The Sustained Professional Development Program
 from Discover Writing Company

Whether you have a Discover Writing presenter come three times to your school in a year or whether you combine a visit with supplementary study circles or video support,  our objective is to provide each school or district with year-long, sustained immersion in the strategies, concepts and techniques learned. One such professional development program comes in 3 parts.

Part One: In this full group workshop for as many teachers as possible, our teacher/author presents the heart of the program during this all day session, describing concepts and presenting materials. This is the motivational and informational session, presenting both the philosophy and the practical strategies of best practices. Teachers will take away a wide spectrum of ideas and strategies to use in the classroom, all supported by strong pedagogical theory and practice.

Part Two: The speaker returns and conducts an interactive session with a smaller group of core teachers and administrators. This visit can include demo lessons with students, Q and A sessions and troubleshooting dialogues within the group. If budgets can't provide for this visit, it can be supplemented with either video lessons from the presenter or a guided study designed by the presenter. The presenter will answer specific questions through e-mail.

Part Three: Near the end of the school year or at the beginning of the next academic period, the presenter will return for a more in-depth, follow-up session, which will be completely interactive. The presenter will facilitate discussions between teachers, signaling a chance to celebrate successes, share failures and begin planning curriculum for the following year. This also may be a chance to introduce the next phase in learning.

Note: If your funding does not allow for follow-up visits, Part Two and Three can be replaced with Discover Writing Study Circle sessions between core teachers. These DWSC modules will be posted in the Teacher Center section of our website starting in July 2006.

Sustained Yearly Professional Development

Three Part PD is just a starting point. After a year of proven results, we can negotiate an on-going yearly relationship with your school or district. This may mean continuing visits from one or more of our presenters, or on-going correspondence, or both. Our goal is to provide quality, sustained professional development for the teaching community. Best Practice is the Best Test Practice. 

How do I apply for funding?

The best place to start is by calling the administrative offices that oversee your particular school or district. Most school systems have experienced personnel who can guide you in this process.  Explain what you want to do and ask for assistance applying for a grant. Some funding will be immediately available; other funding will take longer.  Don’t be discouraged.  The funds are out there!