Higher Education and Teaching Commons^™

Interventions To Improve Teacher Self-Efficacy Beliefs About Writing And Writing Instruction: Lessons Learned And Areas For Exploration, Jadelyn Abbott, Tracey Hodges, Sherry Dismuke, Katherine Landau Wright, Claire Schweiker

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The present study explores the findings of a systematic literature review of research about teachers’ self-efficacy for writing and writing instruction to demystify what is known and what remains unknown. We analyzed the pool of research on self-efficacy for writing and writing instruction from January 1992 to August 2020. Our final inclusion of articles resulted in 22 articles that examine teacher self-efficacy for writing and writing instruction while meeting our standards of examining changes in self-efficacy. We examined how shifts in self-efficacy are measured, specific interventions that increase teachers’ self-efficacy for writing and writing instruction as well as interventions that …

A Pen, A Pencil, Or A Keyboard: Writing Center Tutors’ Perceptions, Mirta Ramirez-Espinola

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

A Pen, A Pencil, or a Keyboard: Online Writing Center Tutors’ Perceptions

Author, Adjunct Faculty, Grand Canyon University

Abstract

Writing can be challenging for some students, even those who have graduated high school and are moving forward to higher learning. Thus, an idea about students and writing support led to a study about writing centers and the individuals responsible for supporting struggling writers. This qualitative case study explored the tutors’ perceptions of online writing tutoring and investigated how tutors perceive their work using both asynchronous and synchronous online tutoring modes at a 4-year university. Though the writing center participating in …

Cultivating Dialogic Reflection To Foster And Sustain Preservice Teachers’ Professional Identities, Katie Alford, Amber Jensen

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article explores how two teacher educators cultivated dialogic partnerships in an English teaching methods course and during student teaching. The goal was to foster reflection and professional identity development among preservice teachers. We share our approaches to integrating dialogic journals into coursework and student teaching praxis and offer initial observations about ways we see dialogic reflection as a practice that can support and sustain preservice teachers through early teaching transitions and into their careers.

The Dimensions Of Teachers Who Write And The Essence Of A Writing Life, Shari L. Daniels, Pamela Beck

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The purpose of this grounded theory case study was to explore the perceptions among ten K-12 teachers who teach writing and also write themselves. What are the key essentials for teachers to sustain a writing life? What habits of mind or attitudes are necessary for teachers to sustain a writing life? Interviews served as the primary data source along with writing artifacts from the participants’ own writing life. Findings indicate that teacher-writers committed to a writing life do so for the purpose of 1) discovering meaning, 2) connections to others 3) commitment to learning and 4) well-being, with an overall …

An Evolution Of Writer's Notebooks: Authenticity And The Power Of Writing In A Pandemic, Alex Ellison, Sarah Hochstetler

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article narrates how one assignment, the writer’s notebook, evolved when a writing methods course shifted online in response to COVID-19. In offering their early observations and selected reflections from course colleagues on the use of the notebooks, the authors emphasize the power of writing and echo the necessity of authentic writing assignments, especially when the commitment to these always-important values is disrupted.

Alternative Delivery Methods: A Reflection On The Semester That Almost Wasn't, Joshua J. Anderson

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

As educators we are by our very nature self-reflective practitioners. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 forced many of us to reconsider our approaches to remote learning, and this narrative describes my experiences with alternative delivery methods of instruction during the past two months. It is my hope that others can learn from both my successes and my failures. I encourage all educators to thoughtfully examine what they have experienced during this unprecedented time and consider how the lessons learned can positively influence their instructional approaches and readiness moving forward. The narrative begins by contextualizing my background, programs, classes, and institution. …

Preservice Teacher Writer Identities: Tensions And Implications, David Premont, Shea Kerkhoff, Janet Alsup

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Because of recent attention underscoring the lack of preservice teachers’ (PSTs) writer identities , the purpose of this manuscript is to learn more about the writer identities of two PSTs, how to uncover the tensions that exist therein, and how they intend to enact that writer identity in the secondary classroom. This multiple case study examines the writer identity of two PSTs from a midwestern university in the United States. Data collection included a visual metaphorical representation, participant generated reflections in class, and participate generated reflections in practicum. The data suggest that contrasting writer identities exist among preservice ELA teachers …

What Does It Mean To Be Prepared For College-Level Writing?: Examining How College-Bound Students Are Influenced By Institutional Representations Of Preparedness And College-Level Writing, Ann Burke

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article explores how institutional representations of college readiness (e.g. teacher talk and standardized assessment) and writing expectations influence high school students' perceptions of their preparedness to write at the college level. Findings presented are from an IRB-approved research study. This work offers important implications for how educators and educational institutions represent college-level writing to students and the ways in which those representations influence students’ perceived preparedness and expectations for college-level writing through peer comparison, teacher talk, curriculum, and assessment.

Exploring How Secondary Pre-Service Teachers’ Use Online Social Bookmarking To Envision Literacy In The Disciplines, Jamie Colwell, Kristen Gregory

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study considers how pre-service teachers envision disciplinary literacy through an online social bookmarking project. Thirty secondary pre-service teachers participated in the project through an undergraduate literacy course. Online bookmarks and post-project reflections were collected and analyzed using a constant comparative approach to determine emergent themes. Results suggest varying levels of disciplinary knowledge among pre-service teachers, influences of pre-service teachers' envisionments on posted bookmarks, and considerations about standardized testing in disciplinary literacy instruction. Implications for teacher education are discussed in light of these results.

Asking And Understanding Questions: An Inquiry-Based Framework For Writing Teacher Development, Jessica Rivera-Mueller

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Teachers develop when they critically examine the questions they ask about their work because questions make pedagogical beliefs visible and available for critical reflection and revision. In a standards-based educational climate—a time when writing becomes a set of measurable skills rather than a complex social practice—teachers may feel that a critical examination of their questions is (at best) a luxury or (at worst) a distraction to work they need to accomplish. Therefore, writing teacher educators may find it increasingly challenging to help teachers engage in reflexive inquiry. This essay describes a Deweyian-informed framework that shows how addressing inquiries and critically …