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Pre-service Institute

Who:

MTSU Pre-service English teachers

What Can PSI Do For You?

 The National Writing Project, a well-established network of K-12 and college writing practitioners, maintains a strong commitment to providing effective professional development focused on the teaching of writing and delivered through a teachers-teaching-teachers model. To that end,

  • This interactive workshop will be facilitated by experienced and highly-regarded local educators

  • You will gain exposure to National Writing Project philosophies and methodologies, as well as an introduction to practical applications of TNReady State Standards, strategies for integrating writing instruction into reading/literature units, and how to use technology to improve writing instruction.

  • While the concepts, techniques, and approaches covered in this workshop will not replace material covered in English or education classes, students who complete the three-day session will have a decided advantage over their peers in terms of exposure to practical application of writing methodologies. This exposure may prove to be an asset during classes, but even more so during the two-semester residency students will complete prior to graduation.

Critiques:

2014 PSI:

  • The pre-service institute provided by MTWP was an amazing opportunity that I still reflect on. The teaching information provided by teachers in our area was a refreshing change, as real world application was utilized and explained. The teachers that spent their time with us were friendly and opened their hearts to us, eager to help the room full of future teachers. I am extremely grateful for the shared lesson plans, methods, and skills I gained during the MTWP pre-service institute, and hope many more future teachers get the same opportunity. 

  • We know we want to be teachers; we have applied ourselves to gaining knowledge in our content area and in our foundational education classes. But, when do we begin to feel like teachers? The Middle Tennessee Writing Project in January of 2014 was one of the first experiences that helped to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice. As participants, we were still students; however, mentor teachers shared their processes, ideas, and positive applications with us as if we were already in the classroom. I feel better prepared and informed before I even enter the classroom as a first year teacher.

How to apply:

 As this will be a highly-interactive three days, we can only accept 12 participants; therefore, you MUST commit to attending all three 9.00 a.m.-3.00 p.m. sessions.

 

 

You can attend the workshop for free.

Simply, address one of the following two prompts and submit the essay to Dr. Ron Kates (ron.kates@mtsu.edu):

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  1. Please explain how the writing instruction you received in middle/high school prepared you (or didn’t prepare you) for college? What was missing? What would you change?
     

  2. Please describe the best writing assignment you had in middle/high school. Why was this the best assignment? Having had some exposure to college writing and instruction, how might you tweak this assignment for your own purposes?

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