Professional Development – Strategic & Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI)

We welcome opportunities to engage educators individually or entire school programs in SIWI Professional Development (PD). The PD experience is welcoming of all professionals who collaborate to support the writing and language development of deaf students (e.g., teachers, ASL specialists, SLPs, administrators, bilingual specialists).

Prior research has shown that implementation occurs with higher instructional fidelity if there is participation in PD workshops and ongoing coaching.

Introductory Workshop

The SIWI introductory workshop is designed to prepare educators for initial implementation of SIWI. It provides an overview of the SIWI driving principles and engages teachers in contextualized practice with guidance and support. There are three options available:

OPTION 1: In-person provided at your school

for groups of up to 25 educators
4 days of on-site PD
$2500/day
includes access to SIWI materials and website
email siwi@utk.edu to set up PD

OPTION 2: Hybrid (asynchronous modules with in-person meetings)

for groups of up to 25 educators
19 hours of asynchronous PD
2 days of contextualized practice and support
$6,000 fee plus $150/teacher
includes access to SIWI online modules, materials, and website
email siwi@utk.edu to set up PD

OPTION 3: Online (asynchronous modules with synchronous meetings)

for individuals or school programs
19 hours of asynchronous PD
11 hours of synchronous meetings
$500/educator (financial assistance is available)
includes access to SIWI online modules, materials, and website
click here to enroll

Coaching

Coaching is provided during the school year, with 3 sessions recommended per semester. It involves individualized or small group support to teachers in their teaching/learning contexts. It may consist of collaboratively planning lessons and units, setting up classroom spaces for implementation, evaluating students’ writing samples to set appropriate objectives, or co-teaching lessons.

Coaching is $250 per 1 hour consultation (online or in person) with 1-3 teachers.

Customized PD Sessions

Customized professional development sessions are offered to school programs on various topics. Sessions range from 30 minutes to 3 hours, or can be individually tailored to meet the needs of the school program.

Topics include:

An overview of SIWI driving principles
A summary of SIWI research and trajectory
An overview of the Language Zone and how to meet students’ various language needs
Writing and language assessment & setting instructional objectives
Group interactive writing
Strategy instruction for writing process and skills
Guided, shared, and independent writing
Integrating English and/or ASL mentor text
Planning a SIWI unit
SIWI implementation Q&A

Customized PD sessions are $250 per hour. Contact us at siwi@utk.edu to schedule.

Advanced Workshop

The advanced workshop is available following the completion of the introductory workshop and at least one year of SIWI implementation. It is designed to deepen a teacher’s understanding of SIWI principles and to enhance their implementation of SIWI. Participants are expected to bring at least one videotaped SIWI unit to the workshop. A SIWI unit begins with the initial lesson establishing purpose and audience and concludes with the students’ publication. Videotapes are used for teacher reflection and analysis only and will not be shared.