Summer Institutes for Educators 2022
Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy gives teachers cutting-edge skills through professional learning Institutes. We focus on advanced teaching topics such as instructional coaching, personalized learning, inquiry, equity, social and emotional learning, and leadership.
Some Institutes are taught in-person over one week; others are taught online over six weeks. The specific format and schedule are listed in each Institute description.
Northwestern’s six-week Summer Session begins the week of June 20 and ends July 29. Participants can take the Institutes for graduate credit or for professional development hours only.
Professional Development
No application process; just register. Each Institute provides 30 professional development hours for $1,600. The "Designing for Personalized Learning" Institute and the "Designing for SEL" Institute provides 24 professional development hours for $1,300. The fee is paid or invoiced at the time of registration.
Register now for Professional DevelopmentGraduate Credit
Apply online for either for a full master’s degree in teacher leadership, or as a student-at-large (non-matriculated) for the summer Institutes only. You must submit official transcripts as part of the application. If admitted, you will register for courses through CAESAR and will be billed the regular Master's in Education tuition rate for each course ($3,880 for summer 2022). Each course taken for graduate credit is 2-and-2/3 semester hours. Participants may need to submit additional course work to receive graduate credit in these Institutes.
Apply for Graduate CreditSummer 2022 In-Person Institutes
Designing for Personalized Learning
June 21 – June 24
Tuesday- Friday, 9 a.m – 3 p.m.
Instructors: Paul France
This four-day, in-person Institute challenges conventional wisdom on personalized learning, encouraging participants to redefine personalized learning, not as a pedagogy of individualized curriculum, but as one that restores equity and humanity in classrooms. Participants will learn how to design curriculum and learning experiences that humanize learning, moving away from worksheet-based teaching or web-based adaptive tools. Instead, you'll learn to leverage project-based learning, open-ended tasks, and journaling as tools for bolstering learner agency in core academic subjects.
Designing for Inquiry-Based Learning and Assessment
June 27 - July 1
Monday- Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Instructors: Jennifer Ban and Meg Knapik
Our world is ever-changing. How can we more effectively engage today's students in their learning? In this Institute educators examine inquiry-based learning and consider how, when coupled with content area standards and performance-based assessments, students can have impactful learning experiences in any environment. As teacher leaders, participants dive into the research that supports these practices before revising or creating an inquiry-based unit of study to use in the upcoming school year
Introspective Writing: Creating Community in Your Classroom
June 27 - July 1
9 a.m – 3 p.m.
Instructors: Dominic Belmonte
Every teacher supports the importance of creating rapport within their classroom communities as a viable conduit to strong interaction and positive learning experiences. In the post pandemic classroom, it will be more important than ever for teachers to establish trusted and meaningful connection with students. One way to do this is through writing. With over 40 years of experience as a teacher and teacher educator, Dom Belmonte will walk you through a series of three writing assignments that not only establish a basis for gauging students’ interpretive ability and grammar command, but also provide them with insight into their own self-knowledge. These assignments also provide students through safe and compelling prompts to offer instructors valuable insight into their students, allowing for deep level communication as well as insight on how to further their learning. This interactive Institute will engage you in your own writing process, as well as redesign your classroom to place student writing, reflection, and feedback at the center of their experience.
Summer 2022 Online Institutes
Teacher Advocacy: Local, State, and National Impact
June 22 – July 27
Monday & Wednesdays, 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Instructors: Scott Bramley
Educational policy is one of the most influential forces impacting education today. Teacher leadership and advocacy are calls to action for educators to use their individual and collective voices to shape education through policy and practice. Participants in this online Institute will be able to immediately apply what they learn as they identify an opportunity/challenge from their lived experiences and propose a policy-based solution and advocacy plan to address it. If you are passionate about improving education and providing equitable access to education for all students, this summer institute is for you.
Leading for Equity
June 21 – July 28
Tuesday & Thursdays, 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Marcus Campbell
This online Institute challenges teacher leaders to think deeply about their own identity and those of their students, colleagues, families, and communities. It will explore how school leaders can take up issues of equity, social justice, and power to improve schools for all stakeholders. Participants will delve into tools such as data, research, culturally responsive teaching, and professional learning to create an action plan that will bring equity into the forefront of their leadership.
Leading Professional Learning for Teachers
June 21 – July 28
Tuesday & Thursdays, 3:30 – 6 p.m.
Instructors: Alison Gordon & Ben Collins
This online Institute reviews current standards, research, and practice for professional development with adult learners. In particular, it examines the knowledge and skills needed for supporting learning within respectful, collaborative, partnership communities. Participants will reflect upon existing structures and practices, develop new strategies, and design more effective professional learning plans to achieve desired outcomes.
Foundations of Instructional Coaching
June 22 – July 27
Monday & Wednesdays, 3:30 – 6 p.m.
Instructors: Alison Gordon & Sharon Sheehan
This online Institute explores the coaching of teachers and other educational personnel. Topics include effective communication, using data, video and feedback to improve instruction, and questioning strategies to promote reflection and growth. Participants will actively practice observing instruction and use tools to have conversations about coaching that can enhance teacher practice and student learning.