Generous Readings With Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Understanding, Responding to, and Valuing Student Writers Through Reflective Tools and Practices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore preservice teachers’ use of the generous reading protocol to analyze student writing and plan instruction based on the analysis. Twice each week in an after-school setting, five pre-service teachers and 10 K-8 children engaged in writing personal narratives and informational texts. The topics were chosen by the children based on their family and community funds of knowledge. The pre-service teachers analyzed the children’s writing using a generous reading protocol (Author, 2021) at the beginning and end of the six-week session. They wrote reflections on what they learned about children’s writing and planned further writing instruction based on their findings. The preservice teachers also used an observation-planning sheet (Croce, 2017) during every session. The generous reading forms, reflections, and observation/planning sheets were analyzed qualitatively through inductive coding, writing memos as patterns emerged, and grouping emergent categories. We describe the ways in which preservice teachers’ use of the generous reading protocol allowed for a positive view of student writing that influenced their subsequent teaching.

Author

• Lucy Spence, University of South Carolina
  Presenting Author