Teacher Transformation in a Local National Writing Project Site

• In Event: 69.056 - Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: 69.056-11 - Understanding Teacher Transformation Through Narrative Inquiry

Abstract

The National Writing Project professional development has established long-term measurable impact on student writing and transformative influence on participants thinking and living.
This paper poses two questions: What are the features of a professional development model that facilitate transformation learning over time? How do participants view the way these features of a transformative professional development model inform their classroom instruction?
This narrative inquiry investigated two practicing writing teachers who experienced the National Writing Project Summer Institute at least three years ago and revealed four resonant narrative threads: structure, risk, audience, and agency. Participants restructured writing instruction to share agency with student writers by shifting writing audience away from teachers and providing greater authorial voice to students.

Author

• Nigel Waterton, Montana State University