Journal Article

A Curriculum Model for K–12 Writing Teacher Education

Sanders, Jennifer, Myers, Joy, Scales, Roya Q., Ikpeze, Chinwe H., Yoder, Karen K., Grisham, Dana L., Smetana, Linda, Tracy, Kelly N.

2020

Overview

Writing pedagogy is too often missing from US K-12 teacher preparation programs, with one study finding that only one-fourth of programs surveyed had a writing methods course. In the study presented in this article, researchers developed a theoretical understanding of K-12 writing teacher education by examining the instructional models and practices of 15 exemplary teacher educators. Participants were diverse, US teacher educators in university-based teacher preparation programs, identified through purposive, snowball sampling and a screening survey. Data were drawn from semi-structured, individual and focus-group interviews, analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Our findings include five thematic assertions, presented with descriptions of the related patterns of practice: Exemplary writing methods teacher educators design their curricula with experiential, constructivist, and critical approaches as the foundation of all learning engagements, and they implement a writing process approach with their teacher candidates. They teach writing as a tool of empowerment, convey complex conceptions of writing assessment that are grounded in analysis of student work, and are intentional and deliberate about building and maintaining connections to K-12 classrooms for themselves and their candidates. This study provides writing teacher educators with a data-driven model for developing a writing-intensive methods course curriculum.

• Publisher: National Council of Teachers of English
• Subject: Curriculum Design / Curriculum development / Learning / Literacy Education / Polls & surveys / Preservice Teachers / Student writing / Teacher education / Teacher Educators / Teaching / Teaching methods / Writing instruction / Writing processes / Writing teachers