July Weeklong Workshops

Sunday, July 13 – Friday, July 18, 2025

The July weeklong workshops help teachers deepen their understanding of writing-based teaching, its theory and practices, and its application in the classroom. Each workshop focuses on a particular form of writing—the essay, academic paper, creative nonfiction—or on writing-based teaching in a particular subject area, such as history, science and math, or grammar.

The workshops offer a retreat in which participants learn new writing practices, read diverse texts, and collaborate with teachers from around the world on the Bard College campus. The luxury of time helps us envision how we might make these new practices our own by adapting writing prompts, accommodating collaborative learning in larger classes, and incorporating new readings. We also explore how different forms, such as poetry, might inspire students from diverse backgrounds.

During the week, teachers live in private dorm rooms on the Bard campus, eat meals together, and enjoy the beautiful setting and lively atmosphere of Annandale-on-Hudson in the summer. Workshop groups meet for 14 sessions, beginning Sunday evening. Subsequently, groups meet three times a day between 9 am and 4 pm, except Wednesday and Friday, the final day, when workshops conclude at 1 pm. Workshops are capped at 15 participants.

The schedule gives participants time to explore the scenic Mid-Hudson Valley and take advantage of lovely walking paths and Bard’s recreational facilities, including the Stevenson Athletic Center swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, and fitness center. The Bard SummerScape festival showcases an extraordinary program of performing arts and an international roster of acclaimed artists. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape.

Workshop descriptions below.

2024 July Weeklong Workshops

Click to read descriptions from our 2024 workshops

Registration and Fees

Tuition

Standard Fee: $3,300
Includes workshop tuition, private dorm room, meals, and an anthology of texts.

Early-Bird Fee: $2,750
Tuition must be paid in full prior to the workshops.

Group Discount Fee: $2,970
10 percent discount for teams of three or more teachers from the same school.

Early-Bird Group Discount Fee: $2,475
10 percent discount for teams of three or more teachers from the same school. All must register by the Early-Bird deadline; tuition must be paid in full prior to the workshops.

Early-Bird Commuter Fee: $2,420
Includes workshop tuition and meals. No overnight accommodations. Must register by the Early-Bird deadline; tuition must be paid in full prior to the workshops.

Commuter Fee: $2,970
Includes workshop tuition and meals. No overnight accommodations.
Credit and Scholarship Opportunities

The Teresa Vilardi Scholarship
IWT welcomes scholarship applications from those studying to become teachers (i.e., those registered in Bard’s MAT Program or another accredited program in education) and in-service teachers with limited professional development funds.

Graduate Credit
Bard College IWT and the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Bard College have a partnership that allows participants to earn one graduate credit for completing a July Weeklong Workshop, along with a reflection paper and lesson plan that uses writing in the classroom. This credit option costs an additional $900. For details, contact Director of MAT Admission and Student Affairs Cecilia Maple at (845) 758-7145 or [email protected].

CTLE Credit
All Bard IWT workshops are Continuing Teacher and Leader Education approved in New York State. The July Weeklong Workshops are 40 CTLE hours.

Past July Workshops

Want one of these to be offered again soon? Drop us a line at [email protected]—we'd love to know.

July Weeklong Workshops