New Literacies Perspectives and Practices in Composition Teaching and Learning: An Action Research Study

• In Event: Roundtable Session 125
  In Roundtable Session: Multimodal Composing Processes Across Contexts

Abstract

This paper reports on a multi-sited action research study involving university researchers and middle-level composition teachers. The primary question is: How do teachers of young adolescents develop their new literacies competencies for teaching, particularly for teaching composition? Data sources from 2 Alberta and 2 Ontario sites include classroom observations, interviews with teachers and focal students, meetings among teachers in each site and in periodic videoconferences with the other teachers, reflective journals, curricular documents, student assignments, and teachers’ lesson plans. Four findings are discussed: (a) ways in which the teachers address current and evolving literacy practices; (b) issues / tensions regarding developing new literacies pedagogy; (c) ways in which teachers’ assessment takes account of student diversity; and (d) collaborative research relationships.

Authors

• Jill A. McClay, University of Alberta

• Shelley Stagg Peterson, University of Toronto - OISE