Structured Word Inquiry Institute

Monday, June 17–Friday, June 21, 2024

This year’s 11th annual Nueva SWI Institute will be virtual using the Zoom platform.
Sessions will be recorded and made available daily so people from any time zone can participate. The videos will also be made available for at least two weeks after the institute for participants to review.

Institute Overview

We are pleased to announce that this year’s 11th annual Nueva SWI Institute will once again happen virtually using the Zoom platform. The two main presenters, Pete Bowers and Rebecca Loveless, are well-versed in presenting workshops in this manner. The virtual format will include the same combination of presentations, investigations, and discussions both in the large group (full Zoom group) and smaller groups (using Zoom breakout rooms.) You will not be sitting in front of a screen, listening all day! Your active participation is welcomed and encouraged.

A detailed description of the content of the course, the schedule, and special guests will be posted here in the spring. This information may help you decide if the 3-day introduction, 3-day advanced, or full 5-day institute is the best fit for you.

The schedule for each day (based on Pacific Daylight Time) is as follows:

10 a.m.–12 p.m. (with a short break; timing TBD)
12–1:30 p.m. (lunch break, which will include time for individual investigations and potential breakout-room collaborations before the afternoon sessions
1:30–4 p.m. (with a short break; timing TBD)

Before lunch, we will leave you with an orthographic challenge of some sort building on the learning from the morning. You will have time for a leisurely lunch, and time to reflect and have a go with an investigation. When we start up after lunch, participants will get to share their questions/discoveries. It will be valuable for everyone to have some time off-screen to study, especially knowing that you get to ask for help when you return. On some days you will also have the opportunity to co-work during lunch in Zoom breakout rooms, if you wish. We hope this will provide more space for the sense of community that is built during an immersive, in-person workshop experience.

In order to include participants from a variety of time zones, we are offering a recorded option to the course. Recordings will be available to watch the week of the institute and the following week. They will be password protected and will NOT be available to download. This way, anyone can re-watch a particular session for review, and our international colleagues can get caught up as we move through the week.

Institute Options

Click here for a snapshot and click here for a detailed description of the content of the course, the schedule, and special guests. This information will help you decide if the 3-day introduction, 3-day advanced, or full 5-day institute is the best fit for you.

For more information on the theory, research and practice, click here to see Dr. Bowers' talk for Bristol University in the UK from April 12, 2024.

All sessions are held from 10 a.m. to 4 pm.

Option #1: 3-day Introduction (Mon–Wed)

Three-day Introductory Workshop
Monday, June 17–Wednesday, June 19
$700

Our studies will address:

Introduction to word families, word webs, word sums, and the matrix
Explicit instruction regarding phoneme/grapheme relationships
“Spelling-out-loud” word structure process
Application of SWI for reading instruction
Integrating knowledge from cognitive load theory with SWI practices
Guest presentations from Nueva faculty
Wednesday “Investigations Day” integrated with advanced participants

Option #2: 3-day Advanced Course (Wed–Fri)

Three-day Advanced Workshop
Wednesday, June 19–Friday, June 21
$700

Begins with:

Wednesday “Investigations Day” integrated with participants from the Intro course
Examining the theoretical background of cognitive load theory with SWI practices

Continues by working more deeply with the following concepts:

The nature of morphological and etymological families
The “structure and meaning tests”
Working with the “4 Questions of SWI”
How to read etymological references
Identifying words for vocabulary instruction
Analyzing words and constructing matrices by hand
The nature of orthographic phonology (in comparison to traditional phonics instruction)
Relevant literacy research including reference to the newest 2020 studies supporting the practice of SWI
Even more guest presentations from Nueva faculty

*Note: Only sign up for Option #2 (Advanced) if you are familiar and reasonably comfortable working with the matrix, word sums, and have some experience working with etymological references in orthographic investigations. Otherwise, revisiting the introductory days is recommended.

Option #3: 5-day Full SWI Institute

Five-day Workshop
Monday, June 17–Friday, June 21
$1000

Intended for both novices to SWI and long-time experts who want to enjoy the rich learning community and deepen their practice in an intensive time frame.

Many people attend these institutes and other workshops by Pete and Rebecca multiple times. Those brand new to SWI will gain a great opportunity to study key concepts of orthography and literacy instruction through SWI with plenty of time to revisit concepts over and over. Those with a good deal of experience will have a background that allows them to grasp more subtle, but valuable concepts that are rarely accessible in a first session. Participants who have studied with Pete and Rebecca before will recognize some of the investigations we do from previous sessions, but will have the opportunity to consolidate and expand that understanding. As well, those with increased familiarity of the orthographic concepts addressed will be able to focus more explicitly on the instructional language and practice used to build this understanding.

Registration

Financial Awards

What is structured word inquiry (SWI)?

Structured word inquiry (SWI) is the phrase Peter Bowers, Ph.D., used to describe the instruction in his vocabulary teaching study (Kirby & Bowers, 2010). The premise of SWI is that literacy instruction should accurately reflect our best understanding of how our writing system works.

SWI uses matrices, word sums, and grapheme-phoneme diagrams to teach how English spelling works through a process of scientific inquiry. These tools and practices demonstrate there are important misunderstandings in typical literacy instruction that result in children being taught they have to memorize many “irregular spellings” such as <does> <rough> <because> and countless others. When we don’t limit instruction to “letter-sound correspondence” but rather study the interrelation of spelling and meaning that English orthography represents, teachers and students understand these spellings. All children, but especially those who struggle in current instruction, gain from a more accurate understanding of English orthography. See Bowers (2020) for Peter’s short and most accessible paper on the theory, research, and practice of SWI.

Peter is founder of the WordWorks Literacy Centre in Ontario, Canada. For most of his ten years as an elementary school teacher in international schools and in Canada, Pete shared the common view that English spelling is highly irregular and full of exceptions to be memorized. In his ninth year of teaching, Pete developed a new inquiry-based technique for teaching English to students in preK through fifth grade. He has published widely on this topic (see references and links at the bottom of Pete’s About WordWorks page).

For more information, we invite you to read this recently published article by Pete Bowers, "Literacy instruction that makes sense of English spelling for students of all ages and abilities," which addresses the theory, research, and practice of SWI.

Dates

June 17–21, 2023

Cost

$700/3-day program
$1000/5-day program

Location

Virtual Institute

Questions?

Email
wordinstitute@nuevaschool.org for more information.

Testimonials

I believe that work we’ve begun doing with Structured Word Inquiry is profound and revolutionary. I believe that it is relevant to educators who work in every discipline and with all age groups. I believe that it represents most accurately what we know about teaching and learning and enacts the core values held in our community.”

- Emily Kolatch
former Head of the Nueva Lower School

What I love about Pete's workshops is that he takes a room full of teachers and turns them into learners.”

- Jonathan Twigg
Primary School Assistant Principal-PYP Coordinator at International School of Lausanne

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