by Anna Gratz Cockerille 

This week, thousands of educators are gathering with The Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College at Columbia University to learn, to think, and to share about the topic of the Teaching of Reading.

For over thirty years, educators have been gathering at TC for The Project’s summer institutes. Many of the basic principles and methods of learning are just as they have always been since the inception of the institutes: participants learn by doing the reading and writing they will be asking students to do, they hear amazing keynotes, they have access to great leaders in the field of literacy.

But there is one way in which the institutes have changed, and that is due to the influence of social media. During institutes, education bloggers such as Fran McVeigh and Julieanne Harmatz who are in attendance post about their learning. Twitter abounds with references to #TCRWP. Currently, in the first days of the June Reading Institute, were you to check out the #TCRWP Twitter feed, you would find some of the following:

• Selfies in front of the Teachers College plaque posted by proud educators from across the country and globe
• Quotes extracted from keynote speakers, many from Lucy Calkins herself
• Snippets of learning from large and small group sessions, attributed to group leaders
• Workshop titles and other parts of the day about which participants are particularly excited 

What a boon social media has quickly become to the institute experience. This week, as an extension of the June Reading Institute, the TCRWP will dedicate its Twitter chat to reading workshop essentials. Staff Developer Katie Clements will lead attendees in chatting about reading workshop best practices and bottom lines. Whether you are attending the June Institute or learning from afar, or you are a novice or a veteran teacher, we welcome you to join the TCRWP community to take part in this great learning event. 

Each Wednesday night at 7:30pm eastern, The Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project hosts a Twitter chat using the hashtag #TCRWP. Join @clemenkat to chat about reading workshop essentials tomorrow evening. 

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Anna Cockerille is a staff developer, literacy coach, and writer based in New York City. She has taught in K–8 classrooms all over the world in places such as Sydney, Australia; San Pedro Sula, Honduras; and Auckland, New Zealand. Anna has been a staff developer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University (TCRWP) and an adjunct instructor for the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College. She writes at Two Writing Teachers.

Not on Twitter? New to Twitter? Take Heinemann’s free Twitter for Educators course here.