About MWP
The Montana Writing Project (MWP) is a professional development learning community in which educators are writers, teacher-researchers, and literacy leaders. The mission of MWP is to increase the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of writing at all levels of education and in all subject areas. We are committed to supporting and empowering educators as they help their students grow in writing competence and confidence.
As a site of the National Writing Project (NWP), the Montana Writing Project embodies three primary principles:
- Teachers of writing must be writers themselves.
- The teaching of writing can be improved by having teachers from all levels and all subject areas share their expertise with one another.
- Teachers benefit from inquiry, reflection, and application of current research and best practices.
Since its beginning in 1978, the Montana Writing Project has offered summer institutes and on-going professional development events that welcome educators at all levels of education (P-16) and in all subject areas. MWP celebrates educators as readers and writers, teacher-researchers, and lifelong learners. Educators who participate in MWP are known as Teacher-Consultants.
MWP Summer Institutes create a community of writers who share and reflect on their own and their students’ literacy development. We immerse educators in workshops that exemplify best practices in literacy instruction.
- Indian Education for All
- Teaching for Social Justice
- Writing Across the Curriculum
- Writing Assessment
- Dual Enrollment Composition Programs
- Technology
- Differentiated Instruction/Student-Centered Classrooms
- Support for Rural Educators
- State Standards for Reading, Writing, and Language
Our summer institutes provide the time for writing and emphasize the importance of writing for authentic purposes and audiences. We read current research, discover effective writing strategies for diverse genres, analyze literacy standards and policies, and discuss writing curriculum and assessment. As we reflect on our own writing processes and teaching practices, we engage in teacher-inquiry projects and develop action-research plans. At the end of MWP Summer Institutes, educators have more resources and are inspired to implement new ways to teach writing with their students.
Beyond the summer institutes, MWP Teacher-Consultants continue to network and share their knowledge, expertise, and experience through staff development and social media. As literacy leaders, MWP Teacher-Consultants are informed decision-makers and reflective practitioners who present workshops, serve on curriculum and assessment committees, and advocate for policies that support our students’ literacy education and our profession.
For more information about the Montana Writing Project, please contact Dr. Beverly Ann Chin, Director, at (406) 243-2463 or at Beverly.chin@umontana.edu