| Popis: |
Responding to recent calls throughout the field for more studies of teaching, I present case studies of four elementary teachers--two fourth grade, two fifth grade--implementing process pedagogy in writers' workshops. Specifically, I examine how they teach, why they succeed and fail, and what they need to teach more effectively. Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of the study, explaining my purpose and rationale. Chapter 2 builds a knowledge base by presenting a survey of the recent literature on elementary school writing teaching. Focusing primarily on the works of Donald Graves, Lucy Calkins, and Nancie Atwell--the prime movers in the field--it details the major principles and components of the writing-process movement. Chapter 3 lays out the concrete particulars and theoretical bases of my research, explaining context, methodology, and presentation. Chapters 4 through 7 present individual case studies of the teachers I studied. Each chapter includes four sections: (1) Teacher Profile, (2) Classroom Observations, (3) Interview, and (4) Interpretation. Chapter 8 analyzes why these teachers teach writing as they do, re-evaluates the revolution in elementary writing, and speculates on the future of writing instruction at this school. In line with the experimental movement in contemporary ethnography, I have written this dissertation in a conversational tone and confessional voice. Through alternative text-building strategies, I attempt to make my epistemology visible and to represent this teaching community completely. |
