Exploring High School English Teachers' Perceptions of Their Preparation for and Practice of Teaching Writing

• In Event: 60.084 - Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: 60.084-17 - Examining Adolescent Peer and Teacher Writing Feedback Across Contexts

Abstract

Reports continually call for improvements in students’ writing, suggesting teachers should make changes to the way they instruct writing. Yet teaching writing requires knowledge few teachers have the opportunity to develop. In fact, opportunities to develop knowledge of writing instruction vary widely among preservice programs. This study, situated in California where teachers are not required to take preservice coursework in teaching writing, draws on mixed methods data to examine where teachers develop their knowledge to teach writing and their resulting writing instruction. Results suggest that, although teachers report having adequate knowledge to teach writing, their opportunities to develop that knowledge vary widely, as does their actual writing instruction.

Author

• Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner, California State University - Fresno