GSWP brings “Shark Tank” to area middle school

August 3, 2015

Representatives of the Georgia Southern Writing Project, including Writing and Linguistics faculty members, collaborated with area middle and high school teachers this summer to continue the GSWP’s ongoing discussion of writing in schools. This week-long workshop, held at Claxton Middle School in Claxton, Georgia, culminated in an activity, inspired by the ABC show “Shark Tank,” in which local students had a chance to give teachers a thumbs-up–or thumbs-down–to proposed lesson plans. For a more detailed review of the workshop, including photos, visit this page on Educator Innovator.

The week-long Open Institute, sponsored by the GSWP, ran from June 1 through June 5. Writing and Linguistics faculty members included Dr. Kathy Albertson, Sheila Nielsen, Christina Olson, Kevin Psonak, and Amanda Schumacher. Holly Durrence of Glennville Middle School, Amanda Hedrick of the Department of Writing and Linguistics, and Mari Moss of Claxton Middle School planned and facilitated the Institute.

The Georgia Southern Writing Project is a member site of the National Writing Project. Founded in 1974, the NWP is a network of sites anchored at colleges and universities and serving teachers across disciplines and at all levels, early childhood through university. The NWP provides professional development, develops resources, generates research, and acts on knowledge to improve the teaching of writing and learning in schools and communities. For more information about the Georgia Southern Writing Project, please contact co-directors Kathy Albertson or Amanda Hedrick.

The Department of Writing and Linguistics is housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Georgia Southern’s College of the Creative Mind. CLASS prepares its students to achieve academic excellence, develop their analytical skills, enhance their creativity, and embrace their responsibilities as citizens of their communities, nations, and world.