Preservice Teachers, Composing, and Activism: Writing as Civic Engagement and Teacher Activism

• In Event: Literacy Considerations in Teacher Education

Abstract

There have been comparatively fewer studies examining the impact of writing as civic engagement and activism on PST’s beliefs about and experiences with activism and how they see themselves as teacher activists. This paper shares the findings from a collective case study examining how engaging in a writing methods course focused on writing as a form of activism and civic engagement impacted ELA PSTs’ perceptions of and experiences with civically engaged writing. Data analysis revealed that the PSTs’ experienced (1) conflict engaging in activist writing, (2) struggles seeing themselves, and teachers, as political beings, and (3) self-censorship when composing activist texts. The findings suggest the need to embed (writing) teacher activism throughout teacher preparation.

Authors

• Mike P Cook, Auburn University

• Gail Harper Yeilding, Auburn University