Rethinking the Teaching of Writing in an Era of Remote Learning: Lessons Learned from a Local Site of the National Writing Project

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close in the spring of 2020, teacher consultants from a local writing project site were compelled to make their practice public, sharing conversations about what remote learning and the teaching of writing could look like through a series of eight webinars and, subsequently, an open institute in the summer of 2020. Built on principles of the National Writing Project including openness, flexibility, and an inquiry-driven stance toward professional learning, the work of this site’s director and teacher leaders is described as they worked together to think about issues of equity and access, socio-emotional learning, and engaging their students in substantive learning activities using digital writing tools. Concluding with a call to action for empowering teacher leaders and continuing to rethink the ways in which writing can be taught during the 2020-21 academic year and beyond, this essay is a personal reflection on one site director’s experience leading other teachers in an era of pandemic pedagogy.