Nebraska Writing Project's 2026 Summer and Advanced Institutes were a success!
Our Advanced Institute topic was "AI in the Writing Classroom." Jillian Harpster and Melissa Legate led discussion on how AI affects our teaching and our own writing in today's world and how teachers might respond. The group wrestled with tough questions about ethics, environmental impact, and cognitive changes. Participants worked to create collaborative, multi-genre inquiry portfolios and hosted their own teaching workshops.
Our Summer Institute welcomed teachers of all disciplines and grade levels, running at full capacity for the 3rd straight year. Rachael Shah, Tina Le, and Grace Story facilitated, and 15 new teacher consultants hosted dynamic research-based workshops. Participants engaged in guerilla poetry, participated in the classic writing marathon, read Ada Limon’s On Breaking: In Defense of Poetry, wrote collaborative research poems, and (in true NeWP style) enjoyed fantastic snacks such as homemade butter mochi. Summing it up in the words of one of our teacher consultants, "Three words I would use to describe the Summer Institute are community, empowerment, and fun."
Planning for next year's institutes is in the works--stay tuned!
More details at: https://newp.unl.edu/teachers/summer-institutes/
