A Curriculum Model for K-12 Writing Teacher Education

Writing pedagogy is too often missing from US K-12 teacher preparation programs, with one study finding that only one-fourth of programs surveyed had a writing methods course. In the study presented in this article, researchers developed a theoretical understanding of K-12 writing teacher education by examining the instructional models and practices of 15 exemplary teacher educators. Participants were diverse, US teacher educators in university-based teacher preparation programs, identified through purposive, snowball sampling and a screening survey. Data were drawn from semi-structured, individual and focus-group interviews, analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Our findings includefive thematic assertions, presented with descriptions of the related patterns of practice: Exemplary writing methods teacher educators design their curricula with experiential, constructivist, and critical approaches as the foundation of all learning engagements, and they implement a writing process approach with their teacher candidates, They teach writing as a tool of empowerment, convey complex conceptions of writing assessment that are grounded in analysis of student work, and are intentional and deliberate about building and maintaining connections to K-12 classrooms for themselves and their candidates. This study provides writing teacher educators with a data-driven model for developing a writing-intensive methods course curriculum.