Write On! Using New Literacies Practices to Increase Engagement and Improve Writing Achievement of Middle School Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 112
  In Roundtable Session: Literacies That Matter: Using Research, Writing, and Pedagogy to Engage Adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of infusing 7th-grade writing instruction with technology and new literacies practices. Ten teachers, eight coaches, and 850 students participated. The study considered changes in students’ writing practices and achievement and evaluated professional development practices supporting instructional changes. Although data from standardized assessments was not yet available, other data sources revealed increased student engagement. Students more frequently wrote with other people, included pictures, movies or sound in their projects, read online, and used technology during writing. Most teachers reached Level 4 of implementation, the Routine Level, characterized by teachers having established a regular way of working with the innovation, having “mastered the innovation and its use” (Hall & Hord, p. 163).

Author

• Vicki S. Collet, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville