Five Portraits of Teachers’ Experiences Teaching Writing: Negotiating Knowledge, Student Need, and Policy

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Comparisons of Teacher Literacy Knowledge and Practice in the United States and Abroad

Abstract

Reports continually call on high school English teachers to improve their students’ writing. Effective writing teachers are able to respond in pedagogically appropriate ways to students’ diverse needs while also responding to pressures from various accountability policies. However, most secondary teachers have few opportunities to develop their knowledge of writing instruction. This mixed methods study, situated in California, explores challenges faced by high school English teachers and the instructional approaches they use to teach writing. Data include surveys of 171 teachers working in a range of contexts and case studies of five teachers. The case study teachers profiled highlight findings from analysis of the surveys. Results illustrate how knowledge and context together impact teachers’ instruction of writing.

Author

• Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner, University of California - Davis