Workshops

Professional development in Writing is Thinking.

WIT WorkshopWriting Is Thinking through strategic inquiry (WITsi) is an approach to closing literacy skill gaps through direct instruction in writing strategies across the curriculum, and embedding them in the work of inquiry teams who analyze student work to see how the strategies have performed, make adjustments, and select and design appropriate instructional responses. WITsi incorporates and utilizes proven methods of school improvement, methods documented in The Atlantic’s “The Writing Revolution” (Oct, 2012) and in Strategic Inquiry: Getting Small for Big Results in Education (Harvard Education Press, 2013). WITsi was a prime turnaround strategy in NYC Renewal High Schools, as chronicled in Mind/Shift’s “Is it Time to Go Back to Basics with Writing Instruction?” (Feb 2017). Watch first hand testimonials about Strategic Inquiry in New York City’s Renewal High Schools. Read more about how the underlying approach to teaching writing works.

Currently we offer in-person and online workshops in the writing component of this work, Writing is Thinking (WIT). WIT improves student writing, content knowledge, academic vocabulary, oral language, reading comprehension, standardized exam performance, and student thinking. It is a particularly powerful strategy for English Learners, because it provides a concrete way to teach language embedded in content while also teaching students how the English language works.

Click on the videos below to learn about WIT with newcomers at John Adams High School.

Laura Pamplona & Students WIT for Newcomers Year 2 WIT for Newcomers Year 3
WITsi Logo

Upcoming Workshops

In-person Workshops
Workshop Date(s) Location Credits More Info
WIT 101 for all populations TBA Bronx, NY CTLE hours: 15 Details
WIT 102 TBA Bronx, NY CTLE hours: 15 Details
WIT 103 TBA TBA CTLE hours: 15 Details
WIT 104: Train-the-facilitator TBA NYC CTLE hours: 48 Details
WIT for Math TBA TBA CTLE hours: 15 Details
WIT for Science TBA TBA CTLE hours: 15 Details
Online Workshops
Workshop Date(s) Location Credits More Info
WIT 103 June 27, 28 & 29, 2023 Online CTLE hours: 12 Details
WIT 102 June 20, 21 & 22, 2023 Online CTLE hours: 12 Details
3-hour mini-workshop: Conjunctions July 5 OR August 2, 2023 - AM Online CTLE hours: 3 Details
2-hour mini-workshop: Expansion July 5 OR August 2, 2023 - PM Online CTLE hours: 2 Details
3-hour mini-workshop: Parallel Revision July 6 OR August 3, 2023 - AM Online CTLE hours: 3 Details

Recognized by New York State Education Department (NYSED) as an approved sponsor of CTLE for Professional Classroom Teachers, School Leaders and Level III Teaching Assistants in New York State.

Math instruction