2010 Spring Meeting—Friday, March 26

The meeting continues on Friday, March 26, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. A continental breakfast will be served at 8:00 a.m. in the Regency Foyer on the Ballroom Level of the Hyatt. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. in Regency A on the Ballroom Level.

Keynote Speech

Dr. Katherine Schultz, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, director of the Philadelphia Writing Project, and author of the recently published book Rethinking Classroom Participation: Listening to Silent Voices, will deliver Friday's keynote.

"While educators know about how to interpret and understand students' talk as a way to assess their interest and knowledge, we tend to have limited understandings about how to interpret and use silence in the classroom," says Schultz. "Teachers tend to focus on the majority of students who respond predictably to classroom routines, which may leave out those who remain silent."

"Through several classroom examples, I will illustrate how teachers can work collaboratively to understand student silences and how they might shift participation structures in their classrooms to provide openings for greater student engagement. A focus on silence as a form of participation might lead to more democratic educational spaces that are inclusive of a wider range of students and modes of participation."

For more, read NWP's profile of Katherine Schultz and view the video below.

Roundtable Discussions

Following the keynote, participants can attend two sets of roundtable discussions at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. Discussions will focus on the latest issues writing project teachers face today. Read the descriptions ›