As of our writing, it is not totally clear exactly how we will be “doing” school in the fall. Regardless of what structure or model gets put in place, one thing is clear: in order to avoid the challenges that we faced in the spring, we need to be prepared to teach in ways that are flexible and adaptable to a range of contexts. For better or worse, at least some aspects of remote teaching are likely going to be part of school for the foreseeable future. In addition, given the context of the global pandemic, it is possible that whatever format we think we will be using, this might shift at a moment’s notice.

Introducing: WriteBoston Free Summer Professional Development Series This summer, we would like to share strategies and ideas that we have learned through our experiences supporting educators these past several months that we believe will position you for success this fall. In each of these four free PD sessions , we will highlight ways of planning and thinking that will make your teaching more effective across a range of contexts (in person, hybrid and remote), share strategies and tools that have proven especially effective, and offer resources you can use as you plan and prepare for a new year within this ever-shifting landscape of education.  Each session will include a 90 minute interactive workshop , facilitated virtually. See below for a more in depth description of the content these workshops. Throughout the series, we will highlight different tech tools that have proven to be effective and high leverage for both remote and in person settings. After the first 90 minutes, there will be a 30 minute “tech tutorial” that you can stay for if you are unfamiliar with the tech tools we used, where we will share more information about how they work. In addition, at some point in August, we will offer an opportunity to come back together with participants and practice and/or receive feedback on lessons or products that you have created for your own class as you apply your new learning.

CLICK HERE to sign up for free WriteBoston Summer PD Sessions

The deadline to sign up for any or all of these workshops is Friday, July 3rd. We will reach back out to people who sign up with the information for the zoom session and any materials or resources you may need. These workshops are open to all, so feel free to forward to anyone you think would be interested.

Description of the Sessions in the WriteBoston Summer PD Series

“Kicking off the School Year” (July 14th, 3-5 PM) This workshop will focus on preparing to make the most of the start of the year. While it is often the case that we look forward to the “fresh start” of a new school year to implement everything we’ve learned during the previous year, there has perhaps never been a greater opportunity to “re-set” with students as we have this fall. Questions that will be addressed include:  What should you be prepared to address when students return to you in the fall?  How can you build community and set up structures to foster strong connections regardless of the format?  How can you ensure students are introduced to, comfortable with and skilled in whatever technology they may need to use?  How can you scaffold and teach students the skills they need to find success in these new contexts, especially around the heightened need for independence within remote learning? How can you create or re-create structures that work well across a range of formats, so they can carry you and your students through any shifts that may arise?

“Tools to Facilitate Learning On or Offline” (July 21st, 3-5 PM) Given the context of school closures, many of you were left scrambling to figure out how you could continue working with students remotely. There was a lot of trial and error, a lot of frustration, and many “aha moments” along the way. You probably found some routines that worked, but likely also have lingering struggles with engaging students in core activities you would normally use to teach your content. Questions that will be addressed include:  What strategies can you use to translate what you usually do in person across a range of contexts?  How do you facilitate reading, speaking, writing, practicing and learning in a remote or hybrid model? How can you combine synchronous and asynchronous activities and experiences to create effective learning trajectories for students? What are the tools that have been a necessity for remote learning that would also improve students’ experiences in a classroom?

“Planning in the midst of uncertainty” (July 28th, 3-5 PM) Once you figure out how to facilitate the various domains that are part of learning (reading, writing, discussing, etc), you can create a series of learning activities that work towards particular goals and outcomes. Questions that will be addressed include:  How can you create flexible and adaptable mini units or weekly structures for learning that work across a range of contexts and move students meaningfully towards your learning goals? How do you anticipate and proactively address challenges unique to these contexts (example: planning for students who are more or less consistently engaging with your online components of learning)? How can you plan with the student experience in mind to increase the effectiveness of your teaching? How can you ensure students are progressing academically despite the challenges and uncertainty of these times?

“Balancing Compassion and Content” (August 4th, 3-5 PM) No matter what school “looks like” next year, educators will undoubtedly need a heightened awareness of social-emotional learning, trauma-sensitive practices and an understanding of the mechanisms of motivation and engagement. Questions that will be addressed include: How can you move towards more authentically engaging tasks and assignments? What do you need to keep in mind about trauma and the impacts of this experience on your students’ emotional well-being? How can you more consistently integrate social-emotional learning into your content area? What mechanisms can you use to balance empathy with high expectations?

SIGN UP for Summer PD

Please use this GOOGLE FORM to sign up by July 3rd for whichever of these sessions you would like to attend. Please reach out to us if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Student Writing

Click here for a thread of student writing about police brutality and racism in America.

Teens in Print has always existed in large part to amplify marginalized youth voices, including those of Black teens living in Boston. We believe this is more important than ever right now. As an organization, TiP supports racial justice and equality. We stand in solidarity with our students and community partners fighting for a better world.

WriteBoston is a nonprofit literacy organization dedicated to promoting deep thinking through writing. WriteBoston offers professional development to teachers along with writing opportunities for students, built on the premise that powerful writing and thinking are inseparable. In the past year, WriteBoston programming for students and educators impacted more than 12,000 young people.