Teachers of young writers often feel pressure to focus on narrow, tested conventions, forms and processes of writing. These pressures can contribute to instruction that does not consider students' interests, experiences, language or cultures, but rather can further deficit views of students whose backgrounds do not closely align with those making…

The aim of this research was to create spaces for kindergarten writers by collaborating with kindergarten teachers through action research cycles. The inquiry's problem of practice is situated in the understanding that writing instruction within kindergarten classrooms is being sidelined due to a drive to teach in ways aligned to a sub-skills…

Teacher professional development in writing is an increasing area of interest due to the complex nature of the profession including learning needs of students and the demands of external assessment regimes in the contemporary landscape. However, professional development often denies the contextual experiences and expertise of teachers in favor of…

This study explored the professional development issues, challenges, and opportunities faced by calligraphy teachers in the context of disciplinary integration. Descriptive survey was used in the study to explore the professional development of Calligraphy teachers' discipline integration. Through questionnaire surveys and comprehensive analysis,…

This article conceptualises studies in professional learning through the novel lens of 'reflexive empathy'. Reflexive empathy draws on Margaret Archer's theory of reflexivity, and positions it as an enabler of empathy to support researchers' approaches to providing contextualised, supportive professional learning for teachers who are involved in…

This study addressed tensions faced by teachers in balancing the types of writing valued in today's schools, the needs of today's writers beyond school, and the rich cultural and linguistic resources that students bring into today's classrooms. Drawing from data generated in a larger study of teachers in an inquiry group and their related…

This article captures lessons learned while coaching a team of writing teachers across a poetry writing unit of study. Because of the heightened pressure of successful implementation of curricular programs, coaching can become focused solely on implementation of resources with fidelity, which can neglect the art of teaching. This article captures…

Third- to fifth-grade teachers are struggling to teach writing, and research had not addressed how their training to teach writing or their confidence in their ability to use effective strategies to teach writing influences their teaching. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore third- to fifth-grade teachers' training in…

Writing continues to be an underserved content area within English Language Arts instruction in elementary school classrooms. This sequential mixed-methods study was designed to develop a current state of practice for writing pedagogical training within the Pacific Northwest. Course descriptions were analyzed for specific references to writing, or…

Underpinned by positioning theory as both a theoretical lens and methodological tool, this paper asserts that educators can improvise asset-based discourse to create spaces for student writers to exercise agency. This single-case study, focusing on four education undergraduates situated as both writers and writing mentors in a literacy course and…

While scholars across a range of disciplines challenge the idea that bi/multilinguals have separate linguistic repertoires, monolingual expectations are common in bilingual education. Using elements of case study design and discourse analysis, I explore translanguaging as both a dynamic linguistic practice and a linguistically sustaining pedagogy…

This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study explores how elementary teachers made sense of their experience in the National Writing Project's Summer Institute and how it influenced their teaching of writing. Many elementary teachers have not received writing methods as a stand-alone course during their teacher preparation. Furthermore, the…

National standardized test scores indicate West Virginia students perform below the national average in writing achievement, yet little research has been conducted to investigate how writing is being taught. Gaining understanding of the instructional strategies West Virginia teachers use to teach writing may provide insight for educational leaders…

Writing professional learning is often overlooked amidst public-school system demands, which include scarce funding and competing state mandates and priorities (Tooley and Connally, 2016). In addition, writing teachers are often subject to professional learning experiences that are directed by others rather than being tailored to their own needs…

Developing informative writing skills at the elementary level is critical for long-term academic and personal success. This study investigated impacts of a schoolwide implementation of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) in inclusive classes to improve elementary students' informative writing and teachers' efficacy and perceptions of…