Educator and author Barry Lane will be the keynote speaker at the Southcentral Pennsylvania Writing Project Conference, “Coming Together for Best Practices,” at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on March 27, 2010.
The SPWP is housed at IUP.
The conference will be held in IUP's Hadley Union Building. Lane's keynote address will be “Writing and Laughing across the Curriculum.”
Known for his dynamic keynote addresses, conferences, and workshops, Lane is the author of several books, including But How Do You Teach Writing? A Simple Guide for All Teachers, After the End: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision, and 51 Wacky We-Search Reports: Face the Facts with Fun.
“‘Coming Together for Best Practices' is always a worthwhile and enjoyable experience, and this year will be no different, as we will be offering a variety of presentations by classroom teachers from elementary through college level,” Dr. Jo-Anne Kerr said.
Kerr and Dr. Helen Sitler, both IUP English faculty members, are codirectors of the project and the conference.
The program will begin with the keynote address, followed by breakout sessions. Presentations will cover a variety of subjects related to learning and literacy, including using film to teach literary concepts, providing ownership for students' writing through the use of students' “home” language, fostering the development of critical thinking in language arts classes, and implementing “Family Write Nights” in schools.
Each session will last one hour, and the program will conclude at 3:15 p.m. Conference attendees will receive Act 48 hours.
Continental breakfast and lunch are included in the registration fee, which is $75 for regular registration and $30 for student registration.
Interested teachers will find information on the Southcentral Pennsylvania Writing Project website.
Deadline for registration is March 19. Any questions should be directed to Kerr at j-a.kerr@iup.edu or by calling 724-357-2617.