Remembering “Christina” Black Students with Learning Disabilities: A New Vision for Teaching Writing

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Disability Identity and Student Agency

Abstract

In the chapter "You Ain't Making Me Write," Valerie Kinloch (2017) introduces us to Christina, a reluctant writer, who, according to Dr. Kinloch, performs an act of resistance. Many classrooms across the U.S. have students who embody the spirit of Christina, and by learning from the past, we hope to create a better future for all students. Using the five stages of writing, we established the linkage between culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining pedagogies and evidence-based narrative writing research for Black students with learning disabilities (LD). This session will equip middle school teachers to teach writing to Black students, reducing reluctance and supporting the promise of writing in a child's future.

Authors

• Latesha Watson, Temple University

• Ayodele Patience Aborishade, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Lola Aneke, University of North Texas