Teaching Writing in Small Groups: Honing Instructional Practices, for Teachers and Literacy Coaches

Thursday, February 27 - Friday, February 28, 2025 Location: San Jose, California Cost: $450/per person Hours: 8:30am-3:30pm (PST) Grades: K-5

Teachers College Advancing Literacy is excited to host the Teaching Writing in Small Groups: Honing Instructional Practices, for Teachers and Literacy Coaches Institute. This 2 day institute provides teachers, literacy coaches, and leaders an opportunity to study the teaching of writing, with students in classrooms. Participants will study ways to support foundational writing skills, as well as ways to support students with craft and genre study. Participants will consider the role of assessment, mentor texts, and ways of coaching students to work with greater independence. Advancing Literacy staff developers will show you how responsive instructional practices in small group instruction can enhance student agency and practice time. 

Students need opportunities for practice and feedback, no matter your curriculum, and conferences and small groups are perfectly poised to provide. Come together to study options for small groups, ways to teach with efficiency, and practice responsive, in the moment, scaffolding.

• This institute is designed for teacher leaders, coaches, and district leaders who are interested in sharpening their teaching practices as well as ways to support their grade level teams in their schools.

• The institute will meet in an elementary school, affording opportunities for in-person demonstration lessons. Teachers and coaches will have an opportunity to observe, but also to practice, reflect, and receive feedback from Advancing Literacy staff developers and fellow participants. 

• We will study and develop powerful informational texts. We will then think about how these structures and strategies can be used across genres.

• Participants will study ways to support spelling and grammar, as well as support language development through elaboration. 

• The use of partnerships as a tool to support writing development, discourse, and students’ identities will be shared.

• Participants will have time to discuss and study writing assessments to consider next steps for students. 

• This institute affords a great opportunity for those who want to study student writing, standards, and reflect on their teaching practices with others, supporting a framework for collaborative study to bring back to any school community.