A Virtual Workshop Series Featuring Rebekah O’Dell and sponsored by the Eastern Illinois Writing Project and EIU’s English Department
Virtual Workshop Dates: February 12-March 31, 2021
Please register here.
Drawing on the wisdom Allison Marchetti and Rebekah O’Dell provide in their books, website, and workshops, this virtual conference will offer pre-service and teacher participants opportunities to learn how to “move student writers forward in their craft.” Both keynote and breakout sessions will demonstrate practical and research-based ways to “help students develop solid writing habits and cultivate writing lives, and guide students to become ‘moving writers’ — writers whose words have the power to affect readers” (Marchetti and O’Dell).
In her two sessions, Rebekah O’Dell will focus first on “Helping Students Find Their Voice” and second on “Amplifying Student Voice.” In both sessions, O’Dell will emphasize concrete, practical ways to encourage students toward authentic writing experiences and strategies to help them experiment, play, and find a voice through writing. Then, O’Dell will pivot to thinking about ways we can help students build on those smaller, informal, voice-finding writing experiences to build larger pieces of polished writing, including the narrative, argument, and analytical writing that are dictated by the standards.
Moving Writers: Finding and Amplifying Voice will include both the “Moving Writers” keynote workshop and teacher-driven presentations and workshops that allow both participants and teacher presenters to share effective ideas and confer with one another, emphasizing the belief that the best teachers of teachers are other teachers.
