The Impact of Context on How Writing Gets Taught

• In Event: Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: Writing and Literacies SIG Roundtable 3: Spaces for Unlocking Writing for Democratic Participation

Abstract

Under NCLB, writing instruction came to mean preparing students for multiple-choice items about writing. Implementation of Common Core standards requires changes in how writing gets taught. As professional development is planned to aid teachers in responding to these changes, it is important to understand teachers’ experiences teaching writing under NCLB and how the contexts in which teachers work shape their writing instruction. This study examines how four teachers working in different contexts responded to both their students and existing instructional policies when teaching writing. Results highlight challenges faced by the teachers and discrepancies in the instruction students received. Together, these results provide insights into the needs of teachers as they transition to the demands of the Common Core.

Author

• Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner, California State University - Fresno