Impact of ISI on Teacher Disposition on Self as Writer and Writing Teacher

Lynda M Valerie PhDCentral Connecticut State University

IRA World CongressAuckland, New Zealand

National Writing Project

NWP is a federally funded professionaldevelopment initiative that utilizes ateachers-training-teachers model to developteachers as writers and writing teachers.Teachers participate in open and invitationalinstitutes to discuss research, demonstratebest practices, develop portfolios andWRITE personal and professional pieces.

Central Connecticut Writing Project

Over 200 NWP sites in US and beyondCCSU/ CCWP Service area diverse in terms of SES, ethnicity, and spoken languagesSite since 2005Site identity:

Teacher InquiryMaking Our Writing Public

Invitational Summer Institute

• Core of each site, begin to be part of PLC• Four weeks intensive study

• WRITE– Writer’s Notebook– Anthology Submission– Professional Piece– Writing Response Groups

• Reading Response Groups (four books)• Management Teams• Active Membership Committee (one from continuity,

publicity, or recollections)

Invitational Summer Institute

• Followed by a year of involvement in PLC• One required presentation• Participate in fall CCWP Open Institute• Participate in Literacy Essentials Conference• Self-selected Continuity Activities

– Writing Marathons– Book talks– Shine Sessions– Committee membership– Study Groups participation– Teacher Inquiry Projects

Guiding Questions of Inquiry

• What is Invitational Summer Institute’s impact on the teacher’s dispositions as a writer?

• What is Invitational Summer Institute’s impact on the teacher’s dispositions towards teaching writing?

Methodology Participants were chosen randomly from each ISI

2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.  

Data gathered from three sources Journals/Writers' Notebooks

Mined and analyzed for reflections on

teachers' dispositions on writing, on teaching writing

and on student learning Survey and Interview Questions

explored the teachers’ as writers, their writing activities,

teaching in relation to writing, involvement/leadership in PLC Classroom Observations

noticed specific indicators of a “writer friendly” room, the

attitude of students toward writing experience, time devoted

to writing, teacher’s level of confidence and comfort, measurable outcomes

 

Numbers of respondents ISI year Total Participants # of Participants

Interviewed% of Participants Interviewed

2006 17 5 30%

2007 16 6 36%

2008 12 4 33%

2009 14 9 64%

Totals 59 24 41%

Teachers as Writers

Examination of teachers’ concept of themselves as writers, prior to and following the ISI, verifies that the ISI has a positive impact on the teachers’ self-perceptions.

Interviews Journals Classroom Observations

Examples from prior ISI data from interviews and journals

• “As a writer, I start off cautious.”• “I am an enthusiastic, sporadic, varied writer.”• “Free writing is the most difficult for me.”• “Hmmm. Myself as a writer. Well. I can’t say

that I can call myself a writer.”• “I’m a fan of words and sentences. When I

write, there’s a certain comfort.”• “I’m a writer who struggles to say what I mean”

Example of Post ISI data from interviews

• “I’m a more open writer. I’m less critical of myself…”

• “I enjoy writing more and I defiantly see myself as a writer.”

• “I don’t know that I write anymore than I did before, but I feel more comfortable writing creatively. I feel more confident now”

Examples of change in disposition as a writer

• “As a writer, I’m a beginner” (Two years later, this teacher co-authored an article.)

• “I struggle to find just the right word. It’s difficult” …. “I’ve learned that the more you write, the easier it becomes”

• “Before ISI, I did not perceive myself as a writer. I didn’t feel my writing was worthy of sharing”… “After the ISI, my perception did an 80% turnaround.”

Writing Behaviors “Are you part of an established writing group?”

Only 8.6% of the respondents are members of a writing group

“Presently, are you working on a writing project?” 61% are currently (at the time of interview) working independently on a

particular writing project.

“ Is there a writing project that you would like to work on?”81% of the respondents could specifically describe the written project they

intend to complete in the future and submit for publication.

“Have you had any writings published?”17% of the respondents have now published: poems, articles, children book, IRA THINK/READ/WRITE lesson plans

Data supports that the majority of CCWP ISI respondents now identify themselves as capable writers.

Writing Teachers

The attitude of teachers toward teaching writing has an impact on the effectiveness of their lessons and, therefore, on student learning. This attitude derives, in part, from the teachers’ concept of themselves as writers.

• How does this translate into their classroom practice?

Teachers describe themselves as teachers of writing

“Before the WP, I had no idea how to teach writing…I called it writing instruction, but the kids were really just writing to prompts. And I had no confidence…there was no rhyme or reason to my writing instruction…Now, I have a clear philosophy about how to teach writing”

Quotes validating changes in teachers feelings about teaching of writing…

“Prior, I was always looking for a quick fix, a lesson, a magazine trying to find something that would work…after I was definitely more creative and purposeful in how to go about teaching writing.”

“I always felt like I stood up in front of my kiddos and said, ‘Alright this is what you need to do.’ I never fully put myself behind what I was teaching…after, I felt like I could bring my personal experiences into it and model using those.”

Changes in Assessments Before ISI 100% of teachers used district benchmarks and/or rubricsAfter ISI 64% added their own tools for assessing student writing All changes consistent with the philosophy of the Writing Project. Aspects added were

Free-writing Peer conferencing and editing Conferences with teacher Self-reflection

Evidence of student learning

• Principal feedback on student prompts. She asked the teacher what had changed

• Percentage of first graders reaching year end writing benchmark. The previous year, 30 % met benchmark, similar to peers, The year following ISI 85% met benchmark. Peers results unchanged.

Quotes validating changes in assessments

..now after, it’s more what the kid is trying to say and how he’s trying to say it. Giving the kids more freedom. My assessments are more of the kid’s ability to express his ideas in a different way.

I always relied on rubrics and I used rubrics that were distributed by my town or my school. I thought of them as very narrow. My focus was pretty narrow. Either they did it or they didn’t. I was pretty much a black and white thinker. Now if I’m unsure, I’ll call a child up and say “where were you going with this?” “What were you trying to say?” And I think I’m a little more, I don’t want to say lenient, I’ll get the child into where they were trying to go and it is not just my interpretation. I want to hear what the child was saying, where he was going with his writing

I didn’t know how to grade writing beforehand. Writing is a developmental process. After the WP I could separate their syntax from their creativity. I could break apart their developmental process even further. Since I had them write more than before the WP, I had more to work with as far a grading them. My grades are 1, 2, 3, and 4. I find it easier to explain to parents the stage of writing their child is at and their strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

Write to LearnOne interview question elicited a wide variety of responses ranging from knitted eyebrows to a standard Donald Murray paraphrase.“How would you describe the term ‘write to learn’?” 17% revealed that they were not familiar with the term at all Balance gave descriptions that demonstrated a basic understanding of the term.

96% of teachers reported that they made significant changes in

their teaching of writing after completing the ISI.

Journal Data

• Before 2010, no explicit direction to write about writing, or teaching of writing

• Doubts, questions• Specific metacognition on writing lessons presented

or planned and their individual writing process• Entries on language, love of words, finding the right

word• Broad statements about newly acquired ideas

and/or confidence

Classroom observationIndicators

• Classroom milieu in regards to writing• Evidence of established routines for writing• Time allocated for writing instruction• Time devoted for students to write• Student disposition toward writing• Teacher’s level of comfort….whole group• Teacher’s level of comfort….small group

Classroom Observations

• Commercial and teacher-made posters specific to writing, vocabulary visit poster, lots and lots of student writing

• S familiarity with routines• Time 45 minutes to an hour daily• Student engagement• Whole group instruction expectations clear• Language of conferencing

Classroom observations photos

Supporting data PLCResponses to other questions revealed additional data about

teachers’ sustained commitment in the CCWP activities

their involvement and/or leadership in a PLC either within the CCWP, their school district, and beyond

45% had taken part in CCWP Writing activities beyond first year36% had taken part in CCWP conferences one year following ISI81% were now members of school teams such as Curriculum Committee

School Improvement Team Assessment CommitteesTeacher Leaders

Leading Professional Development

95% of the respondents facilitated in PD either

on a district, regional or national level.

86% on district level

5% on regional level

9% on national level

Back to guiding questions

• Writing disposition…translate into more writing?• Writing disposition...translate into more

teaching? • Leadership development as teacher leaders• Rework write to learn content• Investigate facilitating CCWP writing groups• Investigate offering advanced institutes• Investigate impact directed journal entries for

reflections on writing/teaching writing