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Narrative as Writing and Literacy Pedagogy for Preservice Elementary Teachers
Giving Children and Teachers a Voice
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âI just cannot writeâ or âI am not a good writerâ are familiar complaints from students in academia. Many of them claim they cannot express themselves clearly in written text, and their lack of this skill impedes them in their academic career. In this book, Nancy A. Wasser argues that teachers can help solve this when they start viewing writing not as secondary to reading, but as the equally important side of the same coin. Those who cannot read, will not be able to write.
Wasser explains how teaching and regular practicing of writing skills from an early age onwards helps children grow into students who are self-aware of their voices. By employing narrative as a process of learning to write and a way to read, teachers can teach children the art of writing, while also making children more aware of their own constructions of narrative. Combining the focus on individual and group expression in writing lessons, students can trace and reflect on their own life transformations through their writing process.
Good writers are not born that way, but made through effort and practice. Changes in curriculum may not only lead to better-expressed citizens, but also to more balance between teacher and children voices.
Wasser explains how teaching and regular practicing of writing skills from an early age onwards helps children grow into students who are self-aware of their voices. By employing narrative as a process of learning to write and a way to read, teachers can teach children the art of writing, while also making children more aware of their own constructions of narrative. Combining the focus on individual and group expression in writing lessons, students can trace and reflect on their own life transformations through their writing process.
Good writers are not born that way, but made through effort and practice. Changes in curriculum may not only lead to better-expressed citizens, but also to more balance between teacher and children voices.
Nancy Wasser, PhD, is a retired Assistant Professor at the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership at the University of New Mexico. She combines her research in Curriculum Studies with Pedagogy and literacy education. Her focus is on inclusive and bilingual education.
"Wasser convincingly argues that skills can be taught as part of the learning process while situating writing in the context of childrenâs lives and culture. She develops a strong theoretical framework throughout her discussion of student writing samples, preservice teacher reflections, and her own experiences as an elementary school teacher and a professor ofteacher education."
- A. L. Hsu, State University of New York College at Old Westbury
- A. L. Hsu, State University of New York College at Old Westbury
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Purpose of This Book as a Conceptual Bridge
1 Transformative Literacy: Narrative as Retrospective Meaning Making
â1 A Word about Definitions
â2 Conclusion
2 A Framework for Writing to Transform Our World
â1 Through the Lens of Writing â An Historical Journey: A Rationale
â2 Transforming Writing from a Secondary to a Primary Discourse
â3 Whole Language: Literacy Learning from Whole to Part
â4 Personal Narrative as Literacy Pedagogy
â5 Pushing back against Current School Writing Policies
3 Teacher Candidates Critical Work and a Critical Discourse Analysis
â1 How It Worked: The Documentation
â2 How It Worked: My Teacher Research Classroom Methods
â3 An Example of a Narrative Lesson in Progress
â4 Data Analysis Method
â5 CDA Theoretical Tools
â6 Conclusion
4 Language and Power: Emergent Themes
â1 Theme of Writing for Meaning and Purpose
â2 Theme of Building Community through Narrative Writing Pedagogy
â3 Theme of Narrative Writing as a Tool for Healing
â4 Language and Power; Language Empowers
â5 Conclusions
5 Teacher Action Research: Schools as Knowledge Democracies
â1 TAR as a Research Paradigm
â2 TAR as Knowledge Democracy
6 Using Teacher Action Research to Support Narrative as Writing Pedagogy
â1 Funds of Knowledge as Fodder for Narrative Writing Pedagogy
â2 Pioneering Support for the Methodology
â3 Studies Treating Teaching Writing through Teacher Research
â4 Research Studies Employing Personal Narrative as a Source of Scholarly Writing
â5 Conclusion
7 Challenging the Practice of Testing and Grades as Proof of Good Teaching and Learning: Challenging Writing as Merely a Skill
â1 Why Narrative as Writing Pedagogy?
â2 A Critical Discourse Approach to Analyzing the Narratives
â3 What Worked Well
â4 Preservice Teachers Challenge the Pedagogy: Testing and Grades as Proof of Good Teaching and Learning
â5 Preservice Teachersâ Thinking about Writing Begins to Change
8 Narrative to Promote âSchoolâ Writing while Writing for Meaning and Purpose
â1 Incorporating Skill-Based Literacy Instruction and Narrative Genre in Pedagogy Based on Personal Stories: How It Worked
â2 Language and Power
â3 Conclusion
9 General Discussion and Conclusions: Changing the Dominant Literacy Pedagogy One Story at a Time
â1 Open-Ended Planning
â2 A Place of Transformation
â3 Preservice Teachers Push back against Writing as Primary Literacy Pedagogy: The âWhat Do We Do about Grades?â Discourse
â4 Places of Transformation from âWhat Do We Do about Grades,â to âHow Can We Assess Studentsâ Writing along the Road to Learning to Write?â
â5 Pushing back against Issues of Language and Power
â6 Transformative Actions to Address Issues of Language and Power
â7 The Tradition of Teaching/Not Teaching Writing in School
â8 A Look at My Teacher Discourse and Discourse
â9 In Conclusion
Appendix 1: Johnson Elementary Charter School Demographics
Appendix 2: Methods for Teaching Elementary Language
Appendix 3: Reading Log
Appendix 4: Lesson Plan 4-16-2014
Appendix 5: I Know What Itâs Likeâ¦
Appendix 6: I Know What Itâs Likeâ¦
Appendix 7: Class Poem #2
Appendix 8: Class Poem #3
Appendix 9: Questions on Unit 1 Reading, EDUC 453/553 February 12, 2014
Appendix 10: Journal Guidelines
References
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Purpose of This Book as a Conceptual Bridge
PART 1: Critical School Writing as a Place for Transformation
1 Transformative Literacy: Narrative as Retrospective Meaning Making
â1 A Word about Definitions
â2 Conclusion
2 A Framework for Writing to Transform Our World
â1 Through the Lens of Writing â An Historical Journey: A Rationale
â2 Transforming Writing from a Secondary to a Primary Discourse
â3 Whole Language: Literacy Learning from Whole to Part
â4 Personal Narrative as Literacy Pedagogy
â5 Pushing back against Current School Writing Policies
3 Teacher Candidates Critical Work and a Critical Discourse Analysis
â1 How It Worked: The Documentation
â2 How It Worked: My Teacher Research Classroom Methods
â3 An Example of a Narrative Lesson in Progress
â4 Data Analysis Method
â5 CDA Theoretical Tools
â6 Conclusion
4 Language and Power: Emergent Themes
â1 Theme of Writing for Meaning and Purpose
â2 Theme of Building Community through Narrative Writing Pedagogy
â3 Theme of Narrative Writing as a Tool for Healing
â4 Language and Power; Language Empowers
â5 Conclusions
PART 2: Teacher Action Research
5 Teacher Action Research: Schools as Knowledge Democracies
â1 TAR as a Research Paradigm
â2 TAR as Knowledge Democracy
6 Using Teacher Action Research to Support Narrative as Writing Pedagogy
â1 Funds of Knowledge as Fodder for Narrative Writing Pedagogy
â2 Pioneering Support for the Methodology
â3 Studies Treating Teaching Writing through Teacher Research
â4 Research Studies Employing Personal Narrative as a Source of Scholarly Writing
â5 Conclusion
PART 3: Teachers as Change Agents
7 Challenging the Practice of Testing and Grades as Proof of Good Teaching and Learning: Challenging Writing as Merely a Skill
â1 Why Narrative as Writing Pedagogy?
â2 A Critical Discourse Approach to Analyzing the Narratives
â3 What Worked Well
â4 Preservice Teachers Challenge the Pedagogy: Testing and Grades as Proof of Good Teaching and Learning
â5 Preservice Teachersâ Thinking about Writing Begins to Change
8 Narrative to Promote âSchoolâ Writing while Writing for Meaning and Purpose
â1 Incorporating Skill-Based Literacy Instruction and Narrative Genre in Pedagogy Based on Personal Stories: How It Worked
â2 Language and Power
â3 Conclusion
9 General Discussion and Conclusions: Changing the Dominant Literacy Pedagogy One Story at a Time
â1 Open-Ended Planning
â2 A Place of Transformation
â3 Preservice Teachers Push back against Writing as Primary Literacy Pedagogy: The âWhat Do We Do about Grades?â Discourse
â4 Places of Transformation from âWhat Do We Do about Grades,â to âHow Can We Assess Studentsâ Writing along the Road to Learning to Write?â
â5 Pushing back against Issues of Language and Power
â6 Transformative Actions to Address Issues of Language and Power
â7 The Tradition of Teaching/Not Teaching Writing in School
â8 A Look at My Teacher Discourse and Discourse
â9 In Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix 1: Johnson Elementary Charter School Demographics
Appendix 2: Methods for Teaching Elementary Language
Appendix 3: Reading Log
Appendix 4: Lesson Plan 4-16-2014
Appendix 5: I Know What Itâs Likeâ¦
Appendix 6: I Know What Itâs Likeâ¦
Appendix 7: Class Poem #2
Appendix 8: Class Poem #3
Appendix 9: Questions on Unit 1 Reading, EDUC 453/553 February 12, 2014
Appendix 10: Journal Guidelines
References
This book is for readers and (preservice) teachers interested in Curriculum Studies, literacy debates, childhood development, inclusive education, active engagement with narrative and storytelling and the preparation for academic writing and writing as an expression of the self in general.