world cannot be overemphasized. The NWP provides services like no other program. Continuing the Project will benefit students and teachers for years to come.
Sincerely,
Rene J. Cobb
Springfield High School
875 N. 7th Street
Springfield, OR 97477
(541) 744-4788
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