Like their students, teachers in Coastal Georgia look forward to their summer vacation.

But this summer, a few of those teachers will take some of their time to continue learning as they connect to Invitational and Advanced Summer Institutes through the Coastal Savannah Writing Project (CSWP), a unique opportunity to expand their knowledge and understanding of how best to teach literacy skills across the grade levels and content areas. Seventeen Savannah-area teachers gathered on the Armstrong campus for two weeks this June, to learn new strategies to improve their students’ writing skills, an important feature of the common core standards.

Another nine teacher-leaders are also participating in a 10-day advanced institute whose focus is writing instruction in the digital age. They are joined by Sara Kadjer, a nationally-known speaker and the first teacher to receive the National Technology Fellowship in English/Language Arts.

Serving Chatham, Liberty, Bryan, Glynn, and Effingham counties and directed by Armstrong faculty, the CSWP offers teachers the opportunity to study the latest research on teaching writing and share knowledge, expertise and effective classroom practices with one another.

“The teachers who attend Summer Institutes delivered by Armstrong’s CSWP will return to their classrooms next fall equipped with proven strategies for teaching young people how to write and how to use writing to learn,” said Patricia Wachholz, dean of AASU’s College of Education. “Writing continues to be the signature means of communication in the digital age, and these institutes provide valuable continuous learning opportunities for local teachers. In addition, they will be steps ahead in their understanding of the importance of writing in the newly-adopted common core standards.”

“Understanding of the common core literacy skills and using technology as a communication tool are important factors in 21st century teaching and learning,” said Lesley Roessing, director of CSWP. “Focusing the work of our Writing Project on common core is an important way to support teachers, increase student engagement and ultimately enhance student learning and achievement.”

“The teachers who participate in summer learning opportunities are eager to help their students become more successful writers and learners,” said Wachholz. “Following the summer institutes, they will also be better equipped to support colleagues in their schools, as they prepare students to write across disciplines to meet college and career standards.”

The Coastal Savannah Writing Project sponsors Saturday workshops during the school year and a learning conference in the Spring. To learn more, visit http://www.armstrong.edu/Education/coastal_savannah_writing_project/cswp_welcome.