Expert Classroom Teachers' Supports for Pre-Kindergarten Writers

• In Event: Teacher Supports for Early Writers: Current and Promising Practices in Preschool Classrooms

Abstract

Purpose. Policy and practice guidelines recommend opportunities for preschoolers to compose their own texts in meaningful activities (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). However, writing instruction in preschool classrooms is typically limited (Pelatti, Piasta, Justice, & O'Connell, 2014). Teacher writing facilitation is often low (Zhang et al., 2014) and many teachers focus on handwriting and spelling with little attention to composing, (i.e. developing and recording ideas) (Authors, 2017). Reseach describing adult supports for preschoolers’ composing is extremely limited. To address this gap, we describe writing supports offered by expert emergent writing teachers working in public prekindergarten classrooms. Research questions include: 1) What supports for composing and other writing skills were offered? 2) How did supports differ across preschool activity contexts (e.g., large group, learning centers)? 3) How did teachers and children collaboratively construct classroom composing events?

Perspectives. Analyses are framed by emergent literacy (Teale & Sulzby, 1986) and sociocultural perspectives on literacy learning (Gee, 2003; Vygotsky, 1978) which hold that: writing begins as soon as children participate with others in writing events, literacy learning and teaching are social accomplishments, and that learning-to-write events are socially produced through joint adult-child interactions (Bloome & Egan-Robertson, 1993).

Methods. Seven expert emergent writing teachers working with 4-year-olds in prekindergarten classrooms were nominated by district literacy leaders. Teachers’ literacy instruction in large and small groups, and learning centers was observed during two half day visits. Teachers were interviewed about their writing instruction. Researchers recorded adult-child writing interactions using fieldnotes, audio-video recording, and photos. Constant comparative analysis (Corbin & Strauss, 2008) was used to develop grounded categories describing teacher writing supports. Multimodal transcripts of all writing interactions were created and analyzed using multimodal interaction analysis (Norris, 2004) and micro-sociolinguistic discourse analysis procedures (Bloome & Egan-Robertson, 1993) with particular focus on adult roles in shaping children’s participation as writers.

Data Source. Data were collected through a 3-year Researcher-Practitioner Partnership to improve early writing instruction in a large urban, U.S. school system. District leaders nominated expert emergent writing teachers. Participants were seven prekindergarten teachers (6 White, 1 African-American) and their 4-year-old students. By district policy classrooms mostly served children low-income homes. Students represented diverse racial and language backgrounds.

Results. Routines for writing varied widely across classrooms, though all classrooms offered whole group interactive writing and opportunities for children to compose their own messages. All teachers drew attention to and accepted children’s emergent writing. The presentation will describe teachers’ strategies for supporting idea generation, transcription, and social uses of children’s texts. Interviews indicated teachers’ professional judgments about children’s level of engagement and writing skill influenced supports offered during composing.

Significance. Since writing is infrequent in many preschool classrooms, research showing how adults can support composing is needed. Description of expert emergent writing teachers’ practices provides an existence proof, and empirical documenation of the variety of ways teachers can support young writers. This information may be useful in designing teacher professional development directed at improving preschool writing instruction.

Authors

• Deborah Rowe, Vanderbilt University

• Zarabeth G. Davis, Vanderbilt University

• Amanda Shimizu, Vanderbilt University