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A North Central Michigan College-based writing project has received a $5,000 grant to help area teachers build stronger classroom cultural awareness and sensitivity in rural Michigan. The funding comes from the Rural Sites Network of the National Writing Project.
Michigan State University's Red Cedar National Writing Project's Top-of-the Mitt (TOTM) Satellite, is using the mini-grant to create an advanced, professional, inquiry institute, Reading the Word and the World. It will develop programs through literature to explore issues of cultural diversity, gender equity, family dynamics, economic differences, and global citizenship. A key focus of the project is to give teachers a collaborative network to explore the diverse background of our students and consider how that applies to teaching and learning.
"Education in rural areas has many significant challenges, says Toby Kahn-Loftus, TOTM satellite director. "One major hurdle for students and teachers is feeling isolated from the outside world and from diverse populations."
Kahn-Loftus applied for the grant with Dan Polleys, project leader and Boyne City Middle School teacher and Ken Winter, TOTM community liaison and North Central Michigan College adjunct journalism and political science instructor.
Teacher Consultants from first through eighth grade are convening to consider issues of critical literacy and how they relate to our students, our teaching practice, and our rural school communities.
"Our local Band of Odawa Indians will be consulted as a resource to help our educators build a cultural sensitivity towards this segment of our student body and local community," she said. "A greater awareness of each individual's identity will be constructed as participants explore how their own personal history impacts how they relate to others."
Additionally, Kahn-Loftus said teachers will be connected through a Ning (social network) to continue conversations of critical literacy related to their selected texts. Teachers will be supported to create safe classroom blogs and perhaps cross community blogs where students and teachers can share their questions and new understandings.
The group will culminate its year of study with a Student Summit on Critical Literacy and Social Justice next May with participating teachers and students. Participating in this one-year study besides Kahn-Loftus and Polleys are: Jeanne Chatel Tate, Alanson Elementary School; Carol Johnston, Boyne City Middle School; and Tracy Deering, Jennifer Greer, Tim Jardine, Suzanne Nayback, Alisa Santti, Tim Tippett, all of the Public Schools of Petoskey.
Top-of-the-Mitt is one of more than 200 sites of the National Writing Project that focuses upon the teaching of writing by offering graduate classes and professional development opportunities to area teachers. Each summer more than 3,000 kindergarten-through-college teachers participate in four-week summer institutes across the nation, learning new strategies to improve their students' writing skills by developing their own writing lives. Michigan State's Red Cedar Top-of-the-Mitt satellite, co-sponsored by NCMC, has provided professional development opportunities for more than 150 area teachers since its inception five years ago.
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